I agree with many of your points, but that casual dig at semver is unwarranted and reveals a misunderstanding of the motivation behind it [1]. Semver defines a contract between library authors and their clients, and is not meant for deployed applications of the kind being discussed here. Indeed, the semver spec [2] begins by stating:

> 1. Software using Semantic Versioning MUST declare a public API.

It has become fashionable to criticize semver at every turn. We as a community should be more mindful about off-the-cuff criticism in general, as this is exactly what perpetuates misconceptions over time.

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13378637

[2]: http://semver.org/