Again from debian planet

[Paolo Redaelli <paolo.redaelli@libero.it>]

This time is:
http://www.debianplanet.org/comments.php?sid=581&tid=6147&mode=&order=&thold=
that is more or less what I had in mind.
Well I would like to group - for example - Wmaker and all its docks
together with GNUStep, or Gnome with all its applets and so on.


Here's the text:

    I hope things get sorted out and maintainers
    return to the fold. However I remember when
    Potato was close to release and this sort of
    thing was going on, some people thought Debian
    was finished.
    However, I think a problem lies in the structure
    of Debian. I have some preposals:
    
    1) Clearly break Debian in core, main and extras.
    
    Yes we have package pools but these seem to help
    server loads more than users. I've suggested
    something like this before to the Debian developers
    but without response. This system will cut down the
    number of packages in the main Debian distro.
    This could be split up again into core and main.
    
    Debian Core - Base installation system.
    Includes boot-floppies, kernel, shells etc, apt
    and dpkg, base-files...
    
    Debain Main - Basic system functionality
    Includes X11 basic window manager eg twm.
    
    Debain Extras - Add ons to Debian Main/Core.
    
    Now I'd expect Core and Main to be about the size
    of Debian Slink.
    Debian Extras now works against Debian Core and
    Main and it has its own release cycle.
    That's right. There could be two or three updates
    against a main distro over a period of time.
    
    For all of this to work we need a new release
    and testing structure...
    
    2) Debian Macro-Package Development
    
    2.1) Debian Core
    
    Now think of Debian Core as its own thing, its
    like a very simple distro. It fits on a CD with
    source and has room to spare. This is where it
    all starts. Now we have the following groups in
    core (this structure is reused on all groups)
    
    - Still-In-Development (aka SID)
    
    Package first released goes in here, if it looks
    to install ok then after a few days it can go
    into unstable. Otherwise it awaits a new package.
    
    - Unstable
    
    Package undergoes two weeks of testing, if still
    no problems moves to main testing area.
    
    - Testing
    
    Package here should to suitable for testing for
    none developers. It will probably stay here for
    six weeks. If its still ok it goes into tested.
    
    - Tested (pre-release)
    
    This collection here forms the foundation of the
    next release.
    Note that tested is in general always suitable for
    release and generally only a couple of months
    behind the latest versions of that software.
    Debian Core make releases say every month.
    Now we have a core but no main or extras that use
    it...
    
    2.2) Debian Main.
    
    Debian Main builds against "released" Debian cores
    so we have a dependancy here and its against one
    that's tested. We go thru sid, unstable, testing
    for debian main packages before they go onto
    the tested (pre-release) group. Debian main then
    makes regular releases against a core.
    
    2.3) Debian Extras.
    
    Well these can split into even more macro-groups
    such as debian-java, debian-kde and so on which
    make releases against a debian-main version which
    again is tested. All have the sid, unstable,
    testing cycle.
    
    3) The big release.
    
    We "simply" gather together the macro-packages
    groups and release. Now a release is really a
    collection of groups.
    The user can upgrade debian-kde for example when
    ever a release comes out.
    
    Example:
    
    Month 1:
    
    Debian Core (3.0) released.
    
    Month 2:
    
    Debian Main (3.0) released (depends on Core 3.0)
    
    Month 3:
    
    Debian Extras (3.0) released (depends on Main 3.0)
    Debian Core (3.1) released.
    
    Month 4:
    
    Debian Main (3.1) released (depends on Core 3.1)
    Debian Core (3.2) released.
    
    Month 5:
    
    Debian Extras (3.1) released (depends on Main 3.1)
    Debian Core (3.3) released.
    
    Month 6:
    
    Debian Core (3.4) released.
    Debian Main (3.2) released (depends on Core 3.3).
    Its time for a release "3":
    Use Extras (3.1)--Main (3.1)-->Core(3.1)
    Debian Extras (3.2) released (depends on Main3.2)
    
    Month 7:
    
    Debian Core (4.0) released.
    Debian Extras (3.3) released (depends on Main3.2)
    
    Month 8:
    
    Debian Main (4.0) released (depends on Core4.0)
    Debian Extras (3.4) released (depends on Main 3.2)
    
    Month 9:
    
    Debian Core (4.1) released.
    Debian Main (4.1) released (depends on Core4.0)
    
    Month 10:
    
    Debian Extras (4.0) released (depends on Main4.1)
    Debian Core (4.2) released.
    
    Month 11:
    
    Release "4" before Christmas:
    Extras(4.0)-->Main(4.1)-->Core(4.0)
    
    Month 12:
    
    Debian Main (4.2) --> Core(4.2) released.
    Debian Core (5.0) released.
    
    And so on...
    
    -- Dale;