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0 pointsfiatjaf7y ago0 comments

That may seen odd, but it could happen in a open-source world: multiple parties releasing different versions of the same piece of software and calling it the same.

0 comments

loeg7y ago

One fun example of this is the so-called RPM "5" fork[0], which is basically dead and almost entirely unused[1].

The result is the main RPM everyone uses will probably stay at version 4.x forever.

[0]: http://rpm5.org/

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rpm_(software)#RPM_v5

nkkollaw7y ago

They could skip a version like PHP did. Among other reasons, since books and articles about PHP 6 had already been written long before PHP 5+1 came out, they went with 7.

loeg7y ago

Sure, they could. I don't think they've felt the need to. RPM tends to change slowly and conservatively.

simplicio7y ago

Both Git and Linux are trademarked, presumably to prevent such hijinx

cesarb7y ago

Linux is trademarked because of some "hijinx"...

"Initially, nobody registered it, but on August 15, 1994, [...] filed for the trademark Linux, and then demanded royalties from Linux distributors. In 1996, Torvalds and some affected organizations sued him to have the trademark assigned to Torvalds, and, in 1997, the case was settled." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux#Copyright,_trademark_and...

AdmiralAsshat7y ago

Isn't it customary to at least rename the fork?

abjorn7y ago

Customary, but unless the name is trademarked, not required.

fanf27y ago

Some licences require a change of name for substantial modifications, e.g. the Artistic Licence and Apache Licence v1. But those kinds of clauses are pretty rare nowadays.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

loeg7y ago

One fun example of this is the so-called RPM "5" fork[0], which is basically dead and almost entirely unused[1].

The result is the main RPM everyone uses will probably stay at version 4.x forever.

[0]: http://rpm5.org/

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rpm_(software)#RPM_v5

nkkollaw7y ago

They could skip a version like PHP did. Among other reasons, since books and articles about PHP 6 had already been written long before PHP 5+1 came out, they went with 7.

loeg7y ago

Sure, they could. I don't think they've felt the need to. RPM tends to change slowly and conservatively.

simplicio7y ago

Both Git and Linux are trademarked, presumably to prevent such hijinx

cesarb7y ago

Linux is trademarked because of some "hijinx"...

AdmiralAsshat7y ago

Isn't it customary to at least rename the fork?

abjorn7y ago

Customary, but unless the name is trademarked, not required.

fanf27y ago

Some licences require a change of name for substantial modifications, e.g. the Artistic Licence and Apache Licence v1. But those kinds of clauses are pretty rare nowadays.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse