Re: Experimental branch for GRUB

[Robert Millan <rmh@aybabtu.com>]

On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 05:17:55PM +0800, Bean wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I think it could be beneficial to have a experimental branch for GRUB.
> Minor bug fixes can be applied to mainstream directly. But for big and
> intrusive changes, such as the new menu system, we can place it in the
> experimental branch first. Users interested in the latest fancy
> feature can use the experimental branch, while more conservative users
> can use mainstream code. When the code in experimental branch become
> stable enough, we can integrate it back to the main repository.

Sometimes I find myself in need of that too.

As you probably noticed, I recently got started with GNU Bazaar (initially
as part of my involvement with gNewSense).  There's now a Bazaar mirror of
GRUB SVN, and I'm beginning to use it to manage my own patchsets.

I think it is natural that, since it's part of the GNU system, Bazaar is the
first option to be taken into consideration for this task.  I think we all
agree that while SVN is (and will continue to be) a good consensus solution
for managing a trunk, it doesn't excel when it comes to branching.

My experience with it is limited, but it seems to be capable of dealing
with the workflow you're proposing (branching, resyncing, etc), and I have
observed that its UI is quite simple and easy to figure out.

Perhaps someone who's more seasoned than me in using Bazaar can provide
his/her insight, or perhaps you'd like to play with it (if you haven't
already) by branching off the mirror I just finished setting up (see my
other mail).

-- 
Robert Millan

  The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and
  how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we
  still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all."