A release is more than a version label
What the v3.5.4 maintenance work taught us about standalone installs, recorded UI explanations and deployment evidence.
A development machine can hide a missing dependency
Software that works in a developer's workspace can still fail in a clean package installation. Local source paths, optional infrastructure and private integration fixtures must not quietly become dependencies of the public default workflow.
FactorForge v3.5.4 was checked through clean package installs and remote tests on supported Python and operating-system combinations. Shared persistence remains separately configured and experimental; the public design endpoint is stateless. These are software checks, not a production database or biological certification.
Interfaces must show recorded facts
The web interface should expose recorded computational findings and provenance, not invent a plausible explanation for every codon change. When a generation trace is absent, that absence is part of the result. A polished visualization cannot substitute for a missing record.
The maintenance review also found that visual policy-builder scaffolding had been described too strongly. The incomplete modal path was withheld. The verified workflow uses policy-file upload and collapsed advanced settings. A named feature is not complete merely because a button or an earlier release note mentions it.
Documentation is part of the delivered interface
An empty historical release-note entry made a real maintenance release look as though it contained no changes. The missing summary was filled from the recorded changelog and covered by a regression test. This changed presentation, not the engine, reference data or product version.
The more general lesson is to distinguish implementation, tests, publication and live verification. A completion flag is a navigation aid, not a replacement for those artifacts. Optional infrastructure and model previews keep their own gates.
Public reference
The published maintenance release is FactorForge v3.5.4, with its version-specific software archive. Its package version remains independent of individual engine versions and any historical computational evaluation.