D687 - A record updates on not-worse-and-different

Status: decided Date: 2026-09-14

A run replaces a title's stored record when it is comparable, ranks at least equal, and differs in its key or its outcome; beats still answers whether a run improved. The measurement date is not a difference.

Why: a record describes the latest reproducible run and is not a trophy: a guest that reaches as far and stops somewhere else would otherwise leave the record naming a fault site nobody reproduces. Counting the date would rewrite the record on every rerun and make its diffs unreadable.

Rejected:

• Updating only on strictly better: the record goes stale on any equal-rank change.
• Updating on every run: churn that hides real changes.