2.2r1 release problems

[Zack Brown <zbrown@linuxcare.com>]

Hi folks,

What was the logic behind releasing 2.2r1 as a silent replacement to 2.2?

I (and I imagine a lot of other people) routinely upgrade my production
system to use the latest stable-tree security fixes etc., and normally don't
give it more than a second thought. I just assume that the likelihood of any
serious breakage is very low, because of the nature of the changes allowed
(bug fixes and security updates).

Correct me if I'm wrong (please!), but with the release of 2.2r1 and with
Slink unsupported, there is currently no uptodate stable version of Debian.

I can not see any good reason for having 2.2 systems silently upgrade to
2.2r1. Especially since the new version is actually known to be somewhat
broken. Here is my suggestion for the future:

  *) When you make a new release of the stable tree (i.e. when you're going
  to be releasing anything other than than bug fixes or security updates),
  give it a new name (Potato2.2r1 or something) and its own separate tree.

  *) Make sure the installation tools do not simply assume that everyone
  wants to upgrade to the new release. Publicize the option as much as you
  like, but force users to change their /etc/apt/sources.list file to get
  the new release if they want it.

  *) continue to support the old tree, since it represents the stable
  Debian. Continue to update it with security fixes etc., and assume that it
  will be actively used for a long time to come, or at least until the new
  version has (a) become fairly stable and (b) is receiving only bug fixes
  and security updates.

To sum up, if you're going to release a new version, please treat it like a
new version.

Zack

-- 
Zack Brown, Linuxcare, Inc.
tel: 1-415-354-4878x284, fax: 1-415-701-7457
zbrown@linuxcare.com, http://www.linuxcare.com/
Linuxcare. Support for the revolution.