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Date:      Mon, 24 Jun 2019 12:28:26 -0700
From:      Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>
To:        Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>
Cc:        Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>, "Rodney W. Grimes" <freebsd-rwg@gndrsh.dnsmgr.net>, "freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org" <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>, "Bjoern A. Zeeb" <bz@freebsd.org>, Mark Johnston <markj@freebsd.org>, FreeBSD Release Engineering Team <re@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: release notes file
Message-ID:  <201906241928.x5OJSQhm005255@slippy.cwsent.com>
In-Reply-To: Message from Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com> of "Mon, 24 Jun 2019 11:45:16 -0600." <CANCZdfomLMvFN4%2BiGh3q-j%2BgCZqP5t0feV7hO2DX=zdhne0rng@mail.gmail.com>

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In message <CANCZdfomLMvFN4+iGh3q-j+gCZqP5t0feV7hO2DX=zdhne0rng@mail.gma
il.com>
, Warner Losh writes:
> --000000000000b1250d058c156094
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 11:06 AM Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On June 24, 2019 9:29:48 AM PDT, "Rodney W. Grimes" <
> > freebsd-rwg@gndrsh.dnsmgr.net> wrote:
> > >> On Mon, Jun 24, 2019 at 9:44 AM Cy Schubert
> > ><Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > On June 23, 2019 5:36:16 PM PDT, Mark Johnston <markj@freebsd.org>
> > >wrote:
> > >> > >On Sun, Jun 23, 2019 at 11:23:57PM +0000, Bjoern A. Zeeb wrote:
> > >> > >> On 23 Jun 2019, at 19:18, Mark Johnston wrote:
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> Hi,
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> > Today we add a Relnotes tag to commits that warrant a release
> > >note.
> > >> > >> > My impression is that it doesn't work so well: if a committer
> > >> > >forgets
> > >> > >> > or doesn't know to add one there's no way to amend the commit
> > >> > >message
> > >> > >> > (same for MFCs), and a commit message isn't a convenient place
> > >to
> > >> > >> > write
> > >> > >> > the text of a release note.  I would like to propose adding a
> > >> > >> > top-level
> > >> > >> > RELNOTES file instead, which like UPDATING would document
> > >notes for
> > >> > >> > specific commits.  It would be truncated every time the head
> > >branch
> > >> > >is
> > >> > >> > forked, and changes to it would be MFCed.  This fixes the
> > >> > >> > above-mentioned problems and would hopefully reduce the amount
> > >of
> > >> > >time
> > >> > >> > needed by re@ to compile release notes.
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> Hooray.  Can we put that file into the doc repo, so that the
> > >ports
> > >> > >> people, and the docs people, and all other kinds of hats can put
> > >> > >things
> > >> > >> in there as well?
> > >> > >
> > >> > >Virtually all of the 12.0 release notes are for src/ (there are 4
> > >lines
> > >> > >for ports/pkg and 1 line for docs, and the latter describes a new
> > >man
> > >> > >page in src).  Why is it important to have a single place for
> > >everyone
> > >> > >to commit their entries?
> > >> > >
> > >> > >> Oh, the release notes go into the doc repo anyway.  Can we just
> > >put
> > >> > >them
> > >> > >> in the right place and just fill them from a skeleton where they
> > >> > >should
> > >> > >> be and naturally grow the document (feel free to use a different
> > >> > >markup
> > >> > >> language once doc is ready for that).
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> Oh, with that release notes are written automatically and you
> > >are
> > >> > >still
> > >> > >> responsible for that your stuff is in there.  And the release
> > >notes
> > >> > >only
> > >> > >> need an editing pass in the end?
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> And the wiki pages like ?What?s cooking for 13?? or similar
> > >could
> > >> > >> just vanish as we?d have these updated at least every 10 minutes
> > >> > >> automatically .. on our web server under /releases/ where they
> > >belong
> > >> > >..
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> How amazing would that be?
> > >> > >
> > >> > >I would guess that many src committers simply won't add release
> > >notes
> > >> > >if
> > >> > >they have to commit to a second repository and use some unfamiliar
