Making a library more widely compatible - bump which number? #587

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GiteaMirror · 2026-02-17T12:14:13-06:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-02-17 12:14:13 -06:00

Originally created by @istrasci on GitHub (May 10, 2023).

semver usage question

I have a ruby gem (library) with a ruby dependency of ~> 2.5, which in rubygem terms is >=2.5 and < 3.0. Now since my gem's last release, the only thing I've changed is the ruby dependency to now be >= 2.5. So the library is accessible to a wider group of users.

This change is not a bug fix (Rule 2 of the Summary, and Rule 6 of the specification), so I don't believe it to be a PATCH bump. And strictly speaking, it's also not "added functionality" to the public API. But it seems more appropriate to bump the MINOR. Is this correct, or am I missing something?

Originally created by @istrasci on GitHub (May 10, 2023). ### semver usage question I have a ruby gem (library) with a ruby dependency of `~> 2.5`, which in rubygem terms is >=2.5 and < 3.0. Now since my gem's last release, the only thing I've changed is the ruby dependency to now be >= 2.5. So the library is accessible to a wider group of users. This change is not a bug fix (Rule 2 of the Summary, and Rule 6 of the specification), so I don't believe it to be a PATCH bump. And strictly speaking, it's also not "added functionality" to the public API. But it seems more appropriate to bump the MINOR. Is this correct, or am I missing something?

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-02-17 12:14:14 -06:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-02-17 12:14:14 -06:00

@ljharb commented on GitHub (May 10, 2023):

Adding a supported platform is semver-minor imo.

@ljharb commented on GitHub (May 10, 2023): Adding a supported platform is semver-minor imo.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-02-17 12:14:15 -06:00

@steveklabnik commented on GitHub (May 11, 2023):

There is no official guidance for what to do here. It is up to projects to choose what they wish to do.

Personally, I would recommend trying to follow the spirit of semver. If none of your users are using a platform, then dropping it could be a patch. If some are (this is the most likely scenario), a minor may be appropriate. And if for some reason, you are dropping a huge platform, a major release may make the most sense. (I would not recommend doing this.)

@steveklabnik commented on GitHub (May 11, 2023): There is no official guidance for what to do here. It is up to projects to choose what they wish to do. Personally, I would recommend trying to follow the *spirit* of semver. If none of your users are using a platform, then dropping it could be a patch. If some are (this is the most likely scenario), a minor may be appropriate. And if for some reason, you are dropping a huge platform, a major release may make the most sense. (I would not recommend doing this.)

GiteaMirror referenced this issue

2026-02-17 12:19:50 -06:00

[PR #587] [MERGED] Update checks.yml #827

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Reference: github-starred/semver#587