[PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Ihor Radchenko]

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Even though we do not follow release schedule, I think that it is worth
adding a note about bugfix releases - there is really no reason to delay
them most of the time, as soon as we have new commits on bugfix.

What do you think about the attached patch?


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From e27e05c48a8f36e3c3333322f0b5a4881d63361a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
Message-ID: <e27e05c48a8f36e3c3333322f0b5a4881d63361a.1702207553.git.yantar92@posteo.net>
From: Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net>
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:25:07 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] org-maintenance.org: Add a note about frequent bugfix
 releases

* org-maintenance.org (For bugfix releases): Clarify that bugfix
releases can be done any time there are new fixes on bugfix branch.
---
 org-maintenance.org | 5 +++++
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)

diff --git a/org-maintenance.org b/org-maintenance.org
index bc488f1f..23e6c377 100644
--- a/org-maintenance.org
+++ b/org-maintenance.org
@@ -270,6 +270,11 @@ *** For bugfix releases
 When doing a bugfix release (and only then), you shoud *NOT* merge the
 =main= branch into the =bugfix= branch.
 
+Do not hesitate to make new bugfix releases when there are new commits
+in the bugfix branch.  This way, more users on GNU ELPA can benefit
+from the recent bug fixes.  Considering a new bugfix release every two
+weeks or so might be a good idea.
+
 *** For minor and major releases
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: minor-major-releases
-- 
2.42.0


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-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Matt]

 ---- On Sun, 10 Dec 2023 12:27:01 +0100  Ihor Radchenko  wrote --- 

 > What do you think about the attached patch?

Not part of the patch, but part of the context: "you shoud *NOT*" -> "you should *NOT*" (missing the 'l')  Already fixed and pushed (https://git.sr.ht/~bzg/worg/commit/a11b256086d567d0894d337b548ec13049a8731b)

Regarding the patch, it seems reasonable.  

Potentially stupid question, asked without knowing precisely what's involved with a bugfix release (it seems like a matter of tagging and pushing?)...what's the problem with making a new release for every fix?  Frequency of fixes?  Time required to make the release?  Storage?

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Ihor Radchenko]

Matt <matt@excalamus.com> writes:

> Not part of the patch, but part of the context: "you shoud *NOT*" -> "you should *NOT*" (missing the 'l')  Already fixed and pushed (https://git.sr.ht/~bzg/worg/commit/a11b256086d567d0894d337b548ec13049a8731b)

Thanks!

> Regarding the patch, it seems reasonable.  
>
> Potentially stupid question, asked without knowing precisely what's involved with a bugfix release (it seems like a matter of tagging and pushing?)...what's the problem with making a new release for every fix?  Frequency of fixes?  Time required to make the release?  Storage?

While most of the commits on bugfix are safe to include into release
(see https://orgmode.org/worg/org-maintenance.html#branches),
sometimes we do introduce new bugs on bugfix. As a recent example, see
the fixup! commit on
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/org-mode.git/log/?h=bugfix where
I had to fix an accidental breakage on older Emacs versions that I
introduced in the previous fix.

Doing the releases too frequently will increase a chance of such bugs
crawling into ELPA releases. So, there should be at least a minimal
waiting period to get a chance to handle such problems.

Sometimes, we also need to fix critical bugs - these may be tricky and
require some more testing before exposing to wide public.

That's why there should be some not-too-long and not-too-short interval
between bugfix releases.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Matt]

 ---- On Sun, 10 Dec 2023 13:24:30 +0100  Ihor Radchenko  wrote --- 
 
 > Doing the releases too frequently will increase a chance of such bugs
 > crawling into ELPA releases. So, there should be at least a minimal
 > waiting period to get a chance to handle such problems.
 
Thank you for explaining.   I had missed that ELPA gets a combination of major, minor, and bugfix releases.

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Bastien Guerry]

Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net> writes:

> What do you think about the attached patch?

I like the idea.  I've pushed a slightly different version:
https://git.sr.ht/~bzg/worg/commit/45d6c45759

  Security fixes trigger an immediate bugfix release. Other important
  fixes should be accumulated for more than one week and for less than
  two weeks before a bugfix release.

It's important to allow immediate release for security fixes only, and
to let the dust settle for at least a week for other fixes.  

Is it okay for you?

-- 
 Bastien Guerry

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Ihor Radchenko]

Bastien Guerry <bzg@gnu.org> writes:

>   Security fixes trigger an immediate bugfix release. Other important
>   fixes should be accumulated for more than one week and for less than
>   two weeks before a bugfix release.
>
> It's important to allow immediate release for security fixes only, and
> to let the dust settle for at least a week for other fixes.  
>
> Is it okay for you?

I think that upper limit for bugfix release frequency is slightly in
odds with the previous

    Org development is the work of volunteers, and we cannot promise to
    follow a release schedule.

Not a big deal though.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>

Re: [PATCH] [WORG] Maintenance: on the frequency of bugfix releases

[Bastien Guerry]

Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net> writes:

> I think that upper limit for bugfix release frequency is slightly in
> odds with the previous
>
>     Org development is the work of volunteers, and we cannot promise to
>     follow a release schedule.

You're right -- I've rephrase it like so:

  Security fixes trigger an immediate bugfix release. For other
  important fixes, we generally wait a week between bugfix releases.
  Whenever possible for the maintainers, we wait less than two weeks
  before releasing important fixes.

-- 
 Bastien Guerry