major release

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

major release

   <programming> A {release} of a piece of software which is not
   merely a {revision} or a {bug fix release} but which contains
   substantial changes (e.g., an overhaul of the {interface},
   change in compatibility).

   Traditionally, major releases are numbered as X.0; for
   example, WordPerfect 6.0 is a major release, significantly
   different from any previous version; whereas WordPerfect 6.1
   has only minor changes, and is, thus, only a {revision}.

   See also {major delivery}.

   (1996-08-04)