What the version number tells you
MSL uses plain semantic versioning, and which of the three numbers changed decides whether you are interrupted.
On this page 3 sections
An MSL release is major.minor.patch and nothing more — plain semantic versioning, the same as everything else you install.
v2.1.3
│ │ └── patch: a fix
│ └──── minor: new features
└────── major: MSL itself changedWhich releases MSL raises on its own#
| Changed | Example | What MSL does |
|---|---|---|
| Patch | 2.0.0 → 2.0.1 | Nothing unasked. You see it when you check. |
| Minor | 2.0.0 → 2.1.0 | Tells you it is there. |
| Major | 2.0.0 → 3.0.0 | Tells you, and to read the repository first. |
Why a patch doesn't interrupt you#
A patch release is a fix. An app that puts a window up for every third-number change teaches you to dismiss its windows, and then the one notice that mattered gets dismissed too.
A fix is never hidden, though. Check for Updates… and msl update report every release there is, patches included, because at that point you came looking.
Why a major version is different#
A minor release adds to the MSL you already know. A major one is where MSL itself changes — how something works, where something lives, what a setting means.
So a major release still offers to install itself, but the first thing on the notice is the repository, because the thing to do first is read what changed.