[Python-Dev] Stability and change

[Guido van Rossum]

> >> Make X.Y.0.N the experimental branch,
> >> settling down to X.Y.1 as the final stable release,
> >> following up with X.Y.Z as bugfix-only releases,
> >> and the next round of experimentals continuing from X.(Y+1).0.0.
> >
> >This is attractive, if we can make sure that everything settles
> >between 2.x.0 and 2.x.1.  That leaves us only alpha and beta releases
> >of 2.x.1 to experiment.  Could be a long string of betas...
> 
> The whole idea is that N can grow as large as you like it,
> before you declare the release stable, and rename it.

Unfortunately we have a formally defined encoding for versions that
this would break. :-(

See patchlevel.h and sys.hexversion.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)