Re: How automatic are backport package updates?

[songbird <songbird@anthive.com>]

Michael Grant wrote:
...
> I completely understand the desire for stability and reliability.  But
> it seems like having to wait up to 2 years for some major new feature
> to get into Debian can be daunting, especially when it gets into
> Testing.  I was wondering, is there, or has anyone given any thought
> to something in between Testing+Backports and Stable+Security that is
> something like Stable at each dot release, thus reducing this window
> down to 3 months as opposed to 2 years?

  yes, but since Debian is run by volunteers and many of
them are very busy it has been talked about but not beyond 
that.  the idea of rolling releases, always releasable, and 
some other phrases has been discussed, but until enough 
people get together to actually do it and prove that it 
works and will be supported it won't happen.  unstable is
perhaps the closest currently coming to that idea, but
the freeze process pushes development off into experimental
or upstream until the freeze is done and then the whole
cycle comes up again.

  to me the freeze should just be a snapshot that is 
worked from off to the side and then unstable can 
continue to be worked on and security fixes and such
can keep working through to testing.

  i suggest the acronym tasty for that snapshot (as in
tasty-freeze :) - you can use the other concepts of
soft-serve or hard-freeze and such to go along and if
you want more scoops or sprinkles added, etc.).  :)


  songbird