--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, "danyschaer" <danyschaer@...>
wrote:

>
> ... sorry, I want to add a question:
>
> >
> > 2.0.5 is a sub-version of the earlier version, but some bugs have
> been corrected since 2.0.4, thus it's a release candidate for the bug
> fixed version.
> >
>
> Why are developers fixing V 2.0.5 if there is a V 2.1.1 released and
> stable?. I can't understand.

What can't you understand? Microsoft still releases updates for
Windows XP when Vista is out. Linux contributors still patch the 2.4
kernel even though 2.6 has been around for 5 years.

Old versions of software are often maintained for a length of time.

The Firebird project still officially supports three major versions;
1.5.x, 2.0.x and 2.1.x. The ".x" is called a point release. A point
release is designed to not break anything (even sometimes not fixing
documented incorrect behaviour), but instead to fix security flaws or
other bugs of a serious nature. This is done so that even if you are
not doing your job as a developer keeping your product compatible with
the latest version, your customers do not need to miss out on the most
serious patches. Note that back porting fixes is not always
architecturally possible or viable.

Which version should you use in production?

* Not a snapshot, alpha, beta or RC (unless you have a VERY good
reason). These are designed to test new features and fixes to
Firebird. There is a higher chance of serious bugs yet to be
identified in such releases.

* The latest point release of any of the major versions (currently
this means 1.5.5, 2.0.4 or 2.1.1)
* You should be either currently able to or in the process of
enhancing your application(s) so they can run on the 2.1 series.
* You should be at least in the planning phase for 2.5 support (look
at the change notes to see what might impact your product. Perform
your testing against the 2.5 Alpha, and let the developers know if you
can see they have broken anything or make necessary changes to your
product to make it compatible.)


Adam