[CC'ing café again] On Aug 14, 2010, at 12:25 PM, Max Rabkin wrote:

On Sat, Aug 14, 2010 at 11:13 AM, Sebastian Fischer wrote:

...

Hello,

I wonder whether (and how) I should increase the version number of a library when the API does not change but the implementation gets more efficient.

Should I bump a.b.C or even a.B to signal that it's worth using the new version or should I bump only a.b.c.D such that packages that depend on a.b get installed with the new version automatically?

My understanding is that the PVP only describes the *minimum* version bump, not the maximum. There is a third option though: give the updated version two version numbers, one with an a.b.c.D bump so that reverse dependencies get the performance improvement, and one with an a.b.C bump so that users see a new version as worthwhile.

That's an interesting idea! In my case I'll probably bump version a.b.c.D with unchanged API but better performance and additionally release a new major version with a new API as well (as I planned to extend the API independently). Thanks! Sebastian -- Underestimating the novelty of the future is a time-honored tradition. (D.G.)