Re: version numbers and new features

[Jan Engelhardt]

On Sunday 2025-02-02 22:38, Karl Berry wrote:

>On another front ... Automake's HACKING file says that "micro releases",
>e.g., 1.17.1, should not add any new features. Does anyone know if there
>is a technical reason for this?

It is a social contract between producer and consumer that the
product meets certain expectations. In particular, parties are
recognizing that humans are fallible and can fail to deliver on the
expectation, micro releases are a construct for the producer to
remedy their failings and once again come into compliance with the
expectation. Adding more elements than absolutely necessary bears the
risk of not meeting the expectation once more.

And that's why subreleases are made.

Projects which do not want to have such a social contract do not make
subreleases.