Support schedule

This document defines the maintenance and support policy for the openlifu python package.

Release lines and patch releases

A release line is a MAJOR.MINOR version series, such as 0.20. Maintenance is delivered through patch releases. Only the latest patch release within a supported line is supported; earlier patches are superseded.

Maintenance tiers

  • Full Maintenance: fixes for critical and noncritical issues.

  • Critical Maintenance: fixes for critical issues only.

  • Unsupported: no maintenance releases.

The desktop application’s releases determine the support boundaries for openlifu, as described in the desktop application support schedule:

  • Full Maintenance runs from the latest release all the way back to the release line used in the latest openlifu-desktop-application release.

  • Critical Maintenance runs back through the release line used for the previous openlifu-desktop-application release.

The release component version table shows support status according to these rules.

With roughly two desktop release lines per year, support tiers may change every six months or so. Support transitions follow actual releases; these durations are not fixed calendar deadlines.

Support at a glance

openlifu-python maintenance by release line

The graphic and table describe release lines. Always use the latest patch in a supported line.

What counts as critical?

Critical Support applies when fixes are needed to address circumstances such as the following:

  • Impacts to essential device performance, including safety-related issues

  • Incorrectness of planning, simulation, or targeting

  • Data loss or corruption

  • Inability to perform core functionality with no reasonable workaround

Temporary Exceptions

These follow the desktop application’s temporary exceptions:

  • The latest “legacy IO” release line is fully supported for now.

  • v0.18 and v0.19 are Unsupported, rather than receiving Critical Support, because desktop application v1.11 is Unsupported.