Linux Kernel Numbering

The Linux kernel numbering system has changed since the first release. Not a big change since they only added one or two more number to the numbers it already had from the previous version. To my point of view they just did that to make it more confusing. I do not see any advantages to the change. The numbers are the same as versions, but only with different revisions and releases. The first numbering scheme was at least for me a little bit easier to understand. The first scheme was composed of three numbers, the first one was the version number, the second number was the major revision and this number was either odd or even depending if the version was developing or if it was already a stable version. And finally the third number was the minor revision which it changed when a new bug fix or new features were discovered.
After 2004 they have added one more number to the numbering version; now the first two numbers do not mean anything, the third is the actual version number of the kernel and the fourth are the fixes for new bugs or security problems.