Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 03:12:26 +0200 (SAT) From: Robert Nordier <rnordier@nordier.com> To: current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Heads up file Message-ID: <199811180112.DAA14132@ceia.nordier.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.00.9811171454210.7077-100000@heaven.gigo.com> from Jason Fesler at "Nov 17, 98 03:06:16 pm"
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Jason Fesler wrote:
> > | If you are not on the FreeBSD-current mailing list you will
> > | not see the comments that people are making about the
> ..
.. Which is noisy beyond believe at times - signal to noise ratio is
> pretty bad pretty often. We seem to be trying to get more exposure to the
> 3.0 branch - checkouts of "." are now spitting out 3.0. With the people
> now using 3.0 it's somethings a bit much to ask they stay current with
> current (no pun intended).
>
> > | The cvs-all mailing list will allow you to see the commit
>
> Oh, those are easy to read quicky ;-). Definately invaluable but not the
> quickest to get through.
>
> > Now, it is obvious that people are _not_ reading this. Do you think the
> > people who are not reading this are any more likely to read a HEADSUP
> > file? If not, then it's requires work that doesn't have a meaningful
> > payoff.
>
> I think this mainly depends on where it's placed. If it were prominantly
> placed, it might take a few sticks of clue (Hey! Either read "current" or
> at least read the heads up file!), but catch on quickly enough.
Many folks are presently treating FreeBSD-current as though it is
just a rather more sexy and desirable version of FreeBSD-stable.
This is understandable, given the extremely long gestation period
of 3.0-RELEASE. But it is also completely at odds with the intended
purpose of the -current branch.
The handbook delimits just two categories of people who were intended
to *run* FreeBSD-current:
o FreeBSD developers
o FreeBSD testers
These developers and testers are folks who, in a commercial
enterprise, would actually have to be *paid* to work on an in-house,
alpha-quality version of the product.
The current branch was intended to be treated somewhat like a
"restricted area", on the same basis that a factory floor is a
restricted area. Because hard, and sometimes dangerous, work is
going on there, and bystanders are likely to get their fingers
chopped off if they lose concentration.
FreeBSD-current was never meant to be "comfortable", it was meant
to be "endured" by developers/testers as a necessary part of
advancing FreeBSD.
Making -current more accessible and user-friendly to folks who are
not actively engaged in development or testing is likely to be
ultimately counter-productive. And it has the potential to severely
limit what can be done by developers, if false expectations (that
FreeBSD-current is really just a cool, safe, fun place to be) are
encouraged.
--
Robert Nordier
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199811180112.DAA14132>