Trongate's New Versioning System: A Commitment to Stability

When Trongate v1 was released, I made a bold promise: v1 forever. That promise reflected a commitment to stability in an industry obsessed with constant change.

Then v2 was released.

Some of you may be wondering: "Has Trongate abandoned its stability-first philosophy? Should we expect v3, v4, and endless upgrade cycles?"

The answer is no. Let me explain why - and introduce a new versioning system that renews my commitment to rock-solid stability.

Why v2 Happened

We are living through the early stages of the AI revolution - a transformation that many believe will have a greater impact on the human race than the industrial revolution. The way software is written, maintained, and understood is changing fundamentally. Pretending it is business as usual is not an option I am willing to take.

By the way, I'm going to start using the word "we" - moving forward - because Trongate is not a one man show. Even though I may have written the first line of code, the times have changed. Today, we have a really talented team of contributors on board, as well as a growing community who help out in all sorts of ways. I like to refer to this broader group as "Team Trongate". Without them, the framework wouldn't exist.

Trongate v2 was not released because we wanted new features. It was released because the rise of AI coding assistants introduced a new architectural reality that demanded a response.

The changes required to make Trongate truly AI-friendly - reducing the codebase to under 2,000 lines, eliminating reflection, removing auto-parameter binding - were fundamental enough to warrant a new major version. We could not, in good conscience, call it v1 when the internal architecture had changed so significantly.

But here is the important part: those changes are done. The framework is now exactly where it needs to be.

Introducing Date-Based Versioning

To demonstrate our commitment to long-term stability, Trongate is adopting a new versioning system:

This system has several important properties:

• The major version stays at 2. We have no plans for v3, v4, or breaking changes that force you to rewrite your applications.
• Every release is self-documenting. You can tell exactly when a version was released just by looking at the number.
• Updates are always safe. Any release with the same major version (2) is designed to be backwards compatible with your existing code.

What This Means for You

If you build an application with Trongate today, you should expect it to keep working in 2030. And 2035. And beyond.

You should not expect to wake up one morning and discover that a routine framework update has deprecated half your codebase, or that you are being forced to rewrite working code because someone upstream decided to "modernise" an API.

When you see a new version like 2.2027.0915, you will know three things immediately:

1. It was released on 15th September 2027
2. It is designed to be fully compatible with your existing v2 application
3. Upgrading is safe and optional

Stability Is Not Stagnation

Some may ask: "If the major version never changes, does that mean Trongate will stop improving?"

Absolutely not. Trongate will continue to receive bug fixes, security patches, performance improvements, and carefully considered enhancements. What it will not receive is architectural upheaval.

The date-based system gives us room to improve indefinitely while honouring our core promise. Whether the version is 2.2026.0128 or 2.2045.1231, the fundamental contract remains the same: stability comes first.

A Note on Honesty

I want to be transparent about something. No individual can predict every future possibility (and I certainly learned that the hard way!). The PHP language itself could change dramatically. The internet could evolve in ways none of us can foresee. And one day, other people could be maintaining this framework.

So rather than painting myself into a corner with absolute promises, let me tell you what I can guarantee: stability is the single highest priority for Trongate, and I will do everything in my power to honour that commitment for as long as I am at the helm.

That is not a marketing slogan. It is a personal commitment.

A Framework You Can Trust

In an industry where "long-term support" often means two years, Trongate is taking a different path. Our versioning system is not just a numbering scheme - it is a statement of intent.

Trongate v2 is not a stepping stone. It is the destination.

Build with confidence.

DC