Do Software Versions Really Matter?

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?"

Comments

Do a Microsoft

[Latent Heat]

Microsoft has long given up version numbers, perhaps from the embarrassment of it.

Call your product FOOBar Eliminator XS (for Extra Strength), or call it FOOBAR Eliminator 2009, or even FOOBar Eliminator 3000, or perhaps 10000. Maybe even chose a future date from the Frank Herbert Dune series or the Asimov Foundation.

Used to matter, back in the day

[Anonymous Coward]

Back when Teh Lunix was still in low version numbers, a common line of Slashdot wisdumb was that "had M$ taken the time to code it right in the first place...", blah blah blah.

However, now that Teh Lunix is releasing "OMG Yet Another Version" every two to three months... now suddenly that "conventional wisdumb" is completely wrong and of course they never said that in the first place.

So I guess versions only matter if it's used to attack Microsoft. According to Slashdot, anyhow... but this IS "Ask Slashdot".

Re:It's just the opposite for me

[theaveng]

Windows is at 6.0 (Vista) and still doesn't work as well as the Macintosh OS circa 1995.

>>>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.'
>>>

Nothing new. Windows NT 1.0 was released as NT 3.1 by Microsoft. It was strictly marketing.