Release engineering =================== To forge a successful stable release of the Haiku operating system, several important tasks must be accomplished. These steps are time tested as a best roadmap to draft a successful release of Haiku. .. toctree:: milestones Important first steps --------------------- * Review blockers for the next release in `Trac `_ * Active members of the `contributors group `_ should reach concensus on the need for a stable release * We try to have a release every year, but blocker tickets can prevent this from happening * It's difficult to commit to strictly time-based releases because the available time of unpaid developers is unpredictable * Community nomination of a Release Coordinator * Should be someone from the contributors group * Should have visibility of most aspects of Haiku * Should have good coordination and communication skills * Generally occurs via the haiku-development mailing list * Timeline proposals are proposed via the haiku-development mailing list General Rules ------------- * Don't rush the release. Better delay it a bit and take the time to make sure everything is ok. * Make sure the final image is really well tested. * Start planning early. Getting the release ready takes time. Waiting until a new release is urgent is a bad idea. * There will be another release. Maybe some big changes are too risky to integrate now, and should wait until the next release. Forming a timeline ------------------ An important aspect of drafting a release is forming a timeline. The Release Coordinator's role is to drive Haiku towards this release date. * Final date for enhancements in (RELEASE) * Branch buildtools for (RELEASE) * Branch haiku for (RELEASE) * Setup CI/CD pipelines for (RELEASE) * Generate first test candidates (TC0, TC1, etc), encourage extreme testing. * Begin accepting bugfixes in branches via code review * Final translations synchronization * Generate first release candidates (RC0, RC1, etc), encourage testing. * Profit * R1/Beta 2's timeline from branch to release was roughly 35 days * R1/Beta 3's timeline from branch to release was roughly 50 days. Release dates can slide, it's ok. We just try to slide pragmatically (+1 week because of X,Y,Z)