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Date:      Sun, 16 Sep 2012 10:03:20 -0600
From:      Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>
To:        Eitan Adler <lists@eitanadler.com>
Cc:        Konstantin Belousov <kostikbel@gmail.com>, arch@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Fallout from the CVS discussion
Message-ID:  <51B48339-D1FA-49CD-B582-1C58855B024E@bsdimp.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAF6rxg=mm9OeVDX-dYC=FwnAZ-6pGjcRad=Gm9-mLx3QiPtqVQ@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <CAF6rxg=qVUHe7tc9_AXgRdUtkoHOrixwNw-GsN7C7_r0FR990A@mail.gmail.com> <20120916053523.GJ37286@deviant.kiev.zoral.com.ua> <CAF6rxg=mm9OeVDX-dYC=FwnAZ-6pGjcRad=Gm9-mLx3QiPtqVQ@mail.gmail.com>

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On Sep 16, 2012, at 6:34 AM, Eitan Adler wrote:

> On 16 September 2012 01:35, Konstantin Belousov <kostikbel@gmail.com> =
wrote:
>> On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 04:37:49PM -0400, Eitan Adler wrote:
>>> However, -CURRENT is not meant to be a production system.
>>=20
>> It is simply not true.
>=20
> My statement was true, but does not disagree with the content below.
> Production system !=3D Production Grade.

One of the things we are trying to move towards is that current can be =
cut into a release branch on short notice.  We need to keep it as close =
to production ready as possible.  People do put -current systems into =
production for testing purposes, or because they have made the =
evaluation and know what they are doing.  Discouraging production =
systems from current, the present project policy, doesn't mean the =
project doesn't appreciate the people that do put current systems into =
production and the data that generates.

Put another way: saying that current isn't meant for production systems =
as a justification to slash things out before we are quite ready isn't =
something people in general want to encourage, since it is close to =
attitudes in the past that got us into a lot of trouble.  Sure, in this =
case the reaction is a bit of hyperbole, but there's long, historically =
lingering wounds that put people on a hair trigger.

>> CURRENT shall never be knowingly put into a state
>> where it cannot be used for the 'production-grade' use, whatever it
>> means.
>=20
> Agreed.
>=20
>> We do accept changes are so disruptive that some unknown fallout
>> is expected, since otherwise developers cannot make any significant
>> progress.
>=20
> The point of my statement is that it perfectly acceptable to change
> behavior in HEAD in a non-backwards compatible way.

Some behaviors, yes.  Most behaviors need to remain the same for a =
variety of reasons.

> In particular no
> systems running -CURRENT are expected to be "critical functioning".

Yes, they often are.

> People that track -HEAD are expected to be able to deal with the sorts
> of problems that occur from "drastic change."

Generally yes.  However, we do try to cushion the blows that are =
delivered in -current.  The reason we have the separation isn't so we =
can do whatever we want in -current, it is so that when somebody messes =
up, the damage is more limited.

>> But introducing known breakage is simply not acceptable. Doing so =
shrinks
>> the already limited testing base we have for HEAD.
>=20
> Agreed.

Ditto.

Sorry to be so pedantic on pushing the point in this meta-discussion, =
but I don't want to see us slide back into the 'wild west' that current =
was in the 5-current time frame.  The CVS thing, by itself, wouldn't do =
that, but we must have the proper attitudes for getting change done, and =
when we pull the trigger on change.

Warner




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