[META] What's a RC? was: [sldev] Roadmap: 1.19.0 Viewer

[Joshua Bell]

Mike Monkowski wrote:
> OK, I don't get it.  RC4 will get some new features, but not 
> everything in 1.19.0.  And 1.19.0 will go out before the servers can 
> handle it. Yet 1.19.0 will quickly become mandatory.  Am I missing the 
> purpose of the "Release Candidate" program?  Are some LL developers 
> exempt from the RC track or something?  Does the release "roadmap" 
> have "express bypasses" on it?
Good question.

The intended process is: (1) developers commit changes that have passed 
QA into the code trunk; (2) at appropriate times we freeze (branch off) 
from the trunk to start stabilizing a version and call it an RC; (3) we 
stabilize the RC branch via iterations of internal QA, fixes, public 
releases, fixes; meanwhile (1) continues unblocked; (4) when deemed 
"good enough" then the RC is released.

We triage changes going into an RC. When the RC is first frozen, the bar 
is roughly: regression fixes, bug fix for new features, fit-and-finish 
on new features, internationalization/localization changes, security, 
performance, text-only UI changes. We try and raise the bar with each RC 
iteration. Falling over the holidays and including the new login 
mechanism, the 1.18.6 RC series has taken longer to stabilize than 
others. Let me drill into the specific items below and explain why they 
were "allowed" into the RC rather than waiting for 1.19:

Joshua Bell wrote:
> * Language names need to have a consistent format in preferences 
> drop-down
Localization: It's a text-only change in the XUI files.
> * QuickTime disabled message cannot be ignored
Fit-and-finish on new feature
> * Linux client doesn't recognize that a viewer is already running
This was actually in the 1.18.6 change set originally, but the fix 
turned out to not work, so this is a fix-on-a-fix.
> * Display HTML error page in selected language when viewer is unable 
> to connect to second life URL
Fit-and-finish on new feature (new login page)
> * VWR-3667;About Land > Access: On group owned land, group owner gets 
> eject message when "Public Access" is unchecked
Regression fix - the fix was made in a previous RC iteration, but a bug 
was found in the fix which itself needs fixing.
> * VWR-3829: Cursor in Logon edit boxes difficult to see
Fit-and-finish on new feature
> * VWR-3501: Create/Edit Gesture window preview button blanks after 
> pressing
The fix was a low-risk XUI change.
> * VWR-4010: New search does not accept non ASCII characters
Internationalization
> * VWR-3539: Communicate window width will no longer resize smaller in 
> 1.18.5.3
The fix was believed to be a low-risk XUI change. It appears (from 
further testing) that this the fix is not comprehensive (i.e. it failed 
QA) so we may not include it in 1.18.6


Regarding other points:



Mike Monkowski wrote:
> RC4 will get some new features, but not everything in 1.19.0.  
1.19.0 will be a superset of 1.18.6. RC4 should not include new 
"features" just changes that meet the triage bar. I realize that's 
quibbling - the important thing is that the changes allowed in are 
intended to reduce risk and are triaged.

> And 1.19.0 will go out before the servers can handle it. 
I believe this is referring to the discussion on group chat changes. 
We're reviewing all of the feedback that has been sent to SLDEV and are 
looking at plans/schedules to see what we should do. Expect an update soon.
> Am I missing the purpose of the "Release Candidate" program?  
The purpose is to get a "we think it's ready" version to the public for 
use on the service. Some times we're closer to being ready out of the 
gate than others. Apart from changes that meet the triage bar, the 
feature set should be frozen so that as an RC is iterated on the risk is 
constantly being reduced.
> Are some LL developers exempt from the RC track or something?  Does 
> the release "roadmap" have "express bypasses" on it?
There are humans in the triage loop, and yes, we may say "you know what, 
that change is low risk and high impact, and we'd prefer to have it out 
in the RC and next release, and not wait another month for the next 
go-round of the cycle".