On Wed, 15 Nov 2006, Roland Illig wrote:
> Version numbers are not a classification scheme, only an ordering 
> scheme. It isn't that all packages having version 5.* are in the 
> "Natural Science" category. They represent something completely different.

It's always annoyed me too, but for a different reason:  In the Dewey
Decimal System, 123.45 sorts before 123.6, whereas in the scheme
commonly used to number software versions, 123.45 sorts after 123.6.
Also, in the Dewey Decimal System, there is never more than one "." in a
number, whereas there is often more than one "." in a software version
number.

--apb (Alan Barrett)