[Lazarus] Release schedule and policy

[Lukasz Sokol]

On 22/10/2010 18:35, Juha Manninen wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I would like to suggest again a new release policy. It would have timely 
> releases, meaning a new release after a fixed time period, at a predefined date.
> Some projects have a 3 months cycle but a 6 months would be enough for Lazarus 
> because of more limited resources.
> 

Hello Juha,

[...]

good idea, but what actually stops us from adopting the Linux model ?

Each developer has his own git tree and lets everybody know to pull from it (and what
to pull) when time comes.

Then, the 'boss' merges 'new features and regfression- and bugfixes', into trunk, 
also cutting-edge development happens there.

Then, everybody interested in fixing regressions also have a git tree where they commit,
and it is (if applicable) also applied to trunk. As this tree is 'always stable' i.e. 
the API and ABI are frozen there, this is what most non-developer people would use
and report regressions to.

I know the major difference is that Linux (the kernel) has (relative to FPC) unlimited
developer resources, but this model is also infinitely more scalable. 
You can pull 'cherry-pick' from trees, not hop from tree to tree like an ape ;)

That model would happily accommodate every idea somebody wants to push, and actually let
people have them, test them and so on. 

Also it makes things like priority/security patches hit mainline very fast.

Also, the first step is already there : we have a git mirror. And there is tortoise-git
for Windows, as well as several types of gui for Linux.

And if you don't want to use git, what stops you from organizing it around several svn
repositories and emailing patches to each other?


> Juha

Lukasz