Re: Automake 1.6b available and the version numbering issue

[Alexandre Duret-Lutz]

Hi Respond,

>>> "Respond" == Respond To List Only <address@hidden> writes:

 Respond> Let me preface this with the comment that, although it
 Respond> may lok like I'm ranting on some small issue that
 Respond> suddenly pushed me into a fit of rage, I'm actually
 Respond> sanely trying to raise points that I feel were not
 Respond> considered dutring the lifespan of automake and other
 Respond> projects.

(FWIW past discussions about version numbering can be found in
the archive of the lists.)

[...]

 Respond> Sanity-check what you've just copied.  Do you see how
 Respond> it takes 15 lines to explain?  Does this raise
 Respond> warnings to you?

Good point.  Let's not make this explanation longer by
supporting yet another numbering scheme.

[...]

 >> # For the purpose of ordering, 1.4 is the same as 1.4.0, but 1.4g is
 >> # the same as 1.4.99g.  The FORK identifier is ignored in the

 Respond> So why not USE 1.4.99.7 ?

Historical practice I'd say.

For many years, Automake has used the same numbering scheme as
many other GNU packages:
   N.M for releases, 
   N.Mx for snapshots
But when the need for bug fix releases occured, it was extended
to follow the same practice as Libtool (IIRC):
   N.M for major releases
   N.Mx for snapshots between major releases
   N.M.O for bug fix releases
   N.M.Ox for snapshots between bug fix releases

Everything that ends with a letter is *not* a release.  It's an
intermediate snapshot, a development version, a pre-release --
call it how you like, but it's not an official release.

Releases uses only numbers like it seems you prefer.

(The N.M-pO versions were an accident, we don't use these today.)

[...]

 Respond> Recall that lexicographically, "4a" and "41" sort in
 Respond> an order that might not be logical.  

Peanut.  Even `ls -v' is able to sort that.

I insist.  Let's not make a montain out of a molehill.  There
are existing tools (like GNU ls, or Debian's dpkg) that contains
comparison functions which are able to cope with most version
numbering schemes.  Reuse this work!  This way it will solve
your problem, not only for Automake, but also for many other
tools at the same time.

[...]
-- 
Alexandre Duret-Lutz