Re: Release schedule

[Tim Harrison]

> I think that the way I handle stable releases may be too complicated,
> or perhaps it's that people are afraid to commit even bug fixes to the
> release branch. So I am trying to think of different things to do the
> next time. Just for your information, I typically make a pre-release
> version and then fork a branch in CVS for bug fixes for the release. I
> then make a release about a month after the pre-release.

From what I understand, a lot of people are concerned about sending in 
bugfixes that fix an immediate problem, but don't fix the underlying 
issues that lead to the immediate problem.  Having a short term freeze 
only allows for people to spend a brief amount of time fixing, or at 
least, working around, obvious bugs.  It might not provide enough time 
to deal with more subtle, or less than subtle, design issues.

> One thing I might try next time is to make multiple (perhaps weekly)
> pre-releases, so that people feel comfortable putting in bug fixes
> knowing that they will be tested. Let me know if you have other ideas.

The more frequent the pre-releases, the less time there is to make major 
 changes, if they're needed.

Most people update directly from CVS, without specifying a branch, from 
what I've seen.  So, more than likely, the community at large isn't 
testing these branches.  I don't have any numbers on this, I can only go 
by what I hear and see.

> Also, after much procrastination, I hope to update the upcoming
> goals/schedule for GNUstep:
>
> http://www.gnustep.org/developers/schedule.html
>
> If you have any thoughts on what our major goals should be for the next
> few releases, let me know.

Might I suggest a more strict focus on making sure that the OpenStep 
aspects of the system are complete, clean, and fully functional?  This 
way, at least the OpenStep functionality of GNUstep could be considered 
implemented.  Even if it isn't perfect, at least the  interfaces could 
be final, and would not change in the future.


--

Tim Harrison
address@hidden
http://www.linuxstep.org/