Thoughts on versioning

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

On 10/26/21 1:57 PM, jmh530 wrote:
> On Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at 13:52:01 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
>> [snip]
>>
>> After suggesting and exploring probably 4 different mechanisms, 
>> including template mixins (which almost worked), I have come to the 
>> same conclusion. Just copy and backport fixes when needed. [snip]
> 
> I think the copy and paste approach needs to flesh out the exact 
> procedure that needs to happen at the start of development on that 
> release. For instance, should the std folder be copy/pasted with the 
> result re-named `std_v_x_xx`. This would break code if people stay on 
> std. So maybe the new `std` should be `std2` with folders saved as 
> `std2_v_x_xx`?
> 
> What about creating aliases for each year's release? So for instance, 
> `alias std_yyyy = std_v_x_xx;`? And then increment it as new releases 
> come out each year, until the final one. It would be nice to alias an 
> entire module or package, but otherwise would need to have some 
> automated approach to add in the aliases.

It seems to me the copypasta-and-cherry-pick approach is "well-tried, 
used by most, takes huge effort and doesn't quite work".

We have a really nice namespace isolation with D and we could leverage 
it. I would want to give that a solid shake of the stick before throwing 
our hands and forking 340 KLOC.

One more thing - forking and copying is a one way street. Once we enter 
there, it's difficult to back off. In contrast if we have another 
solution we can always change our mind and fall back to forking.