Re: [boost] Request for comments on super-project workflow doc

Subject: Re: [boost] Request for comments on super-project workflow doc
From: Peter Dimov (lists_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-01-02 15:58:06

Peter A. Bigot wrote:
> * Branch "latest": automatically tracks "develop" of submodules 
> (scripted).
...
> Does anybody have a use case for this?

Yes.

This branch is the equivalent of the old SVN trunk. It enables testing of 
the develop branches of the submodules. The typical Boost developer workflow 
is:

- make changes
- run local tests
- when those pass, commit to develop (SVN trunk)
- wait a few days for the develop (SVN trunk) testers to cycle
- when those pass, merge to master (SVN release)

In addition, testing a composition of the develop branches of the submodules 
enables people to detect inadvertent breaking changes in a dependent 
submodule and complain loudly. This ideally happens before the merge to 
master. (Or, alternatively, if the changes were in fact deliberate, it 
enables them to fix their code ahead of the merge to master.)

> Boost imposes no stability requirements on submodule develop branches, let 
> alone interoperability requirements.

That's not - quite - true. The develop branches are expected to work, even 
though this is not strictly enforced. We mostly rely on the honor system. 
:-)