[zanny]

The version.patch notation is still meaningful to Linux because each version increment means new features and support. If the latest is version 50 and you are on 48 you should be suspicious if that unsupported PCI device works on that newer release.

Its just the major version that is always redundant because Linux never breaks userspace compatibility.

But of all software projects the Linux kernel is definitely not a poster child for having a reasonable methodology to versioning. Just some choice released kernel version names: 0.95, pre2.0, 2.2 and 2.4 but no 2.1 or 2.3, 2.6 lasted 8 years, 3.19 - 4.0 because Linus felt like it, and 4.20 -> 5.0 because Linus felt like it.

The only consistent number has been patch releases.