Version Numbering Policy

Every copy of GpgFrontend has a version number, like v2.2.2. That number does not tell you how big a release was or how much work went into it.

It tells you which chapter of the project you are holding.

What the Numbers Mean

A version number has three parts. Here is v2.2.2:

Part	Name	What it means
2.2.2	Generation	The app was rebuilt from the ground up. This has happened once.
2.2.2	Series	The app took a new direction.
2.2.2	Release	A new version came out inside that direction.

The first two numbers together are called the series. In v2.2.2, the series is 2.2. This is the part that matters most, and it is how the project talks about its own versions.

The last number just counts releases inside the series. v2.2.1 came first, then v2.2.2.

A Big Release Can Still Be a Small Number

This surprises people, so it is worth saying clearly.

The last number going up does not mean the release was small. It only means the app kept going in the same direction.

For example, v2.2.1 to v2.2.2 looks like a tiny step. That release added Profiles, portable profile files you can carry around, Instant Messaging tokens, a new key list, and a rebuilt settings window.

Why Not Semantic Versioning

You may have heard of Semantic Versioning. It is a common set of rules for numbering software.

Those rules were written for code libraries: software that other programmers build their own programs on top of. The numbers answer one question: did something break for the programmers using this?

GpgFrontend is an app you use, not a library programmers build on. No other program is built on top of it, so that question does not apply.

So the numbers here answer a different question: what is this app trying to be right now?

What Starts a New Series

A new series starts when the project decides to take the app somewhere new. The decision comes first, and it is usually written down before the code exists.

Two real examples:

2.1 moved the app onto a modern toolkit and let you choose which copy of GnuPG to use.
2.2 added a second engine, rPGP, so GnuPG was no longer the only way to do the work. This is why the app is now described as having a “dual-engine core”.

Plenty of things do not start a new series, even when they are large. A pile of new features, a redesigned screen, or a lot of fixes all ship as a normal release. The direction did not change, so the series did not either.

The Story So Far

Series	What it was about
1.0	Being real software. Getting the app packaged and signed so people could actually install it.
1.1	Working with files, through a built-in file browser.
1.2	Getting your encrypted text out to other people, and starting translations.
2.0	A rebuilt core. Everything inside was rewritten.
2.1	A modern toolkit, more control over GnuPG, and a long run of steady, careful releases.
2.2	Two engines instead of one, plus support for newer OpenPGP standards.

The 2.0 release notes show that the number was picked on purpose:

“Since the core part of the code and the organizational structure are different from the previous version, the version number of this version of GpgFrontend starts from v2.”

Why the Numbers Stay Small

GpgFrontend has been going since 2021, and the first number has changed once.

Many projects raise their version numbers often, because a bigger number looks like progress. This project does not. The number moves when the app really changes, and stays put when it does not.

That is a deliberate choice, described in the maintainer’s article “The Past and Present of GpgFrontend”:

“I firmly believe that steady progress is more valuable than blind innovation.”

Stable, Beta, and Nightly

Not every build is meant for everyday use:

Stable is a normal release, like v2.2.2. This is the one you want.
Beta has extra text on the end, like v2.2.0-beta.1. It is an early look at a new series, for people who want to help test it.
Nightly is an automatic test build, made from the newest code. It can be broken.

Nightly builds run under the name GpgFrontend Testing and keep their own separate data, so they leave your everyday keys and settings alone.

See Downloads for where to get each one, and the FAQ for more about nightly builds.

Older Versions

When a new series begins, the previous one does not stop right away. It keeps getting bug fixes and security updates for a while, but no new features. The 2.1.x series is in that state now.

The app’s built-in update check only offers you newer versions from your own series. It will not move you to a different one on its own. Moving to a new series is something you choose to do yourself, by downloading it from the Downloads page.