Re: [boost] A branching/tagging idea for releases

From: Rene Rivera (grafikrobot_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-06-29 23:20:10

David Abrahams wrote:
> James Sharpe wrote:
>> What we gain is the ability to be making bug fix releases of previous
>> versions whilst working on the next release. With the current system
>> there is no way of doing this simultaneously, if we want a bug fix
>> release, which I'd suggest should happen, given the demand we've seen
>> on the list, we need a method of doing so.
> 
> I 100% agree with that.

Some people keep saying that. But I fail to see how the current setup 
prevents one from doing this. The name of the branches & tags is 
irrelevant. They are just names! It's the content that matters. And the 
content is exactly the same currently. If there is a *release team* for 
doing a 1.35.1 release. It is their responsibility to create the branch 
for them to work on such a release. If it is a matter of policy that we 
want to add to the workload for library authors and maintain point 
releases on an ongoing basis. Then it is as simple as always creating a 
new branch for each major release at then *end* of said major release.

> Of course, having testers operate on a single branch called "release,"
> no matter how we do it, is really incompatible with the idea of testing
> point releases concurrently with other releases.

I don't remember where anyone said we would have only *one* tested 
branch. Just that it would be more work on testers to have to switch on 
each release cycle the branch they test. It would be the responsibility 
of a 1.35.1 release team to coordinate with testers, for that release, 
the branch to test and test resources to devote specifically to it.

[stuff about version control]

It is counter productive to think that a new version control system is 
going to solve such testing and release problems. If we can't manage the 
release process with the tools we have we have no hope of ever 
succeeding in creating a stable release process.

I know, I may be sounding bitter at this point... But I'm a pragmatist 
at heart and trying to solve things with fresh new toys rubs me the 
wrong way since I've seen the tactic fail repeatedly.

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