Method and apparatus for managing selective and subtractive merges in a software configuration

Computer apparatus comprising computer readable-storage medium containing instructions for managing software configurations comprising:

• an artifact version history member representing changes between versions of artifacts forming different configurations of a subject software program;
• a selective merge indicator for representing a selective merge between artifact versions in the artifact version history member, wherein the selective merge indicator is a selective merge arc between an indication of an artifact version produced by the given change and an indication of a new artifact version;
• and
• a subtractive merge indicator for representing a subtractive merge between artifact versions in the artifact version history member, wherein the subtractive merge indicator is a subtractive merge arc, for each subtractive merge of a given change, there being a respective subtractive merge arc between an indication of an artifact version produced by the given change and an indication of a new artifact version that results from subtracting the given change;
• and
• wherein the selective merge arc indicates that the given change should be kept in the selective merge, and wherein the subtractive merge arc indicates that the given change should be omitted in the subtractive merge.

A computer system for managing software configurations comprising:

• a processor;
• artifact version history means for representing changes between versions of artifacts forming different configurations of a subject software program;
• selective merge indicator means for representing a selective merge between artifact versions in the artifact version history member, wherein the selective merge indicator means includes an arc between an indication of an artifact version produced by a given change and an indication of a new artifact version resulting from a selective merge of the given change;
• and
• subtractive merge indicator means for representing a subtractive merge between artifact versions in the artifact version history member, wherein the subtractive merge indicator means includes an arc between an indication of an artifact version produced by the given change and an indication of a new artifact version that results from subtracting the given change;
• and
• wherein the arc of the selective merge indicator means indicates that the given change should be kept in the selective merge, and wherein the arc of the subtractive merge indicator means indicates that the given change should be omitted in the subtractive merge.

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

• represent changes between versions of artifacts forming different configurations of a subject software program;
• indicate among the represented changes any selective merge between artifact versions, including employing a selective merge are to represent selective merges;
• and
• indicate among the represented changes any subtractive merge between artifact versions, including employing a respective subtractive merge arc to represent subtractive merges,
• wherein the selective merge arc indicates that a given change should be kept in the respective selective merge, and wherein the respective subtractive merge arc indicates that a given change should be omitted in the respective subtractive merge.