Re: Thoughts on maintaining 7.3

From: Bruce Momjian <pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: Andrew Sullivan <andrew(at)libertyrms(dot)info>
Cc: pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org, "Joshua D(dot) Drake" <jd(at)commandprompt(dot)com>, Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>, Robert Treat <xzilla(at)users(dot)sourceforge(dot)net>, "scott(dot)marlowe" <scott(dot)marlowe(at)ihs(dot)com>
Subject: Re: Thoughts on maintaining 7.3
Date: 2003-10-03 21:41:45
Message-ID: 200310032141.h93LfjC07294@candle.pha.pa.us
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Andrew Sullivan wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 02, 2003 at 02:15:33PM -0500, Bruno Wolff III wrote:
> > It might be better to split into two different trees. One just gets bug fixes,
> > the other gets bug fixes plus enhancements that won't require an initdb.
>
> Yes, please. Please, please do not force all users to accept new
> features in "stable" trees.

One word of warning --- PostgreSQL has grown partially because we gain
people but rarely lose them, and our stable releases help that. I was
talking to someone about OS/X recently and the frequent breakage in
their OS releases is hurting their adoption rate --- you hit one or two
buggy releases in a row, and you start thinking about using something
else --- same is true for buggy Linux kernels, which Andrew described
earlier.

If we are going to back-patch more aggressively, we _have_ to be sure
that those back-patched releases have the same quality as all our other
releases.

I know people already know this, but it is worth mentioning specifically
--- my point is that more agressive backpatching has risks.

--
Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us
pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us | (610) 359-1001
+ If your life is a hard drive, | 13 Roberts Road
+ Christ can be your backup. | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

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