On Mar 13, 2011, at 6:59 AM, Robert Vehse <robert.ve...@freenet.de> wrote:
> > Am 13.03.2011 um 05:17 schrieb Evan Schoenberg, M.D.: > >> The fact of the matter is that were to release 1.5 right now, we'd have a >> huge mess on our hands. It's unstable. We should be in internal_converge_2 >> right now, but I just don't see that being a 1 month process prior to >> release. > > If we drop 10.5 support now how is that going to improve stability of 1.5hg? > > How can we make Trunk more stable, how can we get closer to a release of code > that has been in development for 1,5 years? Unless we find a dozen or so > interested and competent developers somewhere I believe the only to get there > is announcing a string-freeze (at least that's how it "works" for Pidgin and > rekkanoryo). > > On the contrary, opening the door for implementing code that deprecates 10.5 > might just mean it will take even longer to move 1.5 closer to release. > >> On one hand, if merges were Really Easy even with large changes, I would >> propose the following. I thought this possibility through prior to my >> initial email in this thread: >> 1. Continue work on fb-xmpp for Adium 1.4.2. >> 2. Merge this when complete to Adium 1.5. >> 3. Feature-freeze Adium 1.5. >> 4. Converge; and prepare for beta >> 5. Branch when 1.5b1 is released. Expect minimal 1.5.x releases, as we >> have with 1.4. >> 6. Trunk becomes 1.6hg, which is 10.6+. > > That's what I have in mind. > >> The problem with this series of steps is that Apple has dealt a hand to >> developers in which supporting 10.5 – or supporting PPC – means using >> outdated tools and technology. Until step 6 is done, anyone who chooses to >> install the primary distribution of Xcode is unable to contribute to Adium >> (or even to build from source). We have to ask any potential contributor to >> download a 4.4 GB installer (xcode 3.2.6) and install the 11.9 GB >> distribution as a simple prerequisite to participating. > > To me, that is the strongest argument. However, it is somewhat damaged by > that the fact that Xcode 4 is very buggy. That and at the fact you need a > credit card to buy the 5$ Can Xcode be gifted? Ie if some does not have a credit card, can someone else buy it for them? Thus negating the credit card problem? Chris > app unless you're paying 100$ to Apple already, will keep a good portion of > possible new contributors using Xcode 3. > > Plus, BJ Homer wrote >> you can absolutely use the 10.6 SDK and run on Leopard (and thus Xcode 4 can >> be used without dropping Leopard) > >> Large feature branches are only sustainable if the trunk from which they >> branched stays grossly similar. If we were to branch 1.5 at this point >> (maintaining, for a time, adium-1.4, adium-1.5, and adium which would be >> 1.6hg), we'd end up with increasingly complex merges as 1.5 and 1.6 rapidly >> diverged. > > I thought we moved to a DVCS in the first place to allow this sort of > situation. Thijs for example has already set up a fork on Bitbucket working > on libdispatch support. > >> The outpouring of responses from developers in this thread shows the >> enthusiasm at being able to use modern tools and tech. > > This is what I've seen every time a new OS came around in the past few years > so I can't say I'm surprised. Developers will always be excited to use new > features and API . But in my opinion Adium should be more than a testing > field for new stuff Apple comes up with. > >> So I don't think the steps above are appropriate. I think that we should >> move with the times. That means 10.6+ and Intel-only. >> >> This leaves out a number of users. I wish it didn't, but the alternative is >> leaving out a number of developers... which in turn would mean less for the >> larger number of users to use and enjoy. > > Based on the arguments I have given in this thread, I don't think keeping > 10.5 should leave out a large humber of developers. > > Naturally, my opposition (especially as a non-programming contributor) > shouldn't stop you guys doing what you think is best for the Adium Project > but I feel it is important to present a diverging perspective. > >> <snip> >> >> -Evan > > > Robbie
