Release process (was: Re: [PHP-CVS] cvs: php4 / configure.in /main php_version.h)

I agree that the main issue here the release process. I don't think it's working very well now. How long ago was PHP_4_0_7 branch made? It's not that ecouraging fixing a bug or adding a new feature and telling people that the fix or feature will be released in 6 months or so. So how do we cut the time from branch to release down to 2-4 weeks? Edin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Zeev Suraski" <zeev@zend.com> To: "Stig S. Bakken" <ssb@fast.no> Cc: "James Cox" <james@wherewithal.com>; "Jani Taskinen" <sniper@iki.fi>; <php-cvs@lists.php.net> Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 10:28 AM Subject: RE: [PHP-CVS] cvs: php4 / configure.in /main php_version.h > At 11:09 15/03/2002, Stig S. Bakken wrote: > >The new versioning scheme is a good idea at the right time. You should > >give better arguments than "the old scheme has (always worked|worked > >before)". > > And I did (inability to sync multiple trees, lengthy release cycles (from > branching to release), userbase perception of what version numbers mean in > the OS world, time from introduction of new features, or infrastructure > improvements and their delivery to the userbase, legitimizing patch > releases by "making them look better" (there's no excuse for a QA messup, > no matter if you call it 4.2.1., 4.2.0pl1 or 5.0.456), and I think there > were more). I have no motivation to go into them all over again, and the > fact the old scheme worked seemed like a pretty good KISS summary. > > In reality, if we don't have enough QA resources (and we don't, ask Derick > who has to wait for 3 weeks from branching to RC1 (!)), then picking on the > versioning scheme is looking for the coin under the light, when it already > slipped through the cracks to the sewers. Fix what requires fixing, not > the things that are and always have worked. Right now, it appears we're > getting the bad of both worlds - we lost the dynamic nature of an OS > project (fast turnaround time), but we also don't have commercial grade > QA. To the QA people - we appreciate your work, however, there's simply > not enough of you. It's not your fault, of course. > > If we want to do it right, we need to get a strong QA infrastructure, which > would allow us to go from branch to release in 2-4 weeks (and then this > whole version numbering business loses its point). Solving the problem by > legitimizing pl's as 3rd digit releases is perhaps self-convincing, but it > doesn't change anything, except for breaking consistency with out > versioning scheme. > > Zeev > > > -- > PHP CVS Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > >