[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hello, web page maintainers.


I saw "Release Cycle" page
(http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot/ReleaseCycle),
and I noticed,

The Merge Window for the next release (v2013.07) was closed on
Sat, Feb 09, 2013 23:59:59 CEST 
    ^^^^^^^

Could anyone fix it?



Best Regards,
Masahiro Yamada

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Masahiro Yamada,

In message <20130617103018.2753.AA925319@jp.panasonic.com> you wrote:
> 
> 
> I saw "Release Cycle" page
> (http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot/ReleaseCycle),
> and I noticed,
> 
> The Merge Window for the next release (v2013.07) was closed on
> Sat, Feb 09, 2013 23:59:59 CEST 
>     ^^^^^^^

Thanks, fixed.

> Could anyone fix it?

Actually you could have fixed it yourslef - the web site is a wiki,
and editing the page takes not much more effort than posting a message
on the mailing list.

Thanks for pointing out!

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
"The first rule of magic is simple. Don't waste your time waving your
hands and hoping when a rock or a club will do."
                                               - McCloctnik the Lucid

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hi, Wolfgang

> Thanks, fixed.

Thanks.

You fixed "Feb 09" to "May 11".
"May 11" is true?

Before posting my patches, I always see this page and check if the merge
window is open or not.
When I saw last week, it was saying the merge window was open.


> Actually you could have fixed it yourslef - the web site is a wiki,
> and editing the page takes not much more effort than posting a message
> on the mailing list.

Oh, I did not know that.
I will give it a try next time.
Thanks.


Best Regards,
Masahiro Yamada

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Masahiro Yamada,

In message <20130618112016.E74E.AA925319@jp.panasonic.com> you wrote:
> 
> You fixed "Feb 09" to "May 11".
> "May 11" is true?

Yes, I think so.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of  giants.
              - Isaac Newton, Letter to Robert Hooke, 5 February 1676

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hi, Wolfgang.


> > You fixed "Feb 09" to "May 11".
> > "May 11" is true?
> 
> Yes, I think so.

If I see http://www.denx.de/wiki/rdiff/U-Boot/ReleaseCycle,
you changed the merge window status from open to closed
at Jun 14 (r1.95).

You mean, the merge windows closed at May 11,
and Release Cycle page continued to provide the false
information from May 11 to Jun 14. Right?

If Release Cycle page is unreliable,
where can I know the current merge window status?

Best Regards,
Masahiro  Yamada

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Masahiro Yamada,

In message <20130618143710.7439.AA925319@jp.panasonic.com> you wrote:
> 
> If I see http://www.denx.de/wiki/rdiff/U-Boot/ReleaseCycle,
> you changed the merge window status from open to closed
> at Jun 14 (r1.95).

Correct.  I fixed the page by making theedit that was forgotten when
the MW was closed.

> You mean, the merge windows closed at May 11,
> and Release Cycle page continued to provide the false
> information from May 11 to Jun 14. Right?

No.  We forgot to edit this part of the page, so the end of the MW was
that of the previous release.  This error is even older than May 11.

> If Release Cycle page is unreliable,
> where can I know the current merge window status?

Come on, please be fair.  It's humans (in this case me) who can make
errors, in in this case I missed to edit a line of text.  This is bad
and should not happen, but it can happen.  You are the first to
notice...

If you go further back in the version history of the page you can see
the original release plan.  In this case, we even shifted the end of
the MW by a few days, as you can see here:

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.boot-loaders.u-boot/159294

In general, the release schedule is based on very simple arithmetics:

- We release every 3 months.

- As release date we chose a Monday around mid-month.

- The merge window ends at Release Date + 19 days, i. e. on the
  Saturday in the 2nd week after the release.

Please don't hesitate toask if there are still any remaining doubts
about the U-Boot release schedule.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice
versa.

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hi Wolfgang,


I could understood what happened up until now.

I couldn't say properly, I did not mean to critisize
but wanted to know things precisely.


