Re: chapter 4 on version numbering doesn't mention ~ trick
On Fri, Apr 25, 2003 at 12:33:12AM +1000, Hamish Moffatt wrote:
> Chapter 4 of policy 3.5.9.0 (version numbering) doesn't mention dpkg's
> magic ~ character in version strings, which was implemented in June 2002
> (according to dpkg's changelog.Debian.gz.)
>
> In fact I couldn't find a single package in unstable which is using it,
> though I still see packages using the old ugly tricks like Samba's
> 2.99+3.00alpha23 ..
>
> The ~ character deliberately has low sorting order, so 3.00~alpha23 <
> 3.00.
>
> Am I free to use it?
I think not, for instance because apt doesn't support it yet (see the
changelog in http://people.debian.org/~doogie/apt/). As I remember, the
discussions surrounding the introduction of ~ wanted a stable release
between its implementation in the tools and the start of its use in
packages, too.
> Please CC me as I'm not subscribed (M-F-T is set correctly).
It wasn't set at all apparently, but done.
--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@flatline.org.uk]
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