Talk:Patch release
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Examples
editCan we get some examples on this? The only reference I have seen in the wild are id Software's "point release" patches for Quake 2. However, since those patches were actually quite major, adding new gameplay modes and maps, it doesn't seem to match the definition given here. In fact, I got the idea that it was actually the opposite of a minor update, as incrementing by a "point" (i.e. a tenth) via patching is actually a major patch compared to a minor revision (a hundredth or smaller). Changing the major revision number (5.0 -> 6.0) usually implies a new product which cannot be obtained through a patch and therefore a "point release" doesn't make much sense in that context. VanishingUser 02:33, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
- Point releases are common in professional business software.
- For example Activant's Prophet 21 (http://distribution.activant.com/prophet21/) designates a major release version using a whole number and the first decimal, usually incremented by 0.5 (e.g. 9.0, 9.5, 10.0, 10.5, 11.0 are major release versions); these are typically released every 1-2 years.
- They also release bi-weekly point releases (comprising of bug fixes or small customer specific features) designated by the second decimal and following three digits (e.g. 10.5.822, 11.0.380). In their case those 3 digits represent the age of the product of days after the product was officially released (so 11.0.380 indicates 380 days after 11.0 was formally released).
Counterexample
editThis article can be disproved using a negative. Microsoft, one of the most prolific software vendors issues major releases to their operating systems by incrementing the value to the right of the decimal as well as to the left. For instance, Windows 2000 was version 5.0, and Windows XP was 5.1. Likewise Vista was 6.0 and 7 was 6.1. Neither of those examples are free or minor, the latter which is a essential element of this page. I suggest removing this page completely and instead updating or clarifying the numbering schemes of the Software versioning page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_versioning#Schemes. T3mplar (talk) 16:09, 25 October 2012 (UTC)