[Python-Dev] devguide: Backporting is obsolete. Add details that I had to learn.

[Glyph]

On Jan 10, 2012, at 7:57 AM, Antoine Pitrou wrote:

> On Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:49:04 +0000
> Rob Cliffe <rob.cliffe at btinternet.com> wrote:
>> But "minor version" and "major version" are readily understandable to 
>> the general reader, e.g. me, whereas "feature release" and "release 
>> series" I find are not.  Couldn't the first two terms be defined once 
>> and then used throughout?
> 
> To me "minor" is a bugfix release, e.g. 2.7.2, and "major" is a feature
> release, e.g. 3.3.  I have a hard time considering 3.2 or 3.3 "minor".

Whatever your personal feelings, there is a precedent established in the API:

>>> sys.version_info.major
2
>>> sys.version_info.minor
7
>>> sys.version_info.micro
1

This strikes me as the most authoritative definition of the terms, in the context of Python.  (Although the fact that this precedent is widely established elsewhere doesn't hurt.)

Whatever term is chosen, the important thing is to apply the terminology consistently so that it's clear what is meant.  I doubt that anyone has a term which every reader will intuitively and immediately associate with "middle dot-separated digit increment by one".

If you want to emphasize the importance of a release, just choose a subjective term aside from "major" or "minor".

-glyph

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