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Do Software Versions Really Matter?

Posted by timothy on from the blame-patrick-volkerding dept.

An anonymous reader writes "I work for a rather large software company and I am currently working on a completely new product. So new in fact, that the official name has not even been decided. I had assumed that the version number for this product would be 1.0 (at most). However recently I learned that the Product Managers want to release this NEW product with a version number somewhere between 5.0 and 8.0 because 'there is a stigma about buying 1.0 products. People assume it's no good.' This latest Dilbert-esque comedy routine nearly sent me over the edge. So to gauge my sanity against that of the upper Product Management, I ask the community: Do version numbers play a role in software decisions, or have product version numbers lost all credibility and meaning? Would the community feel comfortable buying version '6.3' software (and paying tens of thousands of dollars for it) knowing that it was the first release of the product?"

6 of 693 comments (clear)

  1. You F4Il It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    in time. For aal Happen. 'At least but suufice it FreeBSD showed to yet another

  2. I think it's because you like sodium by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The aliens tried to penetrate myu defenses with their storiy books but I am not French. Toads are nice with bugs for bugs for bugs for bugs in telegrammmmmmmmmmm

  3. Re:It's just the opposite for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    EVERY version of Windows has more bugs...

  4. Re:It's just the opposite for me by Cajun+Hell · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Every version of Windows has more bugs than every other version Windows. Wind0ze $uxx that much!!!1

    --
    "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
  5. Leonard Part VI by Latent+Heat · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Didn't Bill Cosby make a spy-thriller-spoof named Leonard Part VI? Part of the spoof was that it was supposed to be the 6th spinoff or rehash "in the franchise", but of course it was the first and only Leonard as Bill Cosby as super secret agent.

    As Michael Crichton attempted to make a serious point about "eco-terrorism" with State of Fear, my understanding is the Leonard Part VI was spoof on "animal-rights terrorism", and since it had animals in it, it was supposed be funny the way anything with animals in it is supposed to be funny like some people think Pet Detective was.

    I read and heard from critics on TV that Leonard Part VI really blew chunks. Maybe it was a joke on itself skipping ahead to Part VI: Under Siege, Terminator, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and so on had a great first movie but the third sequel was always trouble. It was perhaps a funny concept, but the execution was kind of ragged and people say the movie is so disjointed not to make sense. So don't jinx your product calling it Version 6.

  6. Re:It's just the opposite for me by suckmysav · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    That might be OK if you could manage to release significant version upgrades regularly, but if MS had have stuck with that from 2000 onwards most people would be still using Windows 2001 (XP) and wondering why they didn't have something a lot newer.

    On second thoughts, maybe they would be more inclined to upgrade to Windows 2007 (vista) today in that case so, yeah, good work Stevie B!

    --
    "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"