[OPEN-ILS-DEV] EG conference discussion topics

[Galen Charlton]

Hi,

Here's a list of some development topics to discuss at the conference.  Some old, some new.  Please feel free to tack on.

[1] DVCS (and Git, specifically)

I think most active committers and developers are now using Git or Git+SVN, so IMO we're at the point where we can finalize this and come out of a conference with a decision, and perhaps even a completed-switch to Git.  Subtopics include:

* confirming the DVCS to use - last chance for anybody with either an attachment to the status quo or a preference for any-DVCS-but-Git to make their case
* planning the switch
* managing repos - do we start a git.evergreen-ils.org, for example?
* Git training/best practices discussion/cheatsheets
* What does Signed-off-by mean, after all?

[2] Time-based releases

Briefly, I propose that we switch to time-based releases.  In essence - every four months (for whatever value of "four" we feel best), we do a major release of Evergreen.  A feature doesn't make the deadline?  It'll have to wait, but that's OK: the next feature release is only four months away.

The motivations are:

* Increasing predictability of releases.
* Getting features out to users more quickly
* Reducing the number of changes from release to release, thereby helping to make upgrades smoother
* Hopefully smoothing out the workflow for DIG

Related to this, Mike mentioned that a while back there was a discussion of a "stability" release schedule.  Although the notion of releasing candidates when they're stable, not at any particular date, may appear antithetical to time-based releases, the infrastructure needed to do stability releases (e.g., more automated testing, fully automated packaging, and more automation of upgrades) would also be necessary to do time-based releases well, and both have the aim of pushing more featurey goodness out more quickly.

[3] Build and test infrastructure

Obviously needed for time-based or stability release management.  Main subtopic: how to build on what Dan and others have built so far.

Regards,

Galen
--
Galen Charlton
VP, Data Services
Equinox Software, Inc. / Your Library's Guide to Open Source
email:  gmc at esilibrary.com
direct: +1 352-215-7548
skype:  gmcharlt
web:    http://www.esilibrary.com/