Interviewed by CNN on 06/08/2011 20:07, Robert Kaiser told the world: > Version numbers in software are just like coordinate systems in physics: > But necessarily and irrelevant. They're necessary as a reference system > but it's completely irrelevant and arbitrary how you set them.
I agree. At the more basic level, any version numbering scheme conveys just one thing: the release order of versions. But a numbering scheme CAN be designed to carry additional, useful information. For instance, the traditional major.minor.update.patch numbering scheme was designed to deal with a forked "genealogy" of releases -- so you can release a minor patch to version 3.0 after 3.1 is already being distributed and 4.0 is in beta, for instance, and make that genealogical information instantly understandable. Now, the Mozilla rapid-release system essentially done away with any secondary meaning in version numbers, since there are no longer maintenance releases for older versions. The only remaining information is in the third number group -- the "update" release. Which is not intended to be used very much. The lack of secondary meaning in version numbers becomes evident when you realize that Firefox is going full sequential, Seamonkey is going minor-version sequential -- and neither camp has a very compelling argument for their chosen scheme. I think a Year.Month version numbering, a la Ubuntu, would be a better long-term scheme. At least, it has SOME secondary meaning: the release date. I think after a couple years of rapid-fire releases, users will begin to lose track and will no longer be able to tell if Chrome 22, Firefox 17 or Seamonkey 2.15 is the current release or not. -- MCBastos This message has been protected with the 2ROT13 algorithm. Unauthorized use will be prosecuted under the DMCA. -=-=- ... Sent from my Desktop PC. Yes, running an actual e-mail client. Wanna make something of it? *Added by TagZilla 0.066.2 running on Seamonkey 2.1 * Get it at http://xsidebar.mozdev.org/modifiedmailnews.html#tagzilla _______________________________________________ support-seamonkey mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/support-seamonkey
