Re: [boost] [1.35.0] Release criteria compilers

From: Markus Schöpflin (markus.schoepflin_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-10-05 17:47:52

Jeff Garland schrieb:

> Let me put it another way.  We will continue testing and fixing on 
> the all compilers/platforms for which we have volunteers.  The 
> difference is, that we aren't going to hold the release up to ensure 
> that less standard compliant compilers are all green.

Do you have any evidence that the last release has been hold up because
of less standard compliant compilers?

(Note that I already mentioned the following in another mail which
didn't make it to the list up to now so I'm going to repeat it here.)

My impression as a long time regression tester has been, that the last
release simply was held up by a lack of time and/or interest in getting
the release out of the door. I know some people have put a lot of time
and effort in the release, but I also noticed (in the first nine months
after the release branch was created) that nothing visible happened for
weeks (which allowed me to fix a lot of things for the platform I care
about), only to wittness some small or not so small modification causing
major breakage for many platforms. And things would stay like this for a
few weeks, before someone seemed to care.

> By reducing the number of platforms we can reduce the cycle time for 
> developers to be sure changes are working.  This allows us to get new
> libraries and fixes released to the whole of the Boost community in
> a more timely fashion. Right now we are essentially delaying releases
> to provide for a minority of our users.

Because of the things I have written above, I challenge the statement 
that it's the support for the exotic or less compliant platforms that 
has held up the release.

> And ultimately, these compilers/platforms aren't left out in any way
> because fixes/ports can go into the next quarterly release.  The main
> thing we need to do at this juncture is 'whatever it takes' to break
> out of the current release quagmire -- we have important libraries
> and fixes that have been backed up for over a year now.

I understand that you don't want to repeat the fiasco of the last 
release, but I think right now you're throwing the baby out with the 
bath-water.

Markus