Re: [Gnu-arch-users] What are version numbers?

[Tom Lord]

    > From: Andrew Suffield <address@hidden>

    >>> [version numbers model development paterns]

    > A common counterexample would be config.sub and config.guess.

    >>> In what sense are they a counter-example.   Sorry -- I just don't
    >>> follow you here.

    > They don't have version numbers.

That'd be a process bug, if you ask me.   Surely they make a series of
releases, no?

In package-framework, those tools are kept in a subdir.   It isn't but
could easily be a sub-project.   When it matters, wouldn't it be nice
to be able to query "Say, does project FOO happen to use version BAR
of config.guess?  or will some work be needed to bring up that aspect
of FOO on my platform?"


    > >     > A slightly more topical one might be the branches in which I store
    > >     > debian packaging (which does have a version number, but that 
version
    > >     > number is not related to its development at all - it's related to 
t=
    > he
    > >     > development of the corresponding _upstream_ code).

    > > To your consumers, isn't that structuring from upstream the critical
    > > thing?

    > > Really not seeing your point here, sorry.

    > In this example, the version numbers bear no relationship to the lines
    > of development - so I set the version field to something arbitrary
    > ("1.0") and ignore it completely. Development here is entirely
    > orthogonal to the version number.

(Really not sure how important this is to anything, but:)

Do I have this right:  You have some packaging.  The union of the
packaging with the upstream stuff consitutes the debian package.

Is there some reason why the version number of the appropriate
packaging doesn't equal the version number of the upstream foo?
Isn't that how it's used even if, by coincidence, there's no changes
in the packaging stuff between upstream versions?

-t