What's New in Apache Web Server 2.2?

Version Numbers

First, a word about version numbers.

Prior to the 2.0 release, the version numbering on the Apache Web Server releases didn’t mean much. The 1.3 series has endured since its initial release in 1997, and each progressive version number means that there has been some change from the previous version number. However, major changes and minor changes got the same amount of an increment on the version number.

With the 2.0 release, Apache httpd moved to a new versioning scheme that is more akin to the one commonly used in open source projects. Simply stated, even numbers represent a stable release, to which only bug fixes and well-tested functionality are added and odd numbers represent the development track with big changes and experimental new features.

So, releases with a 2.0.x version number are the initial release of the 2.x version, with a few additional features and bug fixes added over time. Feature development happened in the 2.1 branch, which eventually resulted in the 2.2.0 release.

Releases with a 2.2.x version number are the latest stable release of the product, with all major development now happening in the 2.3 branch.

2.3 will eventually release as 2.4.0 when it is deemed feature complete and stable.

Meanwhile, the 1.3 releases march on and are expected to continue for quite some time. It is expected that there will continue to be 1.3 releases as long as there are 1.3 users—or, at least, as long as there are a significant number of people using 1.3.

Releases in ...