clarify release and version guidance

linkerd.io/content/releases/_index.md

@@ -1,40 +1,52 @@
 +++
-title = "Releases"
+title = "Releases and Versions"
 aliases = [ "edge" ]
 weight = 18
 +++
 
-Releases and packages of Linkerd are available in several different forms.
+Releases of Linkerd are available in several different forms.
 
 ## Stable releases
 
-As of February 2024, the Linkerd project is no longer producing open source
-stable release artifacts. Instead, the vendor community around Linkerd is
-responsible for supported, stable release artifacts.
+Stable release artifacts of Linkerd follow semantic versioning, whereby changes
+in major version denote large feature additions and possible breaking changes
+and changes in minor versions denote safe upgrades without breaking changes.
 
-Known distributions of Linkerd with stable release artifacts include:
+As of February 2024, Linkerd no longer provides stable release artifacts in the
+open source project itself. Instead, the vendor community around Linkerd is
+responsible for creating stable release artifacts. Known distributions of
+Linkerd with stable release artifacts include:
 
 - [Buoyant Enterprise for Linkerd](https://docs.buoyant.io/buoyant-enterprise-linkerd)
-  from Buoyant, creators of Linkerd.  
+  from Buoyant, creators of Linkerd.
   Latest version: **enterprise-2.15.2**
   [[release notes](https://docs.buoyant.io/release-notes/buoyant-enterprise-linkerd/enterprise-2.15.2/)].
 
 ## Edge releases
 
-All Linkerd development happens "on main": all changes, whether security
-patches, new features, refactors, bug fixes, or something else, land on the main
-branch.
+Edge release artifacts are published on a weekly or near-weekly basis as part of
+the open source project. The full list of edge release artifacts can be found on
+[the Linkerd GitHub releases
+page](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2/releases).
 
-Edge release artifacts contain the latest code in from the main branch, at the
-point in time when they were cut. This means they have the latest features and
-fixes, but it also means may involve partial features that are later modified or
-backed out. They may involve breaking changes—of course, we do our best to avoid
+Edge release artifacts contain the code in from the _main_ branch at the point
+in time when they were cut. This means they always have the latest features and
+fixes, and have undergone automated testing as well as maintianer code review.
+Edge releases may involve partial features that are later modified or backed
+out. They may also involve breaking changes—of course, we do our best to avoid
 this.
 
-Using edge release artifacts and reporting bugs is a great way to help Linkerd.
+Edge release versioning follows the form `edge-y.m.n`, where `y` is the last two
+digits of the year, `m` is the numeric month, and `n` is numeric edge release
+count for that month. For example:
 
-The full list of edge release artifacts can be found on
-[the Linkerd GitHub releases page](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2/releases).
+- `edge-23.9.1`: the first edge release shipped in September 2023
+- `edge-24.1.3`: the third edge release shipped in January 2024
+
+Using edge release artifacts and reporting bugs helps us ensure a rapid pace of
+development and is a great way to help Linkerd. We publish edge release guidance
+as part of the release notes and strive to always provide production-ready
+artifacts.
 
 <!-- markdownlint-disable MD034 -->
 

linkerd.io/layouts/partials/sidebar-2.html

@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
       </li>
       <li class="menu-list-item {{ if eq $currentPage.RelPermalink "/releases/" }}is-active{{ end }}">
         <a href="/releases/">
-          Releases
+          Releases and Versions
         </a>
       </li>
       <li class="menu-list-item {{ if eq $currentPage.RelPermalink "/design-principles/" }}is-active{{ end }}">