Verifying dates
This page is for reporters and fact-checkers. Dates around Exponential are well recorded, but several of them are easy to confuse. This page shows where each kind of date lives and how to check it.
Contents
Where each date lives
| Date | Primary source |
|---|---|
| A release | Its Git tag; release overview |
| A change | The commit; the month page in the history |
| A feature in 6.0.15 | The dated sections of the 6.0.15 changelog |
| The rename | https://exponential.earth/about/project (11 August 2025); August 2025 (12 August 2025) |
| The Foundation | https://foundation.exponential.earth/ (19 March 2026) |
| 7x's stages | 7x in three stages: 2014, 2022, 2023 |
| Repositories created | The GitHub API, quoted on Who is 7x? |
Checking a release date
git clone https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential.git && cd exponential
git log -1 --format='%ad' --date=short v6.0.14 # the date of the tagged commit
git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short) %(creatordate:short)' 'refs/tags/v6.0.*' --sort=version:refnameThe tag date and a later announcement may differ by days. The release date is the tag's; the announcement has its own date.
Date traps
| Trap | Right reading |
|---|---|
| 1998 in the copyright notice | The first year of a copyright notice, not a founding date |
| 1999 | The first copyright year of eZ Systems AS in the code |
| 2001, 2014, 2022, 2023 for 7x | Founding as Brookins Consulting, the idea, the project start, the launch |
| 11 or 12 August 2025 for the rename | Website first, repository the next day; "August 2025" covers both |
| A date in the 6.0.15 changelog | When a change arrived on the line, not a release date |
| Dates in the press kit | The kit is dated June 2026; it predates newer releases (The press kit) |
| Time zones | Commits carry their author's offset; for a day near midnight, give the month or check the offset |
Writing "today"
"Currently", "the latest" and "today" age fast. Write the date you checked:
"As of 18 October 2026, the newest release is 6.0.14."
"As of <date>, the tag v6.0.15 <existed | did not exist yet>."Related pages
- Timeline for reporters
- Verifying numbers
- Fact-checking guide
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.