[GRASS-dev] 6.4.0 blocker bugs

[Hamish]

Martin wrote:
> from my point of view is unacceptable to change the default
> GUI (DEFAULT_GUI in init.sh) within 6.4.x. Change it now (i.e.
> before releasing 6.4.0) or leave it for 6.5 (6.6) or 7.0.

I don't think it harms backwards compatibility too badly to
adjust GUI things (scripts+code will still work), but y'all
make a good point that tutorials and screenshot guides will
suffer in this case. We can get around the "don't make big
policy changes right before release" rule by shipping one last
RC; I would hope the the final 6.4.0 could go out after that
rather quickly (maybe a week?). So RC7 in the next 24 hrs and
6.4.0 some time before Helena's plenary session on Sept 8th?
(as long as no problems are found within that time..)

(comments? objections? better ideas?)


I think we all agree that by 6.4.1 wx should be the default,
and that big changes are bad within a stable release. Since
we have had so many RCs wx is now in good shape in the stable
branch, ready for more eyeballs. so ok with me to be the default,
so long as that change gets tested.

I would note that besides init.sh there is also line 83 of
g.gui/main.c to change in relbr64 to alter the default GUI
(which GUI to start if "GRASS_GUI=text"), and a grep of the
docs/announcements.

We would have to check that it fail-overs back to tcltk if
tcl is there but wx is not. (I have a Debian/etch machine sitting
around I can test that on)


fwiw, changing it manually is not /too/ hard to find:
  Config -> GRASS working enivronment -> Change default GUI
... but you have to know about it before you'd ever think to look.


As for ctypes backports, AFAICT that is not well tested in 6.5
yet, so I'm a bit worried to put it into 6.4 yet. Is it just
copying in lib/python/ctypes/, or are other structural changes
that need to be coordinated with that? As AFAIK it is "only" a
new feature, and not really a policy change or bugfix, so I see
no problem to wait for 6.4.1, 4 weeks or so after the main
release.


cheers,
Hamish


ps- I wonder if we should really expose g.mapset in the GUI
menu? Some "Advanced" features are best hidden from new users..
(& I take it that works well from the now?) or at least only
let them change mapset from there, to limit damage/confusion.
(??)