Re: [boost] 1.34 Release Plan - an alternative view

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-01-27 01:01:33

David Abrahams wrote:
> "Robert Ramey" <ramey_at_[hidden]> writes:

> The lack of atomic changes to the trunk and to branches makes it very
> difficult to capture a point in time when everything is passing.

Exactly - that's the problem.  My suggestion is that library changes
be merged into the trunk one at a time and no other merges are
undertaken until the trunk passes all tests.  At this point the trunk
is tagged as a "release" and available to users to use and to other
developers to develop against.  The last version of the trunk
that passed all tests is defined as the "last release"

Maybe my suggestion might be better characterised as casting aside
the whole concept of "release" in favor of "kaizan" - continuous
incremental improvement.

I'm beginning to question the whole concept of "release".  It seems
to have been inherited from the the traditional ideas of manufactureing.
design, test, and start manufacturing.  Perhaps building large
software systems like boost are more akin to building
cathedrals in the middle ages.   Add some here, add another
bit there, Uh oh - that old part broke under the weight of a newer
part - so fix that and get back on track.  Afer 100 years you have
something far beyond what anyone could have envisioned at the
begining.

That may or may not be a good analogy - but its closer to how
things really work than building and shipping a traditional software
or hardware product.

Anyway I realise that this idea does seem too radical to be
seriously considered any time soon.  But as time goes on,
boost gets bigger, it gets harder and harder to keep
everything in sync, and the idea has time to "percolate"  I
think we'll becoming back to it.

And besides, what I see as problems in the current method don't
really affect me personaly very much.  I have the luxury of
detachment here.

So I'm happy to let it rest until the subject comes up again in
the future.

Robert Ramey