[Slackbuilds-users] When to increment BUILD number?

[Dave Woodfall]

On 10/01/21 06:38,
CRTS <crts at gmx.net> put forth the proposition:
> Should the BUILD number in a *.SlackBuild script only be incremented
> when the *.SlackBuild script itself changes or shall it be also incremented
> when the *.info file or any other file is changed?

Hi CRTS,

This is my personal take on it.

A BUILD bump is a sign that users need to update, other than a
VERSION change.

Usually the BUILD will increment if something significant changes in
the package.  Usually something that affects usage.  Maybe a bugfix
or patch, or perhaps adding some new documentation or a man page etc.

Changing something in the slackbuild that doesn't really affect the
resulting package shouldn't need a BUILD bump.

If something changes in the .info, maybe like a new md5sum or
download location, then it isn't usually necessary to bump the BUILD.
An exception might be if perhaps there was some security implications
with an old download location (I think most of us know about the
rumpus that happened when sourceforge decided to interfere with
source tarballs a few years ago).  If VERSION changes then BUILD is
usually reset to 1.

With other files it will depend on what they are, and how much they
affect usage and the end package.  It's mostly a matter of common
sense.  Would someone that has the package installed really need to
update because of whatever was changed?

Hope this helps.  There are probably some things I forgot, and there
will probably be other opinions coming about this.

--
Dave

Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over,
pinning you underneath.  At night, the ice weasels come.
	 --Friedrich Nietzsche