Return-Path: <tiff-bounces@lists.maptools.org>
X-Original-To: info@awaresystems.be
Delivered-To: info@awaresystems.be
Received: from mx-r.b-one.net (mx-r.one.com [91.198.169.249])
	by mail9.b-one.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7730940014C
	for <info@awaresystems.be>; Wed,  5 Jan 2011 01:22:39 +0100 (CET)
Received: by mx-r.b-one.net (Postfix, from userid 106)
	id 6F5AD104037F; Wed,  5 Jan 2011 01:22:39 +0100 (CET)
X-Virus-Scanned: by one.com
X-Spam-Flag: NO
X-Spam-Score: 0
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0 tagged_above=0 required=4 tests=[none]
X-Greylist: domain auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.4
Received: from lists.maptools.org (lists.maptools.org [65.39.174.144]) by
 mx-r.b-one.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id A3613104037F for
 <info@awaresystems.be>; Wed,  5 Jan 2011 01:22:38 +0100 (CET)
Received: from localhost.localdomain (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by
 lists.maptools.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7B9081B0096; Tue,  4 Jan 2011
 19:21:17 -0500 (EST)
Received: from sasl.smtp.pobox.com (a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com [64.74.157.62]) by
 lists.maptools.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 639881B0095 for
 <tiff@lists.maptools.org>; Tue,  4 Jan 2011 19:03:19 -0500 (EST)
Received: from sasl.smtp.pobox.com (unknown [127.0.0.1]) by
 a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0072C3893 for
 <tiff@lists.maptools.org>; Tue,  4 Jan 2011 19:03:57 -0500 (EST)
Received: from a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com (unknown [127.0.0.1]) by
 a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id EFC523892 for
 <tiff@lists.maptools.org>; Tue,  4 Jan 2011 19:03:56 -0500 (EST)
Received: from [192.168.2.24] (unknown [70.48.52.234]) (using TLSv1 with
 cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested)
 by a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 975253890 for
 <tiff@lists.maptools.org>; Tue,  4 Jan 2011 19:03:56 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <4D23B55A.8080608@pobox.com>
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:03:38 -0500
From: Frank Warmerdam <warmerdam@pobox.com>
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.13)
 Gecko/20101208 Thunderbird/3.1.7
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: tiff@lists.maptools.org
References: <201101011441.00281.even.rouault@mines-paris.org>
 <201101011453.42845.even.rouault@mines-paris.org>
 <4D228B81.2020709@howardsilvan.com>
 <201101042020.45499.even.rouault@mines-paris.org>
 <4D237963.5050102@howardsilvan.com> <4D239AF1.3000503@sidefx.com>
In-Reply-To: <4D239AF1.3000503@sidefx.com>
X-Pobox-Relay-ID:
 4A593000-185F-11E0-B430-CBB45B885003-06493634!a-pb-sasl-sd.pobox.com
Subject: Re: [Tiff] libtiff 4.0 stable? [was: Regression in libtiff 4.0 CVS
 when creating a JPEG RGB contig]
X-BeenThere: tiff@lists.maptools.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
Precedence: list
List-Id: TIFF and libtiff discussion <tiff.lists.maptools.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.maptools.org/mailman/listinfo/tiff>,
 <mailto:tiff-request@lists.maptools.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.maptools.org/mailman/private/tiff>
List-Post: <mailto:tiff@lists.maptools.org>
List-Help: <mailto:tiff-request@lists.maptools.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.maptools.org/mailman/listinfo/tiff>,
 <mailto:tiff-request@lists.maptools.org?subject=subscribe>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: tiff-bounces@lists.maptools.org
Errors-To: tiff-bounces@lists.maptools.org

On 11-01-04 05:10 PM, Edward Lam wrote:
> On 1/4/2011 2:47 PM, Lee Howard wrote:
>> My broader opinion is that our development team is far too small to
>> warrant more than one code branch and that it's really the distributions
>> that provide a meaningful implementation of "stable".
>
> What about a radical idea like just calling libtiff 4.0 "stable" and
> split for a 4.1 development branch? It's been about 6 months now since
> Bob released beta 6 and I haven't seen anyone reporting on this mailing
> list about 4.0 issues until now (for the patch committed last month).
>
> My fear is that we're adding destabilizing commits into libtiff 4.0 and
> thus make that much harder for us to do a "stable" 4.0 release. If we
> never treat libtiff 4.0 as "stable", then it will never cease to be
> moving target. IMHO, we need a "code freeze" for libtiff 4.0 and aim a
> for a public release say in 6(?) months from now. Are we even doing any
> real active development on libtiff 4.0? And if we are, shouldn't we be
> doing in a 4.1 branch?

Folks,

Just to give a few of my thoughts.

1) I generally agree that 3.9 should receive bug fixes, though, like Even,
I would be hesitant to back port a risky low value bug fix to 3.9.

2) Part of the distinction between 3.9 and 4.0 is the ABI.  3.9 is the
old API/ABI and is supported since that is likely what will be in
distributions for a while.  Before the 3.9/4.0 split we didn't really
actively maintain a separate stable branch and it is quite possible
we won't do so in the 4.x series either.

3) It has been wonderful in recent weeks to see the flurry of activity,
I think mostly by Lee.  However, the downside is I'm not sure there haven't
been new bugs introduced so it is in some ways an odd time to declare 4.0
"stable".

I'd like to see a new 4.0 beta produced and if there are no obvious
problems in a couple of weeks proceed to a full release.  If we do
this we ought to tread quite lightly with risky bug fixes and
avoid new features.

I'm not really sure how to produce releases now.  Bob knows more
how to get all the right versions of autoconf/automake/libtool/etc
so I've been leaving the releases to him.  But he has less time now
and I am too polite to ask a volunteer to do much.  Unless Bob
volunteers to produce a beta, and final release, is there someone
else who would like to take the bull by the horns?  I could do it,
but I'm a bit afraid of not being able to do it quite right.

Best regards,
-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam@pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent

_______________________________________________
Tiff mailing list: Tiff@lists.maptools.org
http://lists.maptools.org/mailman/listinfo/tiff
http://www.remotesensing.org/libtiff/
