A point release (also a dot release) is a

minor release A maintenance release (also minor release or Maintenance Pack or MP) is a release of a product that does not add new features or content. For instance, in computer software, maintenance releases are typically intended to solve minor problems, typi ...

of a

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

project, especially one intended to fix bugs or do small cleanups rather than add significant

feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...

s. Often, there are too many bugs to be fixed in a single major or minor release, creating a need for a point release.

Definition

The term "point release" refers to a common method of

software versioning Software versioning is the process of assigning either unique ''version names'' or unique ''version numbers'' to unique states of computer software. Within a given version number category (e.g., major or minor), these numbers are generally assig ...

in which a major version is followed by a decimal point and a minor version. When a new minor version is released, the number after the decimal point is incremented, e.g. from 7.0 to 7.1, or from 2.4.9 to 2.4.10. The incrementing of the number after the "point" led to this phenomenon being called a "point release".

Scope

In a point release, the changes to the software project are typically minor, usually reserved for bug fixes, optimizations, security patches, or to add minor new features. Typically, bugs that affect the broad user population are picked for a point release. Depending on the organization, the size and breadth of a point release can range anywhere from a fix targeted release for a single customer to a general

maintenance release A maintenance release (also minor release or Maintenance Pack or MP) is a release of a product that does not add new features or content. For instance, in computer software, maintenance releases are typically intended to solve minor problems, typi ...

or even a

service pack In computing, a service pack comprises a collection of updates, fixes, or enhancements to a software program delivered in the form of a single installable package. Companies often release a service pack when the number of individual patches to a ...

. Point releases typically try to be interface-compatible with the previous major release of the software. Also, a point release tends to be compatible with all other point releases under the current minor or major version.

Frequency

Point releases are often made available fairly frequently, unlike major releases which may occur once every few months or years. Point releases can be planned to go out a certain time after a major release or can be released as needed. The frequency of deploying point releases varies greatly, depending on the needs of an organization. However, if a critical issue with the current version of the software has been found, an emergency point release may go out very soon after the issue has been discovered.

Risk

All releases inherently concentrate risk as thousands of code changes can make it into a single release. This runs the risk of introducing new bugs with the point release. Regressions can be somewhat mitigated by

regression testing Regression testing (rarely, ''non-regression testing'') is re-running functional and non-functional tests to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs as expected after a change. If not, that would be called a '' regre ...

, but regression testing is not enough to ensure a stable, bug free environment. Generally, one of the goals of a point release is to minimize risk by making changes based on the balancing user need for a fix, the size of the fix, and the risk of regressions. The risks involved with many software changes being released at once has led some groups to release software following a

rolling release Rolling release, also known as rolling update or continuous delivery, is a concept in software development of frequently delivering updates to applications. This is in contrast to a ''standard'' or ''point release'' development model which uses so ...

method as opposed to doing point releases.

Availability

With

retail software Retail software is computer software, typically installed on PC-type computers post 2005, delivered via the Internet (also known as cloud computing, cloud-based). Traditionally this software was delivered via physical Data storage device, data stor ...

, point releases are often, but not necessarily, free updates for users of the latest full version, as opposed to major releases that frequently come at some cost even for previous users. The delivery model of the software also affects who may be able to use it. If an organization follows a

software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is con ...

model or the software is hosted in the

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...

, then a point release may be immediately available to users, with no effort required on the users' part to obtain it. If the software must be downloaded, the user may be required to install the point release on his or her own.

Definition

Scope

Frequency

Risk

Availability

Notes

See also