[boost] Re: Regression report for Releases?

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-03-20 22:17:00

"Jeff Garland" <jeff_at_[hidden]> writes:

> On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 18:19:33 -0500, David Abrahams wrote
>> I think it should also be available from an obvious link when you go
>> to get information on or download the current release.
>
> Sure.
>  
>> > Do we even have a way of tracking the check-ins?  
>> 
>> CVS?
>> 
>> > That might be a good first step.  I notice that sourceforge seems to
>> > be generating some sort of email when I check-in, but I don't know
>> > of a way to subscribe to the changelist.
>> 
>> We can set up a mailing list for it to send to, if you want to see
>> those.  But I don't think that would solve the problem by itself.
>
> I don't know of a CVS command that would give me all the changes to the
> repository in the last 12 hours (there may be one).  

cvs diff -D "12 hours ago" -D now

>> If we could initiate tests on a branch by request we wouldn't have
>> this problem; he could run all those tests before merging.
>
> Yes, but there will still be some limit.  If we are 3 days from
> release and the test farm is humming away on both mainline and the
> release branch we proably won't have infinate bandwidth to test
> developer branches.  

Not infinite; just "enough."

>> > So I really think
>> > that we need to start thinking about a dependency analysis of Boost
>> > and an added freeze date for 'core libraries' that need to stay
>> > stable during the release process.  
>> 
>> I'd really like to avoid that.
>
> Why, what does it hurt?  

Extra overhead; more to manage.  I'd rather have an automated system
that "just works" (yeah, right ;->)

> Back in the ideal world, I'd like to see Boost releases become
> really inexpensive in terms of time.  

Agreed.

> In combination with some of the other things we are discussing we
> should be able to normalize the process to the point where the
> length of the release timeline is very short -- I'd say 15 days or
> less.  We have a long way to get there though...

Yep.

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