[GH-ISSUE #160] "PATCH" might be ambiguous #1836

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GiteaMirror · 2026-04-20T09:29:27-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:27 -05:00

Originally created by @mj8w on GitHub (Aug 30, 2013).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/semver/semver/issues/160

I am wondering if there is a better moniker for patch. Patch has other connotations, as a diff file supplied to apply a "fix". I was looking for a more general term, or, maybe someone can help me think differently about the term.

Mike

Originally created by @mj8w on GitHub (Aug 30, 2013). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/semver/semver/issues/160 I am wondering if there is a better moniker for patch. Patch has other connotations, as a diff file supplied to apply a "fix". I was looking for a more general term, or, maybe someone can help me think differently about the term. Mike

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-20 09:29:27 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:28 -05:00

@bessarabov commented on GitHub (Aug 30, 2013):

[Major] [Miror] [Trivial]?

@bessarabov commented on GitHub (Aug 30, 2013): [Major] [Miror] [Trivial]?

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:29 -05:00

@TheSamsterZA commented on GitHub (Sep 5, 2013):

I use [Major].[Minor].[Micro] and [Major].[Minor].[Patch] interchangeably.

@TheSamsterZA commented on GitHub (Sep 5, 2013): I use [Major].[Minor].[Micro] and [Major].[Minor].[Patch] interchangeably.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:29 -05:00

@mj8w commented on GitHub (Sep 7, 2013):

In my mind, perhaps "incremental" best describes the type of changes at
this level.

@mj8w commented on GitHub (Sep 7, 2013): In my mind, perhaps "incremental" best describes the type of changes at this level.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:30 -05:00

@voidmain commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2013):

I feel that Trivial is subjective and Patch is objective. You are Patching a well defined release to fix a bug. Additionally, Incremental implies new features where Patch does not. You could call this level Fix or Bug but most people feel that Patch=Fix.

@voidmain commented on GitHub (Oct 14, 2013): I feel that Trivial is subjective and Patch is objective. You are Patching a well defined release to fix a bug. Additionally, Incremental implies new features where Patch does not. You could call this level Fix or Bug but most people feel that Patch=Fix.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:31 -05:00

@rlidwka commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013):

I use [Major].[Minor].[Micro] and [Major].[Minor].[Patch] interchangeably.

"Micro" looks like a good idea, certainly better than "Patch".

@rlidwka commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013): > I use [Major].[Minor].[Micro] and [Major].[Minor].[Patch] interchangeably. "Micro" looks like a good idea, certainly better than "Patch".

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:32 -05:00

@maximal commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013):

[Major].[Minor].[Subminor] — as music subminor in addition to major and minor
[Major].[Minor].[Fix]
[Major].[Minor].[Micro] — also good idea
[Major].[Minor].[Improve]
[Major].[Minor].[Increment]

@maximal commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013): - **[Major].[Minor].[Subminor]** — as music [subminor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subminor_interval) in addition to major and minor - [Major].[Minor].[Fix] - [Major].[Minor].[Micro] — also good idea - [Major].[Minor].[Improve] - [Major].[Minor].[Increment]

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:32 -05:00

@haacked commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013):

Patch is based on practices that existed before SemVer was around and has been part of the spec from the beginning. Unless we found that naming this "Patch" caused people's computers to be formatted by accident, I don't see any reason to change it at this point.

@haacked commented on GitHub (Dec 15, 2013): Patch is based on practices that existed before SemVer was around and has been part of the spec from the beginning. Unless we found that naming this "Patch" caused people's computers to be formatted by accident, I don't see any reason to change it at this point.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-20 09:29:33 -05:00

@rlidwka commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2013):

In Karl Fogel's book about OSS 3rd number is called "micro", quoting:

In a typical three-component system, the first component is the major number, the second is the minor number, and the third is the micro number. For example, release "2.10.17" is the seventeenth micro release in the tenth minor release line within the second major release series.

Some projects add a fourth component, usually called the patch number, for especially fine-grained control over the differences between their releases (confusingly, other projects use "patch" as a synonym for "micro" in a three-component system).

So, "micro" is preferred to avoid confusion.

@rlidwka commented on GitHub (Dec 21, 2013): In Karl Fogel's [book](http://producingoss.com/en/producingoss.pdf) about OSS 3rd number is called "micro", quoting: > In a typical three-component system, the first component is the _major number_, the second is the _minor number_, and the third is the _micro number_. For example, release "2.10.17" is the seventeenth micro release in the tenth minor release line within the second major release series. > > Some projects add a fourth component, usually called the _patch number_, for especially fine-grained control over the differences between their releases (confusingly, other projects use "patch" as a synonym for "micro" in a three-component system). So, "micro" is preferred to avoid confusion.

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Reference: github-starred/semver#1836