Re: Perl package version numbers

[David Holland <dholland-pkgtech%netbsd.org@localhost>]

On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 08:37:18AM +0200, Dieter Baron wrote:
 > : -p5-DateTime-TimeZone-0.6904
 > : +p5-DateTime-TimeZone-0.77
 > 
 > : Is that "new" version number smaller or larger than the old
 > : version number, according to our version numbering scheme?
 >
 >   The new version is smaller, and should be padded: 0.7700

Indeed.

 > : ...which brings up another question, where exactly is our version
 > : numbering scheme defined?
 > 
 > : For instance, the man page for p5-pkgsrc-Dewey does not contain
 > : neither a definition nor examples, and the pkgsrc manual gives no
 > : useful hits when the index is searched for "dewey" or "version".
 > 
 >   pkg_info gives a description in the PACKAGE WILDCARDS section,
 > although it omits to explain that version numbers are compared
 > numreically, component by component, with `.' being the component
 > separator.
 > 
 >   Admittedly, that is not the best place.  Any suggestions where we
 > could put this so it's easier to find?

The conclusion I came to after the last round of flamewars on the
subject was that there ought to be a whole section in the guide about
version numbering, because there are a number of issues for which
explicit guidance should be given. I haven't written it yet though :(

-- 
David A. Holland
dholland%netbsd.org@localhost