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Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x

From Simon McVittie <smcv@debian.org>
Newsgroups linux.debian.bugs.dist, linux.debian.policy
Subject Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x
Date 2026-05-05 23:30 +0200
Message-ID <MRvv4-2RD2-9@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <MRvbH-2RvK-1@gated-at.bofh.it> <MRvbH-2RvK-1@gated-at.bofh.it>
Organization linux.* mail to news gateway

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

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On Tue, 05 May 2026 at 22:07:34 +0100, Ian Jackson wrote:
>+	  <p>
>+	    When upstream doesn't make numbered releases,
>+	    consider starting the upstream part of the version number
>+	    (as used in the Debian) with <tt>0.x</tt>.
>+	    That way if upstream start making conventional releases,
>+	    an epoch won't be necessary.
>+	  </p>

Won't this do the wrong thing when the "0.20260505" snapshot is 
superseded by upstream release 0.1 or similar? Upstreams don't always 
start numbering from 1.0, especially if they're using "semver" where 
0.x releases have special semantics.

In some of my packages where the upstream has not yet made any releases 
(like src:openjk) I've used a version like 0~20260505, which avoids that.

I've also seen ~20260505 suggested, but I think that breaks the 
least-astonishment rule that a version number should usually start with 
a number.

     smcv

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Thread

Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-05-05 23:10 +0200
  Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Simon McVittie <smcv@debian.org> - 2026-05-05 23:30 +0200
    Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2026-05-05 23:50 +0200
      Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with  Bill Allombert <ballombe@debian.org> - 2026-05-06 11:10 +0200
        Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with Holger Levsen <holger@layer-acht.org> - 2026-05-06 12:40 +0200
    Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org> - 2026-05-06 02:00 +0200
  Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> - 2026-05-06 22:50 +0200
    Bug#1135785: Suggest starting date-based version numbers with 0.x Holger Levsen <holger@layer-acht.org> - 2026-05-07 10:20 +0200

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