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I really don’t get Android and its version naming.

I understand how versioning works. The first number is the major revision number, i.e. 1.0 is a big thing usually (in fact it shipped on the original HTC G1/Dream). Then it indicates a minor revisions and major bug fixes, i.e 1.5 which was Cupcake. The next digits usually refer to minor bug fixes, i.e. 2.3.3, which incidentally is the most used version of Android to date).

So here is Android’s version history.

1.0 - First Release
1.5 - Cupcake
1.6 - Donut
2/2.1 - Eclair
2.2 - Froyo
2.3 - Gingerbread
3.0 - Honeycomb
4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich

Google have also chased to give amusing food-based code names to their releases. But they don’t seem to know what a big release is. A minor version number, such as 1.6 for Donut was actually a big change, with a new linux kernel (because, you know, its open) and many new features, like begin able to select multiple photos to delete, or voice and text entry search to include bookmarks and contacts. Wow. Big features.

When Android made a fuss about tablets, they released Honeycomb. Android 3.0. Thats a big release. It was big in that it now supported tablet devices, but by all accounts, it was a painful slow experience. Not surprising that it was only ever shipped on two devices. Gingerbread was a bit of a flop even though Google released 3.1, 3.2, 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 for the devices. But unlike earlier versions, these ‘minor updates’ didn’t justify a new clever name.

Finally we saw Android 4.0 get released in October 2011, 5 months after it was previewed at Google I/O. With a major revision number, we get a new name, Ice Cream Sandwich. And a new flagship phone, the Galaxy Nexus (not to be confused with the HTC Nexus One, the second flagship phone).

Contrast this with Apple. Sure they stick with boring numbers, but when they release iOS 5, its a major revision, with major features. You know its a big one. And you know that 4.2.1 is really just a bunch of bug fixes. Reading the wikipedia page for iOS and you get a laundry list of every tweak, change and update. And its clear that 4.2 was minor feature updates, and bug fixes. It makes sense.

Google don’t seem to be able to set a precedent for the next version of Android (Jelly Bean? Jam?). We can’t even guess if it will be 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.0 or something else completely. But whatever version they decide to release next, with its silly food name (which at some point they’ll hit issues with. Q?), I’m sure it too will have a flagship phone, and I’m sure that Jelly Bean won’t get updated on most Gingerbread phones, and even less Froyo phones. 

But at least it’s open. 

mkdir android ; cd android ; repo init -u git://android.git.kernel.org/platform/manifest.git ; repo sync ; make

Phew.