Whenever the blockchain format changed, versions were definitely bumped - this is actually one of the few places where it is necessary to do just that, and where the version actually counts (apart from your client finding out what the user is running). I'll try to increment the version whenever something "relatively big" changes, but I won't do it for each and every merged pull request. (Basically the "development version".)
I wasn't asking to to that for the developer version, but for official releases (so instead of a letter that goes nowhere)
When you are copying and pasting files over disks and different pc and you don't have a way to know what you are running, this
IS a problem.
e.g:
does this version handle pruning nameindex?
does this version has the modified name_clean?
etc...
and get worse when you try to restore a downloaded blockchain on pc and you copy and past qt/daemon files just to discover that the version you ran was wrong and get runaway exceptions... and have to start over again, well, imagine the "feeling"
not everyone has the last version on their pc, compile on that pc, etc..., must think about the target of this coin/game: average pc users
what's the meaning of putting letter next to version, if that letter can't be seen anywhere?
ultimately I disagree about your post, but can deal with it (personally i faced the blockchain problem maybe twice but not a big issue for me)
anyway if even other people ask about it maybe it's something to think about (there aren't so much releases to get gray hair to change version imho)