Letters to the editor

Version numbers

From:		Duncan Simpson <dps@simpson.demon.co.uk>
To:		lwn@lwn.net
Subject:		Version numbers
Date:		Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:17:39 +0000

In the commercial software arena, and linux distributions, version numbers are
a matter of marketing. If you have foo 1.0 are you more likely to upgrade to
foo 1.0.1, foo 1.5 or foo 2.0?

The release numbers of my software depend on how heavily it has been tested.
mpkern started at 1.0 because it was heavily tested by then (moudlo a couple a
few minor bugs that somehow got into the distirbution). The changes from 1.0 to
1.0.2, soon to be the latest relase, are small everywhere exccept for the build
system.

Less heavily tested software starts at version numbers like 0.001alpha, which
is hoped to tell clueful people to expect bugs, depsite my efforts to eliminate
them prior to releasing the beast to the unsuspecting public.

-- 
Duncan (-:
"software industry, the: unique industry where selling substandard goods is
legal and you can charge extra for fixing the problems."

Comments (1 posted)