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It’s mostly because Linux stopped having major release. Linus changes the first number when he finds that the second one is growing too big which apparently mea

It’s mostly because Linux stopped having major release. Linus changes the first number when he finds that the second one is growing too big which apparently means twenty-ish.

yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
I personally wish it had gone semver and the version expressed how "boring" and stable it was; "Linux 6.0" sounds like a big deal (but in spite of all the features and changes really isn't*), where "Linux 2.1028.0" would better reflect the reality IMO - smooth, stable progression. * EDIT: In the sense of being non disruptive and safe; the features are very non-boring:)
- capableweb 4y ago
  Semver makes sense when you want to have a way of breaking the API interface and signal that to people. If there is one thing I've learned from reading various messages from Linus on the mailing lists, is that WE DO NOT BREAK USERSPACE! So Linux would be perpetually on the same major version, which means there is little reason to use Semver in this case. Also, the first number gets updated whenever Linus feels like the second number gets too large, not sure how "2.1028.0" would solve that :)
  - yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
    > So Linux would be perpetually on the same major version, Yes:) > which means there is little reason to use Semver in this case. Okay, that's fair. If semver is there to signal breaking changes and there will never be breaking changes maybe it's not super useful. > Also, the first number gets updated whenever Linus feels like the second number gets too large, not sure how "2.1028.0" would solve that :) That's not "also"; I'm specifically saying that Torvald's versioning system is bad. Honestly I'd be happier with losing the leading number completely and doing an increment per feature release; right now the "major" version field just doesn't mean anything.
- creshal 4y ago
  Semver makes really no sense. The userspace ABI tries to never have breaking changes; yet the internal APIs for use by drivers, and indeed the drivers themselves, can have breaking changes every single release. Not that most users care, as most of the tens of thousands of devices supported are fairly obscure and the changes don't affect the other users… yet kernel API changes that break, say, Nvidia's drivers or ZFS or other high-profile out of tree drivers, have an outsized effect. You either have to increase the semver major version with every single release, or somehow version internal APIs separately, which isn't really practical either.

It’s mostly because Linux stopped having major release. Linus changes the first number when he finds that the second one is growing too big which apparently means twenty-ish.

yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago

I personally wish it had gone semver and the version expressed how "boring" and stable it was; "Linux 6.0" sounds like a big deal (but in spite of all the features and changes really isn't*), where "Linux 2.1028.0" would better reflect the reality IMO - smooth, stable progression. * EDIT: In the sense of being non disruptive and safe; the features are very non-boring:)

capableweb 4y ago
Semver makes sense when you want to have a way of breaking the API interface and signal that to people. If there is one thing I've learned from reading various messages from Linus on the mailing lists, is that WE DO NOT BREAK USERSPACE! So Linux would be perpetually on the same major version, which means there is little reason to use Semver in this case. Also, the first number gets updated whenever Linus feels like the second number gets too large, not sure how "2.1028.0" would solve that :)
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
  > So Linux would be perpetually on the same major version, Yes:) > which means there is little reason to use Semver in this case. Okay, that's fair. If semver is there to signal breaking changes and there will never be breaking changes maybe it's not super useful. > Also, the first number gets updated whenever Linus feels like the second number gets too large, not sure how "2.1028.0" would solve that :) That's not "also"; I'm specifically saying that Torvald's versioning system is bad. Honestly I'd be happier with losing the leading number completely and doing an increment per feature release; right now the "major" version field just doesn't mean anything.
creshal 4y ago
Semver makes really no sense. The userspace ABI tries to never have breaking changes; yet the internal APIs for use by drivers, and indeed the drivers themselves, can have breaking changes every single release. Not that most users care, as most of the tens of thousands of devices supported are fairly obscure and the changes don't affect the other users… yet kernel API changes that break, say, Nvidia's drivers or ZFS or other high-profile out of tree drivers, have an outsized effect. You either have to increase the semver major version with every single release, or somehow version internal APIs separately, which isn't really practical either.