Jerry...the reason you see service show up early on the ftp server is that
this is usually done directly by the developers after final testing
has been done...it is about the quickest way to get the code out to our
customers.  The code has to go through some extra steps to get into
the regular maintenance stream (it goes through another whole group
in IBM).  While this takes longer it does have the benefit of
adding checks and controls.  Version control is a possible concern
as you mention but developers are careful about what they put on the
ftp server...it is usually in synch (or just ahead of) the regular
maintenance stream...with the exception of beta code which is
usually identified.  So, while your concerns are valid...I hope
you're not losing any sleep on it :-|   ...Greg