How Open Source Projects Version Software

Episode 37 of Open Source with Fexingo dives into semantic versioning, the system that powers how millions of open source packages communicate changes. Lucas and Luna break down what version numbers like 2.1.4 actually mean, why the Linux kernel famously refuses to follow semver, and how npm's dependency crisis of 2016 exposed the risks of trusting version ranges blindly. They discuss real-world examples like the left-pad incident and how tools like Dependabot try to automate safety. Along the way, they touch on what pre-release tags like -alpha and -rc signal to users, and why some projects now ship 'calver' (calendar versioning) instead. A concrete, practical look at a system developers depend on every day but rarely think about. #SemanticVersioning #OpenSource #Versioning #SoftwareEngineering #LinuxKernel #npm #leftPad #Dependabot #CalVer #DevOps #PackageManagement #SoftwareMaintenance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Technology #TechPodcast #OpenSourcePodcast #VersionControl Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo