[Python-Dev] PEP 407: New release cycle and introducing long-term support versions

[Terry Reedy]

On 1/17/2012 6:42 PM, Antoine Pitrou wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:29:11 -0500
> Terry Reedy<tjreedy at udel.edu>  wrote:
>>
>> To me, as I understand the proposal, the title is wrong. Our current
>> feather releases already are long-term support versions. They get bugfix
>> releases at close to 6 month intervals for 1 1/2 -2 years and security
>> fixes for 3 years. The only change here is that you propose, for
>> instance, a fixed 6-month interval and 2 year period.
>>
>> As I read this, you propose to introduce a new short-term (interim,
>> preview) feature release along with each bugfix release. Each would have
>> all the bugfixes plus a preview of the new features expected to be in
>> the next long-term release. (I know, this is not exactly how you spun it.)

The main point of my comment is that the new thing you are introducing 
is not long-term supported versions but short term unsupported versions.

> Well, "spinning" is important here. We are not proposing any "preview"
> releases. These would have the same issue as alphas or betas: nobody

I said nothing about quality. We aim to keep default in near-release 
condition and seem to be getting better. The new unicode is still 
getting polished a bit, it seems, after 3 months, but that is fairly 
unusual.

> wants to install them where they could disrupt working applications and
> libraries.
>
> What we are proposing are first-class releases that are as robust as
> any other (and usable in production).

But I am dubious that releases that are obsolete in 6 months and lack 
3rd party support will see much production use.

> It's really about making feature releases more frequent,
 > not making previews available during development.

Given the difficulty of making a complete windows build, it would be 
nice to have one made available every 6 months, regardless of how it is 
labeled.

I believe that some people will see and use good-for-6-months releases 
as previews of the new features that will be in the 'real', normal, 
bug-fix supported, long-term releases.

Every release is a snapshot of a continuous process, with some extra 
effort made to tie up some (but not all) of the loose ends.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy