[Python-3000] [Python-Dev] 2.6.1 and 3.0

["Martin v. Löwis"]

> In which case why not just hold the release until all installers are
> available? 

That is how Anthony Baxter handled things, indeed, and I would
appreciate if we would return to that procedure.

> Or are the complainers Python developers who know what goes on behind
> the scenes?

No - typically outsiders, who report that the links are broken (if the
links get updated and the files are missing), or that the links are old
(if the links are not updated). I think these people also try to be
helpful (in addition to being frustrated that the release announcement
is meaningless to them, and that they have to poll the release page).

>> With additional volunteers, availability of the binaries would lag even
>> more behind the release announcement.
>>
> I really appreciate the dedicated work you put in to the Windows
> installers (as I am sure many others do also), but I wouldn't want to
> saddle you with it indefinitely. How well is the procedure documented?

IIRC, Christian Heimes did one of the alpha or beta releases, with what
little documentation is available, so it's definitely doable.

The tricky part really is when it breaks (which it does more often than
not), in which case you need to understand msi.py, for which you need to
understand MSI. IMO, the Microsoft is excellent (in being fairly
precise), but the learning curve is high. The mechanical part of it can
is completely automated - we produce daily MSI files in a buildbot
slave (which may or may not work - I haven't checked in a while)

> I
> ask this in hopes that you aren't a potential single point of failure in
> the release process.

I think several of the "Windows people" could jump in, not just
Christian. That would be best done in a beta release or release
candidate, since one does get things wrong the first time.

Regards,
Martin