[QGIS-Developer] LTR Support Improvements for 2022

[Nick Bearman]

Thanks Marco, and the PSC for your discussions with LTRs and the budget 
proposed for pre-release LTR package tests.

There still seems to be some ongoing discussion on the QGIS-PSC list 
(e.g. 
https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/qgis-psc/2021-November/009584.html) 
about the scheduling but I think the main thrust of the proposal 
addresses the key issues.

More testing (including some automated) and less frequent releases of 
the LTR version (unless there is a specific reason) are both good things 
in my book.

As a relative new-comer to the packaging and distribution process I am 
still trying to get my head around the schedule and process.

I am going to aim to do some more testing myself (of installing the 
Windows version of QGIS on a clean machine) to support most of my 
clients, who install QGIS on Windows. This will require some investment 
(e.g. a clean Windows VM I can use, possibly created through AWS 
WorkSpaces) and any hints and tips people have, please do share!

(and perhaps, by making this commitment here, I will actually be more 
motivated to do this!)

Best wishes,
Nick.


On 20/11/2021 07:00, Marco Bernasocchi wrote:
> 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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-- 
Nick Bearman
Tel / WhatsApp / Signal: +44 (0) 7717745715
nick at geospatialtrainingsolutions.co.uk

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