> > >> > >markup format and worry about validating the file.  There are lots
> > >of
> > >> > >__FreeBSD_version bumps that go undocumented until someone else
> > >goes in
> > >> > >and fills in the missing entries.  A plain-text file in src repo
> > >for
> > >> > >src
> > >> > >release notes is low-friction and creates only marginally more
> > >work for
> > >> > >RE.  "What's cooking for 13?" can just point to the copy of
> > >RELNOTES in
> > >> > >svnweb.
> > >> > >
> > >> > >That said, I personally would try to commit my release notes to a
> > >doc
> > >> > >repo file if one existed.  I've spent a few minutes trying to
> > >compile
> > >> > >the 12.0 notes on my desktop and have not been able to get past,
> > >> > >"cannot
> > >> > >parse
> > >http://www.FreeBSD.org/XML/share/xml/freebsd-xhtml-release.xsl".
> > >> > >So, I'm probably not a good person to set up release notes for
> > >13.0.  I
> > >> > >will help fill in entries for commits since the 12.0 if someone
> > >else
> > >> > >does that setup.
> > >> > >_______________________________________________
> > >> > >freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org mailing list
> > >> > >https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers
> > >> > >To unsubscribe, send any mail to
> > >> > >"freebsd-hackers-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"
> > >> >
> > >> > Src and ports should each have their own RELNOTES file.
> > >> >
> > >> > The only operational concern I have is trimming the file, probably
> > >when a
> > >> > branch goes EOL.
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >> I'd add truncating the file on -current to the list of things we do
> > >when we
> > >> branch. then we can MFC RELNOTES as we MFC the features they
> > >describe.
> > >
> > >I disagree, truncating the file on -current destroys the list of
> > >changes that are still in current that need to get into the next
> > >set of release notes.
> > >
> > >Howerver there is 1 point on head/ to truncate the file.
> > >That is when we create a new .0 branch as that is the tree state
> > >that has nothing to put in the release notes.   This may be the
> > >most sane path forward that I had not thought of before.  All
> > >other branched versions can just continue to grow until EOL.
> > >This bounds the file to about a 2.5 year collection in head/,
> > >and a 5.0 year collection in stable/.
> > >It may make since to truncate on stable/X when stable/X.Y's
> > >are created.
> > >
> > >I think we need to be fairly careful with the MFCing of this,
> > >that may work fine for things that are commited with a RELNOTES
> > >entry, something in the back of my head is screaming lots of
> > >merge conflicts but I can not put a solid finger on it.
> > >
> > >Something just hit me, what commit number goes in this file,
> > >if we list it by rXXXXXX of head, that has a rYYYYYY when MFC'ed,
> > >probably need to track both?  Which means all existing entries get
> > >an added line at stable/X creation to indicated the commit that
> > >created the branch?  If we try to simplify and only track by
> > >head commit that makes it harded to go find the MFC and see
> > >if there was merge munging to make it work.
> > >
> > >> Warner
> >
> > Which is why trimming at branch EOL probably makes the most sense. It's
> > simple and easy to implement.
> >
>
> I don't understand this at all. When we branch a new stable release, we
> know that on the new current release we have nothing not in the release
> notes file. What does branch EOL have to do with that?

You're right. My point was to avoid some kind of complicated scheme.

>
>
> > As for what to do about MFCs and more specifically conflicts, conflicts
> > will be unavoidable. IMO conflicts with RELNOTES will be as likely as with
> > UPDATING or Obsoletefiles.
> >
>
> Yea. If we keep the structure of the file super simple (like markdown),
> then it doesn't matter. You fix the conflicts and go. The merged version
> need not be tracked since you know it's merged if it is in RELNOTES, and
> most MFCs don't replicate the full context of the original commit any, but
> just have a pointer to it.


-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy@FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org

	The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.






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