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What is the reasoning behind reusing version numbers?

• js2 9y ago
  Apple does this sometimes for macOS. It's probably because it's an application update, not an OS update (so OS patch version does not change), and doesn't require a reboot.
  • hamandcheese 9y ago
    This doesn’t explain why they kept Safari at the same version number.
    • js2 9y ago
      Oh you're right. Specifically, they kept the CFBundleShortVersionString the same, but updated the CFBundleVersion. My guess is that updating CFBundleShortVersionString is a marketing decision. Maybe Apple is waiting till all the WebKit fixes related to Spectre/Meltdown are available before updating it?
      • jurip 9y ago
        Also various Apple systems define CFBundleShortVersionString to be of the format A.B.C, no fourth element allowed. macOS versioning is still stuck with 10 as the A, B identifies the major release and C is the point release that is effectively also marketing driven. With iOS the first number is used for the major releases so C is available for bug fixes.