[boost] Re: 1.31.0 regressions

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-02-12 08:38:27

Beman Dawes <bdawes_at_[hidden]> writes:

> At 11:16 AM 2/11/2004, David Abrahams wrote:
>
>  >> If fixes aren't forthcoming for libraries that many other Boost
>  >> libraries depend on, it delays testing on the other libraries.
>  >
>  >Was that really a factor in this last release?  Which libraries were
>  >delayed, and which fixes weren't forthcoming?
>
> Iterator adaptors and type traits hurt a lot when they
> break. 
>
> Sometimes it takes awhile to figure out exactly what the
> problem is, too. For example, a change around January 16 caused
> VC++6.0 to ICE on several libraries. It didn't get fixed until the
> 26th, because it took time to realize where the fault lay. 

I don't believe that the vc6/iterator_facade interaction caused any
significant delays in testing other libraries; they were working
fine, then they stopped working, and then they were working again.

> IIRC, it got fixed the same day once we had figured out what change
> actually triggered the failure. Earlier in the release cycle, it
> took a while to get the auto link stuff working on all
> compilers. The release manager can only focus on so many things at
> once.

Sure; this shouldn't be up to the release manager.  It's simply too
much work and too error-prone.  An automated system can identify
precisely which checkin is responsible for breakage.  Why leave it up
to the release manager to notice the problem, and go back to do a
laborious binary search, then harrass other people to deal with the
problem?

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com