Subject: Re: let's see the patches
To: new-httpd@hyperreal.com
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 20:27:15 +0000 (GMT)
From: Ben Laurie <ben@gonzo.ben.algroup.co.uk>
In-Reply-To: <199603121905.AA003257501@ooo.lanl.gov> from "Rob Hartill" at Mar
 12, 96 12:05:01 pm
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Length: 2504      
Message-ID: <9603122027.aa18618@gonzo.ben.algroup.co.uk>
Sender: owner-new-httpd@apache.org
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: new-httpd@hyperreal.com
Status: O

> 
> 
> I'm seeing cvs updates with brief descriptions of what's going on.
> Can we please see the diffs at the same time or soon after.

I suggested that the patches should be included in the cvs update mail. I make
the same suggestion again.

> 
> Many of the descriptions are useless without the patch. I dred to
> think what crap is going to slip through the net unnoticed because
> only a few people have access to view the changes and maybe only
> a subset of those people will even bother to look.

Well, kwite. But the idea is that we will review the whole lot at regular
intervals.

> 
> Maybe I lost a thread due to my brain overloading or hyperreal's mail
> problems... Let's have some simple peer review before making any
> changes (no matter how easy they are to undo). Show the group the
> patch, when it gets two okay's it can be added - it should also be
> dropped into a dir for downloading.

Nope. The whole point about using CVS is to avoid that painful process during
"development" phases. I'm quite happy to work it the other way round - that is,
if it doesn't get okays it must be removed. When we branch the code for a
release we should definitely revert to the "review then patch" system.

> 
> Yes I'm backwards on this cvs thing but that's something you'll have
> to live with, I have no time right now to invest in cvs, others will
> be in the same boat.

I think it is quite right that non-CVS users should get decent support from the
CVS system. However, I think we should try to achieve this as automatically as
is possible, and with as little restriction on the CVS users as possible.

The two main systems that need putting in place to achieve this, IMNSHO, are
regular tar archives of the "current" tree, and adding the patch to the
CVS update mailing (or, dumping the patch file somewhere and adding its name
to the update mailing - opinions, please).

BTW, the time needed to get CVS up and running is the time taken to install
diffutils, rcs and cvs + about two CVS commands. On a supported platform (that
is, not SCO  ;-) this should be pretty straightforward. Someone ought to write
a guide, though.

The tricky bit is setting up and administering a repository, and that has been
done for you.

Cheers,

Ben.

> 
> 
> 
> rob

-- 
Ben Laurie                  Phone: +44 (181) 994 6435
Freelance Consultant and    Fax:   +44 (181) 994 6472
Technical Director          Email: ben@algroup.co.uk
A.L. Digital Ltd,           URL: http://www.algroup.co.uk
London, England.