Policy Weekly Issue #4/8: Dates in package versions
> Some upstream sources use a `snapshot date' instead of a real version
> number. As these `dates' are used as version id for dpkg it is useful to
> make them all use the same format. (It doesn't matter if our version
> number _looks_ different than the one from the upstream source when a date
> is used. For example, everyone should be able to recognize that `96May05'
> is the same as `1996.05.05'.)
I disagree strongly. In general we have a good correspondence between
upstream and Debian version numbers. I don't think that we have to or
should make an exception to the usual policy of trying to keep our
version numbers close to the upstream ones.
Of course a version number may need to be reformatted to get it to
sort properly, but IMO the minimal change should be made which has
this effect.
Furthermore, implementation of this policy would require changes to
the version numbering of many existing packages, which would require
epochs in some cases and in any case be confusing.
Ian.
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