Planning for next release (1.0.7)

[Jim Pick]

Hi,

Sorry I've been a bit quiet the last few days - things are a bit hectic at
Transvirtual as I try to get stuff prepared for JavaOne next week (plus I'm
going skiing in Tahoe this weekend).

I'd really like to get a new release of kaffe out sometime soon, since it's
been too long since the last release (July 24, 2000).

I'm not as familiar with the codebase yet as I'd like to be - so I'm asking
for opinions on what absolutely should be in the next release.  I think the
emphasis on this release should be just getting something out that works.
It doesn't have to work on everything, but if it doesn't work on a
particular platform - it would be nice to identify that in the release
notes.

Here's how I'm thinking of doing it:

 1) Solicit feedback on what should be in the release
 2) If there isn't anything major that needs to be done, we'll tag a release
candidate for testing in CVS, next week
 3) The people on the mailing list will test it for a week (from out of CVS)
 4) Two weeks from now, we'll release it as 1.0.7

Does this sound OK?

I'm a big believer in release early, release often.

For future releases, I'd like to propose a version numbering scheme similar
to what's used for the Linux kernel.  eg. Even minor version numbers =
stable, Odd minor version numbers = unstable.  So, future releases in the
1.0.x series would be considered stable, ready for production.  We'd open up
development on a new 1.1.x series, which ultimately would become 1.2.x when
it's deemed ready for a stable release.  With this arrangement, as
developers, we'll have the freedom to do some radical stuff to the 1.1.x
tree, as people downloading it will understand that it's a development
series of releases.  When we're in full swing development mode, I'd like to
see releases made every few weeks or so.

What do people think of that idea for versioning and making releases?

Finally, when we decide to do this release, I think we should dedicate it to
the memory of Edouard Parmelan.  For those that don't know, he was one of
the most active Kaffe developers, a member of the core team, and one of the
driving forces behind the project.  He died tragically in a motorcycle
accident last year, leaving behind a wife and kids.

I'm going to be very busy this coming week with JavaOne next week, but I'll
try to stay as involved as possible in trying to make this release happen.

Cheers,

 - Jim