Here is an additional set of questions I originally had in mind when defining what a Version /
Release is. So as not to overload that thread I moved the addtional items here.
*When do we identify the content of a release?*
I expect this is the community as a whole that manages this. However, before someone signs up to
manage a release its probably only fair to them to find out what the community is going to want to
try and get in so they know what they are signing up to manage.
What new features / function goes in? Do we poll the user community periodically and use that input
as the basis for content for the next release?
I'm hoping this would be mostly organic but to set people's expectations most significant thoughts
should be know before the release is cast and a schedule is set. Conversely, are we managing to a
time based release and what get's in get's in? If you're not done and miss the cut off your out of
luck until the next release.
*Who manages a release's content?*
Does the release manager have sole control over the content of a release? I think to a certain
extent this should be true but that a person signing up for a release knows what content is proposed
so it is less dynamic than we've done in the past. If the person managing the release doesn't have
say so in this area they're likely to get very tired, pop a cork, and send nasty notes to the dev
list. I've heard of this happening.
*What is a "blocker" bug?*
How do we determine if a bug is a blocker and should delay a release? One way is to classify the
bugs in tiers of seriousness like:
Data Corruption Possible
Application Deployment Failure
- Can't it be bypassed or not
Error messages not useful
New feature not working (can it be supressed until the next release)
*What is a feature versus an improvement?*
This will always be a tricky one. Aaron had a few items he wanted to add to 1.1 which made perfect
sense from improving the user experience. One might say they were bug fixes that were correcting
improper messages and the like and someone else might say they were new features. How do we handle
the resolution of those types of issues? Does the release manager get a significant binding vote?
To be honest, my big concern over feature / bug debates is that we seem to be on a multi-month
release cycle. At that rate and pace it will be difficult to fix bugs / performance issues without
making users wait a very long time in between stable drops. Do others have suggestions on how to
handle this?
