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List:       opensuse-factory
Subject:    Re: [opensuse-factory] Concerning the release cycle, some ideas for refinement.
From:       Mustafa Muhammad <mustafaa.alhamdaani () gmail ! com>
Date:       2014-11-18 11:45:34
Message-ID: CAMWPydS8g+vL5o1x1ecV8FfnJzNwEbvcLjkbwU-qzFLEQ9oSfg () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 10:49 AM, Roger Luedecke
<roger.luedecke@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 2014-11-18 at 08:30 +0100, Ancor Gonzalez Sosa wrote:
>> On 11/17/2014 06:33 PM, Claudio Freire wrote:
>> > On Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 2:02 PM, Roger Luedecke
>> > <roger.luedecke@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> Poll on Google plus with over 1200 respondents shows 89% of our users
>> >> support an annual release cycle.
>> >> https://plus.google.com/110312141834246266844/posts/g5FdGJ9iSqB
>> >>
>> >> I think we should however restructure the way we do releases in order=
 to
>> >> minimize the bumpiness of release. I propose a pseudo-annual release
>> >> cycle. The idea being that our current state of release is messy at b=
est
>> >> and could use some last minute repository fixing and bug swatting. I
>> >> propose that we esentially make the way we release now 'open-beta' at
>> >> the 11th month.
>> >>
>> >> We then use the 12th month to get all repos online and fixed. Also wo=
uld
>> >> be a good chance to give us about a month to fix problems with our di=
sc
>> >> images, and remaster the 'open-beta' 11th month GM with patches and
>> >> hardware support fixes.
>> >>
>> >> With this scheme we should see much smoother official release days by
>> >> essentially duping the users into considering the state we currently
>> >> call release to be beta, and giving us a month to clean things up.
>> >
>> >
>> > Question is, if having this marked beta will cause more testing than
>> > having it marked release candidate.
>> >
>> > Because there's already a lengthy time during which the images are
>> > released as "release candidate" and there still isn't enough bug
>> > swatting happening during that time. Will a beta period improve
>> > things?
>> >
>> > Also, in my lingo, beta < rc.
>> >
>> > Perhaps it's just a matter of sticking with RC longer and advertising
>> > and calling for testing more prominently.
>>
>> I wouldn't expect a big difference just by renaming things and adjusting
>> the time frames. I would actually change the process a bit.
>>
>> Right now, we set a proposed date for the release. We set the RC and
>> beta dates counting back from that day. The release happens in the
>> proposed release date if it's "good enough" to go which mainly means
>> that it's not badly broken.
>>
>> Just from the top of my head, an alternative could be like this (just a
>> first though). I'd NOT have a fixed date for the release in advance. We
>> set a date for the "freeze" (call it beta, call it RC, I don't mind).
>> For that frozen version (good enough for daily usage but not labeled as
>> definitive) we encourage everybody to report bugs and we classify their
>> severity. The actual release happens when the bugs count is below a
>> threshold. Let's say less than 3 critical bugs and less than 15 medium
>> bugs. I know bugzilla is currently a mess, but you get the idea.
>> Something more similar to what Debian does.
>>
>> Cheers.
>>
>> --
>> Ancor Gonz=C3=A1lez Sosa
>> YaST Team at SUSE Linux GmbH
> I like that idea. I think the freeze point too though should be
> considered as I mentioned, and pushed as the default download. Sure,
> some people may get a nasty surprise because they didn't read the bold
> print... but we can't really be faulted for people not wanting to read.
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org
> To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org
>

I think labeling TW as Beta or RC (or open beta) is a bad idea, it
should be a stable rolling release distro, for more stable releases, I
think we should "branch" a beta, complete with its repos, then an RC,
then release only when it is really stable (more than anything we've
done before), just like what Ancor said.

Mustafa Muhammad
-- 
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