Hi all,
the release cycle of GeoServer has been governed, since 2017, by a time boxed
release model.
Time boxed means we have releases at fixed deadlines, and what is not ready by the release date, should be delayed to the next one.
We have botched big time boxing twice in a row now, some of us care to vote rules that manage the life of the project, but not much to actually follow them.
Quoting a few salient bits from the GSIP:
- In particular, proposals should point out even better than before how the resourcing is going to be ensured, and how much time the proposal will take before completion. Proposals for larger changes must ensure that they land on trunk in the green zone and that they are completed (bug fixes aside) before the hardening starts.
- In case a proposal is late in the game and there is a tangible risk of not being completed in time there should be either a plan to roll it back with little damage, or should be deferred directly to the next major release.
The GSIP 77 had a “beta” period that we no longer have, as a result of GSIP-168, which removed the beta release and feature freeze. What it did not remove was the time boxing,
it just means we have more time to sneak in features, but when the RC date is hit, everything has to be in.
This requires some advance planning, considering whatever foreseeable impediments might come in the way (FOSS4G, vacations), and accounting for enough time for reviews, especially if the PRs tend to be large.
Now, the shit already hit the fan, there is no point in demanding a RC release tomorrow, but:
- Try to release as soon as possible
- I’m going to mark a periodic event on the calendar, to send a mail to the list a month before RCs, so that people know their clock is ticking, and that their work will be delayed to the next release, if they fail to meet the deadline (at the very least, I expect devs to state they need more time, specify how much, and have the PSC vote on it).
Little final aside: please try to keep the PRs as small and focused as possible, to allow easier review.
Remember you’re depending on volunteer time to get a review, and that reviewers on one side have a job and a family, and on the other side should try to dedicate extra care and attention to GSIP worthy changes. This becomes impossible, if you end up touching more files than strictly necessary, forcing the reviewer to either steal work from work/family, or settle for a more superficial review.
···
Regards,
Andrea Aime
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Ing. Andrea Aime
@geowolf
Technical Lead
GeoSolutions Group
phone: +39 0584 962313
fax: +39 0584 1660272
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