[QGIS-Developer] LTR Support Improvements for 2022

[Marco Bernasocchi]

Dear community,

since their introduction, QGIS LTR versions have gained wide-spread
popularity [0]. LTR point releases have always followed the regular monthly
release cycle [1] creating a constant flow of point releases that likely
exceeds the update frequency that LTR users desire and actually roll-out.

To further improve our LTR offering and ensure the reliability of our
installers, we propose to introduce pre-release LTR package tests. These
semi-automated and manual tests will be performed during a two-week period
between packaging and announcement of new packages.

The 2022 budget proposal will account for the additional costs of
pre-release LTR package tests. To stay within a reasonable budget and allow
for an appropriate number of tests, we propose to reduce the LTR point
release frequency to quarterly (four times a year) and initially limit
testing to the platform with our largest user base (Windows).

If accepted, the new quarterly schedule would start as soon as the whole
testing infrastructure is ready. This would probably be introduced stepwise
during the 3.22 lifecycle and become definitive in the 3.28 cycle.

Together with this proposal, to quantify the userbases by operating system,
and be able to make data driven decisions in the future, the QGIS network
user agent now includes a generic string mentioning the user’s operating
system. You can read more about the change here [2].

We are looking forward to hearing what you think about these news plans and
your ideas how they may be improved.

On behalf of the PSC,
Have a great weekend

Marco

[0] https://blog.qgis.org/2020/04/02/ltr-usage-survey/
[1]
https://qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/development/roadmap.html#release-schedule
[2] https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/pull/46090

-- 
Marco Bernasocchi

QGIS.org Chair
OPENGIS.ch CEO
http://berna.io
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