Breaking Changes

Explore the nuances of Semantic Versioning (SemVer) and breaking changes in software development in this JSConf EU 2018 talk by James Coglan. Delve into the misconceptions surrounding SemVer as a technical tool, and understand its true purpose as a human tool for communicating intent and setting expectations. Examine the contextual nature of breaking changes, considering factors such as programming language, public interface, explicit and implicit guarantees, and downstream dependencies. Learn about various ways to inadvertently break JavaScript applications, discover strategies to avoid such issues, and gain insights on handling unavoidable breaking changes. This talk provides valuable knowledge for developers seeking to improve their understanding of version management and maintain smoother software upgrades.