> You are the first to notice...

Before starting to post my patches,
I read though the wiki and tried to observe the rules.

Especailly after reading this
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104951
Maybe I became a little nervous about the MW.


Let me ask one more question.

How strict is the MW rule in U-Boot development?

I can't say for sure because I'm quite new here,
but the development looks (at least to me)
to keep going regardless of the MW status.


Best Regards
Masahiro Yamada

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Albert ARIBAUD]

Hi Masahiro,

On Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:54:27 +0900, Masahiro Yamada
<yamada.m@jp.panasonic.com> wrote:

> How strict is the MW rule in U-Boot development?
> 
> I can't say for sure because I'm quite new here,
> but the development looks (at least to me)
> to keep going regardless of the MW status.

To sum up things (anyone correct me as needed):

- patches submitted within the merge window will be included in the
  upcoming release ('master' branch); patches submitted outside the
  merge window are scheduled for the release after ('next' branch).

- if V1 of a patch has initially been submitted during the merge window,
  then subsequent versions (V2, V3...) can be submitted after the merge
  window is closed, and will still be considered for inclusion in the
  upcoming (master branch) release.

- if a bugfix patch is submitted outside the merge window, it will be
  included in the upcoming (master branch) release.

- at the custodians' discretion, a non-bugfix patch submitted outside
  the merge window might still end in the upcoming release depending
  on its importance and impact.

- the nearer the release day, the lesser the chances that a patch
  submitted outside the merge window gets applied -- IOW, patches
  accepted between the last -rc and the release will only be critical
  bugfixes with a very controlled impact.

Therefore, you may see patches being submitted, discussed and applied
at any time, within or outside the merge window; the only difference
being xhich branch the patch goes to when/if applied.

> Best Regards
> Masahiro Yamada

Amicalement,
-- 
Albert.

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Masahiro Yamada,

In message <20130619105426.7444.AA925319@jp.panasonic.com> you wrote:
> 
> Especailly after reading this
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104951
> Maybe I became a little nervous about the MW.

I'm not sure what you mean here?

> Let me ask one more question.
> 
> How strict is the MW rule in U-Boot development?

Pretty strict, but we are no fanatics. If your patch is clearly local
only (say, affecting definitely only your own board), then we may bend
the rules a bit.  Massiveglobal changes are a strict no, no, though.

> I can't say for sure because I'm quite new here,
> but the development looks (at least to me)
> to keep going regardless of the MW status.

Of course development goes on continuously.  But patches willnot be
accepted into the current mainline tree until the net MW opens.  Often
there will be "next" trees or similar in the respective custodians
repositories.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,     MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
Premature optimization is the root of all evil.         -- D.E. Knuth

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hi Albert.

> To sum up things (anyone correct me as needed):

It is very useful list of rules and
cleared my questions about the MW.

Thanks a lot!

Best Regards,
Masahiro Yamada

[U-Boot] Merge Window close date

[Masahiro Yamada]

Hi Wolfgang.


> In message <20130619105426.7444.AA925319@jp.panasonic.com> you wrote:
> > 
> > Especailly after reading this
> > http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104951
> > Maybe I became a little nervous about the MW.
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean here?


What I tried to say is:

http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104951
is linked from the U-Boot "Release Cycle" page.
I read throught it.

Linus complained so severly about sending patches out of MW.
I was not sure U-Boot maintainers are harsh as well,
but I tried to be as careful as possible not to post my patch
when I shoudn't.

I believed the "Release Cycle" page was showing
the current MW status. 
That's why I often checked this page.



At first, I thoght patches shouldn't be sent out of the MW,
except bug fixes or so.
But it was my misunderstading.

Albert sent the very useful list of the MW rules.
According to it, patches can be sent any time,
even though they may not included the next release.

Now I could understand the MW well
with help of you and Albert.
Thanks a lot!

Best Regards,
Masahiro Yamada