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Version: 3.1.X

Historical Release Timeline

Document scope This file serves four complementary purposes:

  1. Official historical record of ABCD development
  2. Source for reusable milestones in documentation
  3. Executive (summarized) timeline for presentations and overviews
  4. Reference document aligned with open‑source community standards

Early releases predate modern version control and therefore contain partial or reconstructed information.

Executive Timeline (High‑Level Overview)​

  • 2009 — ABCD project publicly introduced (0.x beta series)
  • 2009–2010 — Version 1.0 released and stabilized
  • 2013–2016 — Incremental consolidation (1.3 → 1.5)
  • 2017–2020 — Structural modernization (2.0 → 2.2)
  • 2021–2023 — Major refactoring and OPAC evolution (2.3)
  • 2024–2025 — OPAC‑centered architecture and HTML5 compliance (3.x)

Milestones Index​

2009 — Project Foundation

  • First public beta releases (0.5 → 0.8)
  • Core modules established: Cataloging, OPAC, Acquisitions, Serials
  • Multilingual support defined as a core principle

2009–2010 — First Stable Release

  • Official public release 1.0
  • Community-driven development model formalized
  • Patch-based upgrade workflow introduced

2011–2016 — Consolidation Phase

  • Stabilization of administrative and circulation tools
  • Gradual infrastructure transitions (Linux distributions, PHP versions)

2017–2020 — Modernization Phase

  • Structural cleanup of the codebase
  • Early OPAC and UI redesigns

2021–2023 — Architectural Refactoring

  • Major OPAC rewrite
  • OAI-PMH reimplementation
  • Statistics and reporting redesigned

2024–2025 — OPAC-First Architecture

  • OPAC becomes the default entry point
  • HTML5 validation and cleanup
  • Legacy modules deprecated

Detailed Historical Timeline​

0.x Series — Early Development (2009)​

0.5 — February 14, 2009​

Status: Beta

Highlights

  • Core record management improvements
  • Initial statistics module (Flash‑based charts)
  • Major expansion of the Acquisitions module
  • Sequential control number mechanism introduced
  • iAH upgraded to version 3 (language‑independent)
  • SeCS module enhanced
  • ABCD Site module completed (EN/PT/ES); French started

0.7 — May 22, 2009​

Highlights

  • MARC Lite definitions completed
  • Z39.50 client configuration module
  • New database definitions and worksheets
  • First Acquisitions module with inventory database
  • OAI record export
  • iAH updated to version 3.1

0.7.5 — June 5, 2009​

Highlights

  • First official ABCD manuals released (English)
  • Complete Spanish and Portuguese UI
  • Partial English and French localization
  • Improvements in data entry, DB admin, statistics and Serials (SeCS)

0.8 (Windows) — July 3, 2009​

Highlights

  • Basic circulation system activated
  • iAH interface version 3.1.1 completed
  • Improved acquisitions copy management
  • Messaging system completed in four languages

Notes

  • Circulation module still experimental

1.x Series — First Stable Generations (2009–2016)​

1.0 — December 3, 2009​

Milestone Release

  • Official public launch of ABCD
  • Fully web‑based library automation system
  • Modular architecture covering cataloging, OPAC, circulation, statistics, serials and acquisitions
  • Built on the ISIS software family

Institutional Context

  • Coordinated by BIREME / PAHO / WHO
  • International open‑source collaboration (60+ contributors, 21 countries)

1.0.3 — February 3, 2010​

  • Introduction of structured patch releases
  • Ticket‑based development workflow
  • Cleanup of obsolete files
  • Multilingual text corrections
  • MARC definitions finalized

1.0.4 — May 3, 2010​

  • Large set of bug fixes
  • Simplified record copy procedures
  • LGPL license headers added
  • Major refactor of SeCS Web Services

1.0.5 — June 24, 2010​

  • Improved record duplication
  • Interface stability fixes
  • Acquisition workflow corrections
  • PHP 5.3 compatibility

1.1b — October 27, 2010​

Notes

  • Limited historical data available

1.3t / 1.3t1 — December 2013​

  • Incremental improvements and stabilization
  • Incomplete public changelogs

1.5 / 1.5.1 — January–June 2016​

  • Infrastructure migration (Ubuntu → Debian)
  • Known regressions in administrative utilities

2.x Series — Modernization Phase (2017–2023)​

2.0 — 2017​

  • Structural modernization of the codebase

2.2.0 (Pre‑release cycle) — 2020–2022​

  • Repository cleanup
  • UI redesign
  • Major OPAC improvements
  • Removal of obsolete installers

Status: Not recommended for production

2.3.0 — September 6, 2023​

  • Over 650 commits since v2.2
  • Enhanced OPAC
  • Rewritten OAI‑PMH
  • Redesigned statistics and reports
  • Captcha implementation
  • Z39.50 protocol restored
  • Improved multilingual support

Technical Notes

  • Tested with PHP 8.x
  • YAZ extension required for Z39.50

2.3.2 – 2.3.6 — September 2023​

  • Gradual rollout of the Update Manager
  • Facet editing improvements
  • Upgrade safety checks
  • Interactive database sorting utilities

3.x Series — OPAC‑Centered Architecture (2024–2025)​

3.0.0​

  • Major OPAC redesign (OPAC v2)
  • OPAC becomes default entry point
  • Improved session management and security

3.1.0​

  • OPAC repairs and cleanup
  • Update Manager enhancements
  • Deprecated modules removed (Site, iAH)

3.1.1​

  • HTML5 compliance improvements
  • Code validation and cleanup
  • Preparation for long‑term template refactoring

Notes on Historical Accuracy​

  • Versions prior to Git adoption lack complete changelogs
  • Several early entries are reconstructed from announcements and manuals
  • This timeline favors traceability and transparency over speculative completeness

Document status: Living document — community corrections and additions are encouraged.