About version numbers

Conjecture: thinking about releasing software versions to users/partners/the public in dotted version numbers, e.g. “1.0, 2.1, 5.3” is a symptom of misshaped thinking. This line of thinking seems framed by the notion that only a dozen major versions will ever be released. Certainly, some software works that way: shrink-wrap software, video game consoles, etc.. Most notably, dotted release versions are very useful for software used to build software.

However, its increasingly true that software doesn’t really work until it reaches “version” two-hundred something. But maybe that’s another problematic frame of thinking…

Adam Keys @therealadam