Linux.com

What is Linux?

Feeds

Special Offers

Version labeling is out of control

Posted by: Anonymous [ip: 76.231.46.155] on June 09, 2008 06:32 AM

There is a simple solution to this problem: the RubyGems rational version numbering system [1], which clearly and loudly indicates to the user whether any incompatible changes are included in a release. This "major.minor.patch" numbering policy is summarized as follows:



┌──────────────────────────┬─────┬─────┬─────┐

│Version number components:│Major│Minor│Patch│

├──────────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤

│  Backwards compatible?   │no   │yes  │yes  │

├──────────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤

│      New features?       │yes  │yes  │no   │

├──────────────────────────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤

│        Bug fixes?        │yes  │yes  │yes  │

└──────────────────────────┴─────┴─────┴─────┘

This numbering system is widely (and successfully, IMHO) used in the user community of the Ruby language[2].

[1] http://www.rubygems.org/read/chapter/7
[2] http://ruby-lang.org

Return to Version labeling is out of control