[GRASS5] The status of 5.0

[Glynn Clements]

Roger Miller wrote:

> > > We really have to think apart from all earlier discussion if we want
> > > to continue like that (release branch) or better concentrate on
> > > quick 5.0 fixing and enjoying 5.1.
> > 
> > this may well end up with quick 5.1 fixing and enjoying 5.2 ... etc.
> > 
> > It would be a similar style that is performed for MapServer right now and
> > people get increasingly trouble with the lack of stable and maintained
> > realease or even defined releases I can talk about with others.
> 
> Folks,
> 
> I like to avoid "me too" posts to lists unless there is some real good
> reason for it, and I think there is a good reason.
> 
> I agree 100% with Jan. I think that GRASS 5.0 needs to be truly fixed and
> completely stable before it's released.  Only bad things can come from
> doing a quick release with broken user modules.

Actually, I suspect that's likely to be a catch-22 situation. In order
to become truly fixed and completely stable, 5.0 needs a lot more
testing than it will get while it remains "in development". To get an
adequate level of testing, it will need to be put into real-world use;
which probably means declaring it to be "released".

The approach which I would take would be to declare 5.0.0 as
"released" quite soon, with the expectation of several 5.0.x "point"
releases to follow. Such releases would be strictly for bug fixes; no
new functionality, no gratuitous "clean ups" etc. Anything else would
have to go into 5.1/6.0.

While it would be nice to be able to perform thorough testing
"internally", I just don't see that happening. Some of the bugs which
have been reported recently would appear to have existed for as long
as the floating-point and/or null-value support has been present. 
Which suggests that such reports will, under current usage patterns,
continue to trickle in at a similar rate over the next few years.

Are we willing to wait that long before deciding to "release"?

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn.clements at virgin.net>