D versionning

[Walter Bright]

On 7/15/2012 2:58 PM, Adam Wilson wrote:
> The idea that bugs and new features can and should be rolled into the same
> release runs counter to every accepted best practice in both FOSS and Commercial
> wisdom. The two have VERY different velocities, bugs can be fixed in days, but
> new features take much longer. Consider COFF support for example, Walter has
> been hammering away at it for weeks now, and he isn't even 50% done, how many
> bugs have been fixed and confirmed resolved, in the same timespan?

Weeks is an exaggeration. And still, there have been a steady accumulation of fixes.

> Also,
> consider that adding new features makes it significantly harder to track down
> regressions (is a real regression or did the new feature upset the code in an
> unexpected way) and the new features themselves create new bugs. If the branches
> are separate then it becomes trivial to determine if the new feature caused the
> bug, because it will show up in one and not the other.
>
> How DARE we DEMAND that our users wait 4 MONTHS for regression fixes because we
> are afraid of a split or a little extra work? How many users could we lose if we
> significantly slowed down the release cycle (and therefore the bugfix cycle)
> such that people are waiting many months for their fixes? The language would be
> perceived as dead/dying and that would be just as bad as the D1/D2 split. If you
> allow your past experiences to paralyze you into inaction, you will bring about
> the very problem you seek to avoid.

Sigh. Half say we release too often, the other half not often enough.