Re: new dev model (was Re: Default cache_hot_time value back to 10ms)

[Paolo Ciarrocchi <paolo.ciarrocchi@gmail.com>]

On Wed, 6 Oct 2004 05:23:29 -0400 (EDT), Ingo Molnar <mingo@redhat.com> wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 6 Oct 2004, Jeff Garzik wrote:
> 
> > The _reality_ is that there is _no_ point in time where you and Linus
> > allow for stabilization of the main tree prior to relesae. [...]
> 
> i dont think this is fair to Andrew - there's hundreds of patches in his
> tree that are scheduled for 2.6.10 not 2.6.9.

Andrew is doing an amazing job. He's really an impressive hacker.
 
> you are right that -mm is experimental, but the latency of bugfixes is the
> lowest i've ever seen in any Linux tree, which is quite amazing
> considering the hundreds of patches.

Just my humble opinion,
I think that's because Andrew and Linus are working very well together,
I'm not sure that's because the new dev model.
It seems to me that there is room for improvment.

> it is also correct that the pile of patches in the -mm tree mask the QA
> effects of testing done on -mm, so testing -BK separately is just as
> important at this stage.
> 
> Maybe it would help perception and awareness-of-release a bit if at this
> stage Andrew switched the -mm tree to the -BK tree and truly only kept
> those patches that are destined for BK for 2.6.9. [i.e. if the current
> patch-series would be cut off at patch #3 or so, but the numbering of
> -rc3-mm3 would be keept.] This can only be done if the changes from now to
> 2.6.9-real are small enough in that they dont impact those 700 patches too
> much.
> 
> This switching would immediately expose all -mm users to the current state
> of affairs of the -BK tree. (yes, people could try the -BK tree just as
> much but it seems -mm is used by developers quite often and it would help
> if the two trees would be largely equivalent so close to the release.)

Good idea.

-- 
Paolo
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