[Koha-devel] Koha numbering

[Owen Leonard]

I think this is a worthwhile discussion to have, and I'm actually in
no hurry (yet) to cut it off. I think there are still aspects which
need to be considered.

Version numbering is important to different groups for different
reasons. For developers, we need version numbering to keep track of
where we are in the release cycle and to help us make judgements about
how to manage and maintain previous releases. For users the version
number gives them an indication about how important it is to upgrade.

> But please do not jump from 3 to 14 !

When considering users, I think this is an important consideration.
Jumping from 3 to 14 would be really confusing to users, and create
expectations about what that version number means. Did we jump 11
version numbers because 3.14 is 11 version numbers better than 3.12?
Did we jump 11 version numbers because a pseudo-Koha project has
practiced version number inflation? No matter how well we communicate
our reasons for switching numbering systems these questions are going
to come up. Are we okay with that?

I agree with those who worry that incrementing full version numbers
like we did point releases before is going to make it more difficult
for users to know how important it is to upgrade. As developers we
know how much work goes into making 3.10 into 3.12, but users have to
weigh a lot of factors when deciding whether and when to upgrade.
Self-supporting libraries in particular may not have the resources to
upgrade for every version. Will a new numbering scheme make this more
difficult for them?

All that said, I think it is problematic that we don't have a plan,
under the current numbering scheme, to move from 3.x to 4.x.

Just to muddy the waters more: What if we came up with a goal (or
goals) to set to trigger the flip from 3 to 4, and then implemented
the new version scheme from there? That would give the users the
satisfaction of seeing a version jump, and give us some lead time to
"sell" the new numbering scheme.

With apologies to those who want this to be over,

  -- Owen

-- 
Web Developer
Athens County Public Libraries
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