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Re: [cross-project-issues-dev] Adding features during service releases and how/when to tag and branch source code ....

Hi Team,

A few releases ago I thought it would be a great idea to fix a critical bug in a service release that required a new API in one of the modeling components. This incremented the minor version of one bundle (i.e. version 1.0.0 to version 1.1.0). This seemingly small change made one part of the community happy, but caused a large amount of grief from another part of the community whose translation fragments were broken and API binary compatibility questioned. I think we learnt our lesson and are sticking with the true and tested guidelines of only service revisions (bug fixes) in a service release (i.e. version 1.0.0 to version 1.0.1).

Cheers...
Anthony
--
Anthony Hunter mailto:anthonyh@xxxxxxxxxx
Software Development Manager
IBM Rational Software: Aurora / Modeling Tools
Phone: 613-270-4613


Inactive hide details for David Carver ---06/30/2010 03:20:06 PM---As Doug said, you could do a Minor release that conicides wiDavid Carver ---06/30/2010 03:20:06 PM---As Doug said, you could do a Minor release that conicides with SR1 for Helios.


From:

David Carver <d_a_carver@xxxxxxxxx>

To:

Cross project issues <cross-project-issues-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Date:

06/30/2010 03:20 PM

Subject:

Re: [cross-project-issues-dev] Adding features during service releases and how/when to tag and branch source code ....




As Doug said, you could do a Minor release that conicides with SR1 for Helios.

Dave

On 06/30/2010 11:25 AM, Doug Schaefer wrote:
      Well, yes that's what I meant from the opposite angle. The point is that you need to be clear to the community when new functionality is included in a release, and hiding it in a service release which usually does not contain new functionality, isn't community friendly. So if you have new functionality, make it at least a minor release and have a review. And, of course, you can do that any time. Being on the train does not prohibit you from making additional releases over the year.

      On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 2:16 PM, Christian W. Damus <give.a.damus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
        Hi, Doug,

        The EDP doesn't say that service releases can't include new function because that would require a review. IIUC, it says only that adding new function in a release requires a review, and that service releases are (usually) exempt from review because they (usually) don't deliver new function.

        So, I suppose that if a service release really needs new function, the project can schedule a release review. If that passes (guess what might be an objection :-) then the project can publish the release.

        Cheers,

        Christian



        On 2010-06-30, at 13:27, Doug Schaefer <
        cdtdoug@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
            I wonder if a "new feature", as in new functionality, would trigger the need for a release review and, thus, couldn't be done in a service release. yes, no, maybe?

            On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 11:22 AM, David M Williams <david_williams@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

            Daniel, I've replied on "cross-project" list. Hope you don't mind .... but, I do so since
            1) others probably have the same questions and they would like to know the answers too, and
            2) others probably have much better answers than I do! :)

            > 1) Is it ok to release new features on a Service Release? Or should they go just on the next major version?

            I'm assuming you mean literally a new feature, in the sense of an installable feature that has its own feature.xml. But, even if you mean merely new function, in an existing feature.xml, the answer is pretty much the same.
            It is sort of discouraged, just because
            a) its can be tricky to do, and have everything "update" correctly (but it is possible),
            b) depending on what it is, it can kind of surprise adopters, maybe effect additions they have added themselves, or perhaps effect tutorials, or translations they have done.

            But, first and foremost, it depends on what your project (and your adopters need). If you (or your adopters) need it, it can and should happen. You'd want to review with your project leads, mentors, and PMC and make sure all agree its important and reasonable, and its being added in the best possible way ... such as, is it a new feature that gets added automatically ... is it a feature that adopters/users can install "optionally"? Also, in some cases maybe it should just to in your own projects software repository, but not complicate the common repository, but in other cases, maybe it is critical to add to the common repository. After PMC discussions, you'd probably want to well notify the community on these new plans ... both your own, on your own specific newsgroups and mailing lists, but also the cross-project list just so others know what's changing in common repo, and can offer advice, or concerns, if there is any concerns (and probably would not be concerns, for 99% of the cases).

            > 2) Is there a standard on source code policies (branching versioning, etc) for Eclipse projects?

            Definitely not a standard, per se (well, I'm assuming you are not talking about the versioning of bundles, which is standard, and documented in http://wiki.eclipse.org/Version_Numbering).
            But most projects do have their own project-wide practices, and some projects have tried to document how they tag code once released, and how and when they branch map files and code. Such as WTP has the following document, but I know its kind of sloppy (which I can say, because I wrote it, and recently fixed some extremely out of date sections, but its been "hack edited" so many times, its ended up kind of sloppy and maybe incomplete),
            http://wiki.eclipse.org/WTP_How_to:_Branching_Policy_and_Practices
            Perhaps other projects have their own documents on how and when to tag and branch source code and could contribute them to this discussion?

            Thanks ... and keep the questions coming ... we all learn in Open Development, when people ask questions -- either directly, or even for us answering, provides a good opportunity to stop and think "how do we do that and why do we do it that way?"






            From: Daniel Pastore <kpqb38@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
            To: David M Williams/Raleigh/IBM@IBMUS
            Cc: Marcel Gorri <wmg040@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
            Date: 06/30/2010 09:12 AM
            Subject: Can you help us with some questions?





            Hi David,

            we would like to ask you (as a great expert on the Eclipse way of doing things) two questions we have:
            1) Is it ok to release new features on a Service Release? Or should they go just on the next major version?
            2) Is there a standard on source code policies (branching, versioning, etc) for Eclipse projects?

            --
            Thanks a lot for your patience :)

            Daniel Pastore


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