Hovedrelease

Hovedrelease is a term used in Norwegian and some other Scandinavian software development contexts to denote the primary or major release of a software product. It typically represents a new major version and includes substantial changes, new features, or architectural updates that may affect backward compatibility.

Characteristics include significant feature additions, changes to APIs or data models, performance improvements, and sometimes breaking changes that require changes in client code or integrations. It is usually preceded by planning phases, feature development, and testing; release notes detail new features, changes, and deprecations.

Process involves release planning, feature freeze, internal and external testing, user validation (beta/RC), and approval by stakeholders. A hovedrelease is often accompanied by a migration guide and updated documentation to help users adapt; compatibility and deprecation policies are communicated clearly.

Versioning: in semantic versioning, a hovedrelease commonly corresponds to increasing the MAJOR version. The term is closely related to release management, rollout strategies, and support commitments. Deployment may use staged rollout or canary releases to minimize risk.

Usage: the term is used in product roadmaps, release calendars, and engineering documentation to signal a milestone with broad impact. It contrasts with minor releases or patches, which introduce incremental improvements or fix defects.