Following the conversation on the [VOTE] thread for ACCUMULO-3176, it seems we require an explicit API guidelines at least for 1.7.0 and later until 2.0.0.
I hereby propose we adopt the following guidelines for future releases (if we produce any such releases) until 2.0.0: API additions are permitted in "major" 1.x releases (1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, etc.). API should be forwards and backwards compatible within a 1.x release (no new additions to the API in a "bugfix" release; e.g. 1.7.1). New API in 1.7.0 and later 1.x releases will not be removed in 2.0 (though they may be deprecated in 2.0 and subject to removal in 3.0). Existing API in 1.7.0 will be preserved through 2.0, and should only be subject to removal if it was already deprecated prior to 1.7.0 (though they may be deprecated in 2.0 and subject to removal in 3.0). The purpose of these guidelines are to ensure the ability to add additional functionality and evolve API naturally, while minimizing API disruptions to the user base, in the interim before 2.0.0 when we can formally adopt an API/versioning policy. Exceptions to these guidelines should be subject to a majority vote, on a case-by-case basis. Because these relate to release planning, this vote will be subject to majority vote, in accordance with our bylaws pertaining to release planning and voting, and will be open for 3 days, concluding at 2000 on 5 Dec 2014 UTC. -- Christopher L Tubbs II http://gravatar.com/ctubbsii
