Parmandur
Book-Friend, he/him
I do like "2024" as the descriptor, because it has the benefit of being straight up true: these are rules (mostly) coming out in 2024. No need to count typical editions, or figure out the correct true lineage of the game: these are just the tunes that came out this particular year.As the focus will be incrementally and live updates to subscribed digital content, let's start acclimizating ourselves to:
D&D 5.1.0. (5th edition, minor new version, patch numbers to start incrementing once the errata start coming out for the 2024 revisions).
Or D&D 20240917.
Or, how about they take Apple's approach for evocative names. We can use chromatic and metallic dragons to distinguish versions. Since its the 50th anniversary, this is obviously the Gold Dragon version of D&D. In a nod to @Parmandur, we can use Gold Dragon (17.1.0).
In seriousness, I wish they would have just went with 50th Anniversary Edition. It worked with Mage the Ascension. Though, I think this would be a lot more controversial among the D&D fan base.
Personally, I'm fine dropping edition speak.
"Hi, I'm starting a new D&D campaign, want to join?"
"Which edition?"
"The current rules as given in D&D Beyond."
"Are they the same as those printed in my books?"
"No idea. Create a character in my campaign and you'll have access to all the rules through my D&D Beyond account."
Still possible they might label the books as 6l50th Anniversary versions, too.