Re: [boost] Proposal for radically altered approach to releases

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-05-11 15:04:30

"Arkadiy Vertleyb" <vertleyb_at_[hidden]> wrote in message 
news:e3vl3p$hd7$1_at_sea.gmane.org...
> "Beman Dawes" <bdawes_at_[hidden]> wrote
>
>> The problems with the current release approach are not caused by release
>> managers or developers, but rather by the release system itself. It just
>> doesn't scale up to the number of libraries now in Boost, since every
>> library has to be ready before a release can occur.
>>
>> These problems will only grow worse as more libraries are added.
>
> I think you are considering just one dimension of the problem.

Yes, and that is deliberate.See below.

> The other one -- the number of supported compilers is IMO equaly, if not
> even more, important.  The broken build can be detected only after the
> regressions run on all the compilers.  Which may be a few days (or a few
> weeks).  To fix the build would require a few more regression cycles, and 
> by
> that time new errors can (and most likely will) be introduced.
>
> Something needs to be done about compiler availability -- this is the most
> critical issue, IMO.

Testing issues such as what compilers to support abd/or require are 
certainly important.

Distribution issue (subsets, binaries, etc.) are also important.

If we try to fix all problems at once, I am afraid we will bog down in 
details. IMO, the several dimensions of the general release problem are 
separable. Hence the focus on fixing the release model as a separate task.

Thanks,

--Beman