[Qgis-psc] Backporting?

[Jürgen E. Fischer]

Hi Sandro,

On Fri, 07. Mar 2014 at 13:00:48 +0100, Sandro Santilli wrote:
> The best way to get users to test is give users something to play with.  The
> average user only installs binary packages.

The binaries are there.
 
> You may call it "pre-release" instead of release, but how does that change
> the fact that it still needs to be packaged in order to be pushed to the
> user?

They are already get packaged - automatically.  That's the point.

After the release the code base obviously doesn't mysterically improve  So what
install after the release is essentially the same as what you have (shortly)
before the release as nightly build or weekly snapshot.  And everything that
isn't spotted there gets released.


> Also, some users would refrain from testing "pre-release", no matter what you
> do, but would happily (or not-so-happily-but-forced-by-OS) upgrade to an
> official release.

Those then have to live with the fact that 'their' bugs aren't fixed in the
current release - where they spotted them - but in the next.  To me that's fair
enough.


> The reality is: people use the software and find bugs, no matter how much
> pre-release testing you may do.

The question is just how long the people have to wait for a fix - and if four
months is too long.


> I think the question here is how to reduce regressions while fixing bugs, and
> this would be the main reason for maintaining a "stable" branch.  Being
> "stable" means that the least possible changes happen in that branch.

We're not discussing "stable" branches.  We're discussing backporting fixes and
do point releases for our "moving" releases.   "stable" releases take even more
effort (maintaing API stability etc).


> Limited scope of changes should theoretically help with NOT introducing
> regressions. Should also help reviewing changes.

No one doubts that it's doable.  I just question if it's necessary.


Jürgen

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