Re: release update and branching
Quoting Sven Luther (sven.luther@wanadoo.fr):
> Joeyh, do you seriously think we can release this year yet (as in the next 4
> weeks) ? I don't think there is time for this even if t-p-u was fixed today. I
I'm sure Joey thinks we can release this year, yes. So do I.
By "release" and "we", I think both Joey and I (and I suspect many
others) mostly think about Debian Installer release. The "no-name-yet"
thing which is supposed to follow RC2.
The priority at the moment is releasing a version of Debian Installer
that can be considered and called "stable". Such release will be the
basis of the general sarge release.
That release will not be perfect. I'm afraid an installer will never
be perfect.
We need to say other parts of Debian : "hey, d-i team gives you that
thing we call a release...please use it for releasing sarge".
We are nearly about doing this with RC2. But, for a few details (one
major being that all images are currently called "Release Candidate"
not "Release"), RC2 probably cannot be the thing which will ship on
Debian sarge official images.
If it was needed, we could indeed....but probably only if we cannot do
something else (ie if we are the only blocker).
I'm not completely sure about how Joey plans to handle this but my
understanding is that a build is again to be made with indeed very few
changes from RC2. That build can happen in the very next
weeks....provided we do not make absolutely necessary changes.
Or maybe we will decide to just call RC2 "The Release" and voilà.
Once that build is made and we (d-i team) announce Debian Installer
Release, then our job regarding sarge release is mostly over.
*then*, we will be free to release the changes policy a little and
probably parted changes may be a first goal. And, if the general
release of Debian cannot happen immediately after our own release, we
will maybe be able to have a "Release 1.1" before the general release.
You may be right about the small windows we had, during last year, for
major potentially breaking changes. This is probably the price to pay
for our limited manpower (just look over the last 18 months of
debian-boot and count who has been there all the time...).
Whether we accept it or not, the release process is a stressful
process and, at this moment, Joey has been able to coordinate it a few
times since last 18 months....at the expense of some stress and
sometimes frustration. This is mostly why I give his advice a very
strong weight and I believe that optimism in our ability to release
useful stuff and respect some constraints is one key of our success.
I hope I bringed you another view to that general problem...and I also
sincerely hope that, despite his claims, Joey will go over the
angryness he seems to have towards you, Sven...as you obviously have
proven to be a key contributor to this project. Indeed, I know he will
and that there's no reason for a major clash...
We have already gone through a few crisis or mini-crisis without
breaking the very good work atmosphere of this group. Let's continue,
folks.
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