[Python-Dev] Re: Stability and change

[Paul Svensson]

On Mon, 8 Apr 2002, Alex Martelli wrote:

>On Monday 08 April 2002 07:38 pm, Guido van Rossum wrote:
>	...
>> > It seems to me that duplicating (in your example) 2.3.8 to 2.4.0
>> > (and using 2.5.0 as the new baseline for further experimentation)
>> > would be a very clear signal in this sense.
>>
>> *If* the community likes the even/odd distinction enough.  I've heard
>> mixed feelings.
>
>I'm neutral on the odd/even distinction -- all it has for it is that a
>number of people are used to it from Linux.  But SOMEthing more
>remarkable that "up to 2.3.N experimental, 2.3.(N+1) and on
>stable" is needed -- a different name, a different major release,
>whatever.  If we can come up with something better than parity
>of minor release number, I'll personally cheer... I just can't think
>of anything better right now.  Comparison of microrelease with
>some arbitrary threshold changing by minor.major is worse, though --
>not a clear signal at all.

Why not take advantage of the "well known fact" that any software
release ending in ".0" is not to be trusted ?

Make X.Y.0.N the experimental branch,
settling down to X.Y.1 as the final stable release,
following up with X.Y.Z as bugfix-only releases,
and the next round of experimentals continuing from X.(Y+1).0.0.

This is almost as simple as the "just call it stable when it is" proposal,
while still being even more obvious than the odd/even approach.

	/Paul