Re: [gpsd-dev] [gpsd-users] Stable release plan

[Frank Nicholas]

Here, here!  Another Gentoo “~” user!  

In Gentoo you specify unstable by prefixing “~” to the platform (x86, amd64, 
arm, etc.) in a config file.

ALL my systems (physical, Pi’s, Edisons, VM’s) run Gentoo unstable, and have 
for years.

Gary has explained it VERY well and that’s exactly one of the reasons I use 
Gentoo & run unstable.

One quick question for Gary - Do you know the “release process" for Gentoo to 
move a package from unstable to stable?  Is it at the discretion of the package 
maintainer?

Thanks,
Frank

> On May 6, 2016, at 5:03 PM, Gary E. Miller <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> Yo Hal!
> 
> On Fri, 06 May 2016 13:49:43 -0700
> Hal Murray <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
>> There are two types of projects.  I'll call them production and
>> research.
> 
> I would posit three, or maybe two and a hybrid.  The third would
> be Gentoo.
> 
>> In a research project, the idea is full speed ahead and release when
>> it works.
> 
> This would be Gentoo unstable.  It usually works, but occasionally needs
> TLC.  Pretty much only upstream releases, plus emergency patches.  Way
> better than running developers nightlies or git heads.
> 
> I run this on my personal machines.  Daily updates.  I always get
> linux kernel updates, openssl updates, openssh updates in hours.  The
> things that scare me.  Other things, like new gcc or glibc gets more
> testing before going into unstable.
> 
>> In a production environment, you have users.  You need to coordinate
>> updates with them.
> 
> That would be gentoo stable.  I run this on my production servers.
> Critical updates, like openssl and openssh, are updated within a day.
> Other things, like non-critical apache, maybe every 6 months.
> 
> When gpsd goes to a new revision, some Gentoo devs play with it, see
> what it broke in other packages, when they feel good about it they
> put it in unstable.
> 
> When that gpsd has been running for a while, bugs reports have been
> delt with, and the stable people ask for it, then that unstable gpsd
> gets promoated to stable.  Several unstable gpsd's may be used before
> there is consensus on making one of them a stable release.
> 
> Nothing is inflicted on the admin, he can pick and chose for his
> erers what he considers stable and unstable.
> 
> Yes, this requires the sysadmins to be on their toes.  OTOH, you don't
> wait years for fixes to known and unknown security bugs, or for cool
> new features.  Unless you want to.
> 
> I prefer this to the typical one-sie-fits-all distro.  YMMV.
> 
> RGDS
> GARY
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Gary E. Miller Rellim 109 NW Wilmington Ave., Suite E, Bend, OR 97703
>       address@hidden  Tel:+1 541 382 8588