Re: testing and no release schedule
On Mon, Mar 29, 2004 at 06:06:53PM -0600, Steve Greenland wrote:
> Certain things have to happen for a release. One of them is a getting
> rid of RC bugs, and indeed, a maintainer you can't/won't do that for
> their own packages is failing their basic commitment. But even then, you
> have to choose between dropping those packages or hoping someone else
> will come along with an NMU.
>
> Another is getting the installer working. But if no one wants to work on
> it, or only a few, then there's nothing "management" can do to hurry it
> along. It takes as long as it takes, and the effort put into it is based
> on how many capable people volunteer to work on it. There's simply no
> structure in Debian that allows the DPL, or anyone, to say "Hey, Fred,
> go work on the installer, and don't do anything else until it's done."
No, but it could be incentivized. Good managers know how to motivate people.
> > Nothing's wrong with them being happy with unstable. I'm happy with
> > unstable. But there is a difference between being happy with unstable and
> > publically stating that you do not care about releases.
>
> Why? Assume that Debian developer H is happy with unstable, and keeps
> her packages bug free and current. Why should she have to care about
> some other group of Debian developers who want to make releases?
He shouldn't, however he should be working with the mindset that he is
producing a product, not just packaging software. Unstable is not a
product. It's work in progress.
> > There's actually a word for a software product that never releases.. It's
> > called 'vaporware'. I trust you've heard this term before?
>
> I'm running Debian on the machine I'm writing this on. It's hardly
> "vaporware".
I believe I've already stated that woody is still passable for some systems.
It's rapidly going out of date, though. I do agree with Adrian's original
point that there are steps we can take, now, to speed up the release.
--Adam
--
Adam McKenna <adam@debian.org> <adam@flounder.net>
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