Editing Debian (section)

=== Numbering scheme ===
''Stable'' and ''oldstable'' get minor updates, called ''point releases''; {{as of|2021|August|lc=y}}, the ''stable'' release is version 11.7,<ref name="bullseye-changelog">{{cite web|date=2021-02-06|title=ChangeLog|url=https://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/bullseye/ChangeLog|access-date=2021-08-14|work=bullseye|publisher=Debian|archive-date=14 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814220141/https://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/bullseye/ChangeLog|url-status=live}}</ref> released on {{start date and age|2023|04|29}}, and the ''oldstable'' release is version 10.10.<ref name="buster-changelog">{{cite web|date=2021-08-14|title=ChangeLog|url=https://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/buster/ChangeLog|access-date=2021-08-14|work=buster|publisher=Debian|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814215958/https://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/buster/ChangeLog|url-status=live}}</ref>

The numbering scheme for the point releases up to Debian 4.0 was to include the letter ''r'' (for ''revision''){{sfn |Hertzog |2013 |loc=Section 1.6}} after the main version number and then the number of the point release; for example, the latest point release of version 4.0 is 4.0r9.<ref name="etch-release">{{cite web |url = http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/Debian-4.0/Release |title = Release |work = etch |publisher = Debian |date = 2010-05-22 |access-date = 2014-06-05 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150815043253/http://archive.debian.org/debian/dists/Debian-4.0/Release |archive-date = August 15, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> This scheme was chosen because a new dotted version would make the old one look obsolete and vendors would have trouble selling their CDs.<ref>{{cite mailing list |url = https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/1998/08/msg01581.html |title = Naming of new 2.0 release |last = Schulze |first = Martin |mailing-list = debian-devel |publisher = Debian |date = 1998-08-24 |access-date = 2014-07-26 |archive-date = July 28, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140728001008/https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/1998/08/msg01581.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

From Debian 5.0, the numbering scheme of point releases was changed, conforming to the GNU version numbering standard;<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Releases.html#index-version-numbers_002c-for-releases |title = GNU Coding Standards: Releases |publisher = [[GNU]] |date = 2014-05-13 |access-date = 2014-05-25 |quote = You should identify each release with a pair of version numbers, a major version and a minor. We have no objection to using more than two numbers, but it is very unlikely that you really need them. |archive-date = May 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140525214338/https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Releases.html#index-version-numbers_002c-for-releases |url-status = live }}</ref> the first point release of Debian 5.0 was 5.0.1 instead of 5.0r1.<ref>{{cite mailing list |url = https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2009/02/msg00003.html |first = Marc |last = Brockschmidt |access-date = 2009-02-15 |date = 2009-02-15 |mailing-list = debian-devel-announce |title = Debian squeeze waiting for development |publisher = Debian |archive-date = June 20, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170620183013/https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2009/02/msg00003.html |url-status = live }}</ref> The numbering scheme was once again changed for the first Debian 7 update, which was version 7.1.<ref name="wheezy-changelog">{{cite web |url = http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/ChangeLog |title = ChangeLog |work = wheezy |publisher = Debian |date = 2016-06-04 |access-date = 2016-12-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140704124448/http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/ChangeLog |archive-date = July 4, 2014 |url-status = dead }}</ref> The ''r'' scheme is no longer in use, but point release announcements include a note about not throwing away old CDs.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.debian.org/News/2014/20141018 |title = Updated Debian 7: 7.7 released |publisher = Debian |date = 2014-10-18 |access-date = 2014-10-20 |archive-date = October 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025044530/https://www.debian.org/News/2014/20141018 |url-status = live }}</ref>