[Python-Dev] Looking after the buildbots (in general)

[Antoine Pitrou]

On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:56:27 -0400
Steve Holden <steve at holdenweb.com> wrote:
> 
> This whole discussion seems to make it clear that the release manager
> procedures are still ill-defined in certain areas. Otherwise a release
> manager could proceed by reading a web page an even, heaven help us,
> following specific links to ensure particular actions were taken.

This isn't about release management. If we care about buildbots only
the few days before a release, we are doomed.

> Establishing comprehensive procedures can be as difficult as
> programming, though, and requires skills that have eluded me through a
> fairly lengthy technical career. So it also boils down to shortage of
> manpower of a particular kind.

The problem is more of gathering support for a particular policy or
procedure, giving that it isn't necessarily part of the established
culture. There are certainly some of us who do care about buildbot
stability and general test suite quality (a few months ago, we had a
majority of green buildbots, quite consistently; but keeping those
buildbots green in the face of daily SVN activity is an uphill battle
if we don't get support from the majority of committers).

Regards

Antoine.