Version numbers are compared in the JPI during the auto-install process to see if the currently installed version of a Java Optional Package is sufficient for the program being executed. Version numbers in manifest files may contain only numerals and decimal points, or else the JPI barfs with a "NumberFormatException." This leaves no way to differentiate between the Beta release of a product and its final release. We considered using 1.2.1.001 for our 1.2.1 Beta release, but that doesn't work (1.2.1.001 > 1.2.1). For now, we have to use "1.2.1" for both our Beta and FCS releases. Therefore, there's no way for the JPI to know if the currently installed version is the Beta or FCS release, and no way for applications to specify that they require the FCS release and not the Beta. We'd like to be able to use a version number like 1.2.1beta1, where the JPI would have to recognize the word "beta."