Linus does that on purpose, because he doesn't want people to put undue importance on any particular release.

https://lwn.net/Articles/781206/

> I'd like to point out (yet again) that we don't do feature-based releases, and that "5.0" doesn't mean anything more than that the 4.x numbers started getting big enough that I ran out of fingers and toes.

Then just an ever increasing number like most browser do these days would make more sense.

I kind of like the year/release style. 2024.1, etc. Gives you some context for how old/new it is at a glance.

Or 54.1 for a shorter number.

What about he just continue doing what he is doing? We are talking about the most succesful open source project here

I'd argue KHTML could give Linux a run for its money for that title.

No way. KHTML is a cautionary tale of what happens when open source is coopted by corporate power. How can you call KHTML successful when it is dead, with its progeny in tight control of Google/Apple?

Because it formed the basis for essentially every web engine that is used today? I would call that successful.

(Before you say "but gecko!", take a look at the usage stats.)

Success is subjective. But I don't think it was an intention of KHTML developers to build a basis for corporate-controlled browsers and then die.

Linux versioning has always been that way.