[GRASS5] Revised^2 Code Freeze schedule

[Markus Neteler]

Code Freeze schedule for GRASS 5 stable
documents/code_freeze.txt

$Id: code_freeze.txt,v 1.1 2000/09/22 13:07:16 markus Exp $

Things to focus on for GRASS 5.0 stable
 1) new "init" mechanism (Justin Hickey) with session manager:
    Init means: graphical startup of GRASS (default) aditionally to
                 script based  startup (option)
      -> important for wide acceptance of GRASS
      -> may allow location change on-the-fly
      -> not critical, but time consuming

 2) Datum support for projections (Andreas Lange)
      -> due to personal communication with Andreas nearly finished
         nothing critical

 3) new env variable management (Justin Hickey)
      -> nothing critical, rather completed

 4) extent the test-suite testgrass.sh (all)
      -> nothing critical, but important
 
 5) fix all license problems (Bernhard Reiter)
      -> very important
      -> John Huddleston/David Gray are currently implementing a replacement
         for "Numerical recipe" stuff
      -> Helena/Bill B./Jaro Hofierka et al. have released their software
         under GPL
      -> time consuming to reach involved people (former programmers)

 6) sockets Xdriver (Carl Anderson)
      -> no idea about status, but required for Windows port finalization


Things to go into GRASS 5.1 development (after Oct. 15th):

 1) New code directory structure:
    * required for new autoconf implementation (Eric Mitchell)
      -> critical change
    * required to split GRASS into packages, probably online-update
      option (like PERL)
    * the next stable release should be built on re-structured code.
      Therefore a split into stable/development tree should take place
      after restructuring and before applying new features/autoconf

 2) 3D vector support (David D Gray, Radim Blazek)
    * needs modification of all vector modules

 3) replace GRASS i/o routines by "libgrass" (Frank Warmerdam)

 4) layered XDRIVER (Pierre de Mouveaux)
  
 5) full RGB support in all display modules (Pierre de Mouveaux)

 
 X) tons of other stuff (see TODO file)


Timeline:
 - 15. Oct. 2000: 
       a) Code freeze announce
       b) new directory structure
       c) based on this split into stable tree and development tree
 - then: 
       - start bugfixing only on stable tree, *concentrate* on bugfixes

 - xx.xx.2000: - release GRASS 5.0stable
               - continue work on development tree


This is the revised schedule from recent discussion. 

Obviously it makes sense to go for code-restructuring *before* releasing
GRASS 5 stable as the split into stable/development branch and the new
autoconf system will depend on it. As the code-restructuring does not affect
the binary packages it is less critical to the common user, so we should
take that "risk".

Comments are welcome.

 Markus

PS: Carl, please send a comment on XDRIVER/sockets. 
    Is there anyone else familiar with sockets? I have the 1994 R. Wiemer
    code available (he implemented sockets for GRASS 4.1).

-- 
Dipl.-Geogr. Markus Neteler *  University of Hannover
Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Schneiderberg 50 * D-30167 Hannover * Germany
Tel: ++49-(0)511-762-4494  Fax: -3984

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