Patent ID: 7849443

Claim:
A method of managing software configurations comprising the steps of: using a version history member, representing changes between versions of artifacts forming different configurations of a subject software program; indicating in the version history member any selective merge between artifact versions, including for each selective merge of a given change into a new artifact version, employing a respective selective merge arc between an indication of an artifact version produced by the given change and an indication of the new artifact version; and indicating in the version history member any subtractive merge between artifact versions, including for each subtractive merge of a given change, employing 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 each selective merge arc indicates that the given change should be kept in the respective selective merge, and wherein each subtractive merge arc indicates that the given change should be omitted in the respective subtractive merge.