This displays only the version number, and doesn’t ordinarily include any build number unless the app’s developer incorporates that into the version number. The System Version given there consists of the version and build number, such as 11.4 (20F71), and System Information also shows the current version of the kernel that’s running, such as 20.5.0, which is different from but related to the macOS version number.įor an app, the everyday method of checking is to view the app in the Finder. It’s easy to see which version of macOS your Mac is running using the About This Mac command in the Apple menu, but to discover its build number you have to either click on the version number there, or on the System Report… button, then in System Information select Software at the left. Although Apple seems to have had consistent rules over how to number versions, it has changed the way that it actually numbers major releases of Mac operating systems on at least two occasions, when it switched from Classic Mac OS to Mac OS X, and from macOS 10.15 Catalina to macOS 11 Big Sur. The last version of Classic Mac OS was 9.2.2, and the first release version of Mac OS X was 10.0, which had a build number of 4K78. When Mac OS went from Classic Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, this was clearly a major change, so the first of the version numbers changed from 9 to 10. Version numbering is usually structured, to indicate the degree of difference from previous versions. This could be done with build numbers, but once a product is being released to larger numbers of testers, for example in a formal beta release, it’s better that this is recognised with a new version number. This enables testers and developers to know exactly which version they are testing or referring to. Each time that product is built for testing by those outside the development team, it should also be given a new version number. The purpose of numbering versions is to enable developers, system administrators and users to tell exactly which version is being used, and to know which is the more recent of two different versions.Įach time a product is built for testing, it’s normally given a build number, which should be unique to that major version of the product. Even when you can look inside it, it’s very difficult to know whether one copy of an app is the same as another. This article sets out to explain how version and build numbers should work, how they do work, and how they don’t. Version numbering of macOS and its software is confusing, inconsistent, and completely absent from many key parts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |