Re: [rt-pmc] ECF review slides

[Scott Lewis <slewis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jeff,

Jeff McAffer wrote:
> In general if you have API it should not break from release to 
> release.  If a potential API is not complete of does not have high 
> confidence at release time it should be declared as provisional as in 
> the case of 119.  Since provisional API is not API changing it is not 
> breaking.
>
> It would be interesting to know if there is real API that you know now 
> you want to break in the next release.  If so, there should be early 
> warning (perhaps deprecation) for consumers.

We already have deprecated osgi API...precisely to do this early 
warning.  It's not our API, but of course our API depends upon it.  So I 
think we're already there.

> In the end it comes down to the contract with the community.  If you 
> are confident in the contract then declare it API and don't break it.  
> If not it is provisional or deprecated.  Either way, moving major 
> version numbers sends a rather significant message to the community.

My point is just that we/I don't know...for some parts of ECF...what the 
community needs are going to be.   I agree that moving major version 
numbers sends a significant message to the community...but I think the 
other way is true too...i.e. moving only minor version numbers also 
sends a message...and depending upon the target community either message 
could be the 'right' one.

In any event, I've removed 4.0 from the slides so there's nothing etched 
in stone.

Scott