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diff --git a/releng/meeting-logs/2008/20080123_initial_2008.0_summary.txt b/releng/meeting-logs/2008/20080123_initial_2008.0_summary.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9d1b26f --- /dev/null +++ b/releng/meeting-logs/2008/20080123_initial_2008.0_summary.txt @@ -0,0 +1,139 @@ +2008.0 release +-------------- + +Tentative schedule (dates may change): + Feb. 1 Snapshot of the tree taken + Feb. 25 Docs due to GDP from release coordinators + Feb. 25 Snapshot frozen for beta + Feb. 29 Docs finalized + Mar. 3 Beta1 released + Mar. 14 Final upload + Mar. 17 Release + +To make it easier for the release engineering team to collaborate, +releng lead Chris Gianelloni (wolf31o2) wants all architectures to build +their releases on public developer machines. This also means that if an +architecture's release coordinator can't finish the release, anyone else +can pick up the work and continue. + +The releng team plans a few changes to profiles. Moving to multiparent +profiles will significantly reduce the profiles' maintenance effort and +code. It may happen for 2008.0; Chris said, "I am not sure that we'll +have time to do the profile switching, but I'm going to try to come up +with it. The plan will be to create 'normal' 2008.0 profiles, and I'll +work on making them multi-parent." Another suggested change to profiles +is the creation of an all-new multiparent subprofile, optimized for +Gentoo development. The 'developer' profile would be based on the +desktop profile with an additional set of FEATURES useful to developers. + +Chris also proposed changes to the release process, including when +profiles are created for future releases. "As soon as we finish up a +release," he said, "I'd like to go ahead and create the new release +stuff in the repos." That includes new catalyst spec files in the releng +repository, a new development profile, and possible changes to the +handbook. Making this change means work can immediately start instead of +waiting until the next release cycle, and it's also useful for automated +builds. + +Public beta releases make up a major component of the new plans. Chris +hopes beta releases will increase community participation as well as the +quality of the final release. These feature-complete public betas will +require the earlier development of release materials. To ensure +sufficient time exists for testers to take advantage of the beta, a +mandatory 2-week testing period will follow the beta release. + +A comprehensive testing checklist will be developed on the gentoo-releng +mailing list, as will a list of which details of testers' machines and +environments they should turn in to developers. Since in the past, +testers often provided insufficient information to releng developers +because their instructions weren't specific enough, a new form will +include all of the required questions and details. "Sadly you almost +want a beta that phones home as to what it was successfully run on," +said Tom Gall (tgall). Christian Faulhammer (opfer) suggested using a +hardware reporting tool such as app-admin/hwreport. + +Finally, Chris wants to make himself less of a single point of failure. +Conversion of the releng repository to SVN and maintenance of a shared +release checklist there will help, he said, so everyone can make updates +as they get things done. + +A question about security came from Tobias Klausmann (Blackb|rd), who +asked how to avoid the same problem that hit 2007.1. "Part of the +problem last time was that Chris was trying to update the snapshot for +*every* security bug," said x86 release coordinator Andrew Gaffney +(agaffney), "instead of just the ones that affected the media." + + +Automated builds +---------------- + +Branching profiles and specs for the next release early will enable the +releng team to begin automated and regular internal release builds. +"They'll check out the SVN for the new release and use the new dev +profile," Chris said, "so we find problems and fix them year-round +instead of just during the release cycle." + +Making these internal release builds publicly accessible can be done by +individual architecture teams, but Chris said the releng team won't +distribute them automatically. This could help people with architectures +that require hardware support nonexistent in the last release. + +"My long-term goal for the automatic builds is for us to be able to use +them as our initial beta," Chris said. "We pick one that's as close to +release quality as possible, release it as beta, *then* start the +release cycle." + + + +How do we involve the community more? +------------------------------------- + + +Some of the most popular suggestions--addition of the public beta, +letting users help with beta testing, and explicitly asking for +feedback--were already proposed for other goals like improving release +quality. They may also help involve the community. + +Another popular idea was creating a survey to ask users for the top +features they want in the next release. This might happen with simple +infrastructure like email or the forums, since Gentoo doesn't yet have +anything better. + +The last idea for getting users involved is to simply do a good job of +announcing the beta. Gentoo users have many places to get information +(GMN, forums, website, planet, many mailing lists), so getting news +about the beta to anywhere more users see it will require wide +dissemination of the announcement. + +In addition to users, the releng team wants to get more developers +involved. Donnie Berkholz (dberkholz) suggested appealing to their +motivations for being a developer in the first place by doing things +like testing their own packages on the LiveCD. And Chris also wants to +get developers more actively involved rather than just being consumers. + + +Other topics +------------ + +Using full-fledged project-management software like dotproject was +proposed by developer Preston Cody (codeman). Chris said he just used a +spreadsheet but wanted something more collaborative, so Preston +suggested Google Docs. For now, the release checklist will live in SVN. + +Switching away from the Cafepress store was also brought up. Cafepress +doesn't produce DVDs, but the releng team wants to encourage LiveDVD use +because they have so much more content. Chris is researching some +alternate stores. + +Regarding hardware, most architectures have working, hosted development +machines. The main amd64 dev box, poseidon, could use some faster hard +drives for the automated builds. + +Since constant security vulnerabilities forcibly canceled the 2007.1 +release, improving how the releng team deals with them was a concern. +The main change will be a closer collaboration between the security team +and the releng team. "Releng is going to be treated just like an arch, +with a security liaison and everything," Chris said, "and we'll be added +to CC just like any other architecture. Before, I just found out about +stuff when either someone told me or when it hit the arch aliases I was +on ... neither of which was very good for planning." |