[IPython-dev] Tentative release plans...

[Fernando Perez]

Hi all,

how does a quick release next week sound for everyone?  Rationale: we
all seem to agree that making more frequent releases to checkpoint
development is good for the project, and recently we've had a large
merge of all the previous ip1 code and docs, as well as all the
frontend scaffolding.  I'd like to push for a release next week
because we're almost done with the two things that in my mind were
necessary:

- process control, so it's easier to start/stop engines/controllers
from within a python standalone script.  Min is hard at work on this.

- testing: many of our recent headaches are due to our lack of testing
for the core code in ip0, and with the upcoming frondend refactoring
not having this fixed would simply be catastrophic.  I've thus
'enjoyed' for the last few days a knee-deep excursion into the
intertwined jungle of unittest/doctest/nose and I'm almost done (will
be by the weekend) with  a nose plugin that recognizes ipython
docstrings, standalone ipython sessions and extension code with
docstrings.  This will give us a way to quickly turn interactive
sessions into doctests so anyone who's about to refactor some big
piece of code can simply first paste a working session and then go
hog-wild with the refactoring, safely knowing that any breakage will
be automatically caught by the tests.

The suggested timing is also due to the fact that Brian and I will
both be together for a few days at a conference in San Diego, so we
can find lunch/evening times to work and push the testing and
logistics of a release.

How does this sound to everyone?

Keep in mind that we DON'T need to have everything in place!  We're
trying to make releases reasonably frequently, so as long as we
clearly mark what's ready and what's not yet, it's OK.  I just don't
want to catch anyone in mid-stride with any specific changes.

Cheers,

f