'Re: [kde-promo] Releases in three months?'

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List:       kde-promo
Subject:    Re: [kde-promo] Releases in three months?
From:       Anne Wilson <annew () kde ! org>
Date:       2013-07-10 8:56:24
Message-ID: 51DD21B8.3030402 () kde ! org
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On 09/07/13 20:54, Nuno Pinheiro wrote:
> A Terça, 9 de Julho de 2013 20:54:00 Ingo Klöcker escreveu:
> > On Tuesday 09 July 2013 12:42:43 Nuno Pinheiro wrote:
> > > A Terça, 9 de Julho de 2013 13:07:02 Àlex Fiestas escreveu:
> > > > On Tuesday 09 July 2013 06:12:03 Carl Symons wrote:
> > > > > On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 7:38 PM, Àlex Fiestas 
> > > > > <afiestas@kde.org>
> > 
> > wrote:
> > > > > > Hi there, how is the promo team doing?
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > Today I've sent a proposal to kde-core-devel about
> > > > > > making a release every 3 months. While developers discuss
> > > > > > on that list whether it works for them or not I'd like to
> > > > > > ask you separately your PoV on the matter.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Without commenting on what Lydia, Jos and Nuno have 
> > > > > written...
> > > > > 
> > > > > Why? What is the reasoning behind a 3 month release cycle? 
> > > > > What advantages does it bring to KDE, KDE users,
> > > > > downstream folks?
> > > > 
> > > > You have information there: 
> > > > http://community.kde.org/KDE_Core/ReleasesProposal
> > > > 
> > > > Mostly, be more agile, release ready features faster, etc.
> > > > 
> > > > Promo wise,. we have to compete with the Web these days, the 
> > > > Web can make releases everyday and they are automatically 
> > > > delivered to the end user. Applications on phones do the
> > > > same. We should follow.
> > > 
> > > I dont agree with those points. Some one on the other side 
> > > comented on firefox.. and personly the new way they release
> > > the thing I dont like it much, they went from to far apart to,
> > > "I dont care any more"
> > > 
> > > I still see value on bulding up a desire for the new thing, 
> > > building up hype around it, aka  "im working on this amazing 
> > > feature for the upcoming foo" and making people having to wayt 
> > > for it hads value to it. having to wayt for somthing values
> > > the thing... intsnt gratification does not take you very far.
> > > the key is how much is to long ??? I personaly think that 9/8
> > > months would be perfect from that POV. and that 6 months is
> > > alarady to fast,.
> > 
> > Have you ever worked with an agile development process where you 
> > make a small release every other week and then get feedback from 
> > your customer or your users so that you can improve the features
> > in the next iteration? If you haven't then you might not be able
> > to get what's so great about fast release cycles.
> > 
> > FWIW, the team I work with currently has a release cycle of one 
> > week. Obviously, those releases are no huge feature releases
> > that bring tons of new features. No, every release brings just a
> > few new features and/or improves a few existing features.
> > 
> > I, personally, don't buy your "we need slow release cycles so
> > that we can build up a hype". IMHO this is nonsense because
> > almost each hype is followed by disillusionment or even
> > disappointment. Hypes never live up to the expectations of the
> > users.
> > 
> > I'm a friend of being modest in what we promise so that we can 
> > surprise and delight our users with what we deliver.
> > 
> > I'll close with a citation from Eric S. Raymond "The Cathedral
> > and the Bazaar": Release early. Release often. And listen to
> > your customers.
> > 
> > (http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/ar01s04
.html)
> 
> > 
> Im a rooling distro guy, and try to use bleding edge.. but i
> remember wen i was not and how exyted I got close to a major relese
> wen i was just a mere user, How upset I got at my distro wen thye
> made me wayt longuer than I had 2... All this contrubuted to the
> experience .
> 
> if we fine grain the releses to nothing then it just becomes part
> of the scenery, thare is nothing to get exyted about. Agile
> development process, is grat for a certain tpe of users or
> client... but for the general consumer and media, closure is
> important, new* and improved* as well, sure we dont "buy into that"
> , but most people do.
> 

- From the general user perspective I have to dispute some of this.  You
have only to look at forums and mailing lists to see how often hype
tells users that all will be well in the next release.  The next
release comes, and what they were promised is only half fulfilled.
The result is disappointment and often anger.

What the average user wants is not huge feature changes, but small
steady improvements that make their experience more pleasant.  You've
only to look at how long people will stay with a particular Windows
version to appreciate how great stability is in their minds.  They
don't see, and don't want to see, the 'behind-the-scenes' changes,
just what impacts on their usage.

I've no opinion on whether this proposal would take us nearer or
further away from user goals - it's clearly something that needs a
good deal of debate.

Anne
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