Re: [boost] [1.37.0] branches/release open for merges

From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-08-21 15:32:58

Stefan Seefeld wrote:

>> If this shows up when a merge is made of a library into the release
>> ready branch it should be considered a bug as it must be a break
>> in an interface contract.
>
> I fail to understand what you are saying. As far as I know, there are
> no 'interface contracts' on trunk. And, adding a new feature in patch
> A, which a subsequent patch B relies on is certainly a possibility,
> if not even likely.

 It is not an attribute of the branch but of the library.
The "interface contract" is that the library does what it's documentation
says it does.

>The point I'm trying to make is that, as far as I
> can see, there is no dependency tracking between changesets, so it
> may be hard to tell whether a merge of any changeset from trunk to
> the release branch will be self-contained, or rely on another merge
> being done first.

There should be no direct dependency between changesets.  If there
is - its a bug.  Library A should depend upon, and only upon, the documented
interface of Library B.  If merging B into the release branch breaks
library A - then either B as changed its interface so it doesn't match
the documentation or A wasn't incompliance with the documentation.
Either way its a bug.

> Anyways, my main point remains this:
>
> The way you treat the 'release branch' is how other projects use
> 'trunk' for, while what you name 'trunk' is more of a 'sandbox'
> elsewhere.

Nope.  The trunk is where libraries are tested before being merged
into the trunk.

A "sandbox" would be a separate branch where experiments are
conducted.  For this one doesn't need all the testing on various
platforms - yet.  When the "experiment" is ready for that, then
it gets merged into the trunk.

> Only that boost doesn't have what other projects call release
> branches, so you are unable to do bugfix-only releases.

The release branch is almost always ready for release.  If a user
needs a bug fix or "hot patch" - all he has to do is download it
from there.  He can either download the whole thing or just
the library he's interested in.

Robert Ramey