Re: Debian part of a version number when epoch is bumped

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Christian T. Steigies writes ("Re: Debian part of a version number when epoch is bumped"):
> This should be documented somewhere where a regular DD can easily learn
> about these restrictions. Looking at the debian-policy, I still do not see
> what I did wrong with my recent upload:
> 
> https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/
> 
>  5.6.12. Version
>  The version number of a package. The format is:
>  [epoch:]upstream_version[-debian_revision].
> 
>  The three components here are:
> 
>  epoch
>  This is a single (generally small) unsigned integer. It may be omitted, in
>  which case zero is assumed. If it is omitted then the upstream_version may
>  not contain any colons.

I suggest something like this wording to replace the following
paragraphs about the epoch:

   Epochs exist to cope with changes to the upstream version numbering
   scheme, and some other difficult cases.  The epoch is a powerful
   tool, but increasing the epoch it has downsides and should be
   avoided when possible.

   If you think you need to increase the epoch for a package, please
   consult debian-devel first.

Ian.