41.6. Shared Library Versions and Naming Conventions

Let’s consider what is entailed by shared library versioning. Typically, successive versions of a shared library are compatible with one another, meaning that the functions in each module present the same calling interface and are semantically equivalent (i.e., they achieve identical results). Such differing but compatible versions are referred to as minor versions of a shared library. Occasionally, however, it is necessary to create a new major version of a library—one that is incompatible with a previous version. (In Section 41.8, we’ll see more precisely what may cause such incompatibilities.) At the same time, it must still be possible to continue running programs that require the older version of the library.

To deal with these versioning requirements, a standard naming convention is employed for shared library real names and sonames.