Suggestion to use the FRBR reference model

[ppKrauss]

The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is a good reference model for this context of "semantic versioning of creative works"... In a broather sense SchemaOrg, DOI and many others use, directly or indirectly, the FRBR vision of content concept.

In this context, "a typical new version of a content", is a new expression.
Other things like translations are also changes of expression, but versioning is about a "revision task", not a "translation task".

So, with this concepts in mind, we can define with precision:

• MAJOR version when you make changes that affect the work: we preserve the ID (like a DOI) but it can be considered a new work.

• MINOR version when you make changes that preserves the work, is a new expression.

• PATCH version when you make changes that do not have a significant effect, we can consider the "same but modified expression".

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PS: the limits between a new work and a new version are subjective, but have some fundamentals,

FRBR states that (as a working assumption) revisions, updates, abridgements, enlargements and translations are considered to be different expressions of the same work. By contrast, when the modification of a work involves a significant degree of independent intellectual or artistic effort, the result is considered a new and different work. https://doi.org/10.1300/J123v50n01_09 (p88)

Refs: see also kcoyle.net/beforeAndAfter.