title: How exactly does the "Specific Version" property of an assembly reference work in Visual Studio?
body: <p>Today I had a closer look at the "Specific Version" property of assembly references in Visual Studio 2010. After a few experiments with unexpected results I set out to learn as much as possible about how the property works. Even SO, it appears to me, does not have all the answers, so here is my attempt at self-answering the question:</p>
  
  <p>How <strong>exactly</strong> does the "Specific Version" property of an assembly reference work in Visual Studio?</p>