[Mageia-dev] Backports policy clarification (and discussion)

Sat Jun 9 09:06:22 CEST 2012

Samuel Verschelde wrote:
+
+> I re-read the backports policy, and there's a part I think needs to be
+> pointed out before people start to backport packages.
+
+I haven't, so if I get things badly wrong don't hesitate to tell me.  
+
+> "We need to ensure that upgrades never fail: cauldron must always have a
+> higher version/release than in stable releases."
+> 
+> This statement is true, but implies more than what it says. It means that
+> we can't backport a package for Mageia 1 with a higher version than what
+> we have in Mageia 2 release (and updates?) media. And this, until we are
+> able to take backports into account during upgrades.
+> 
+> Example :
+> - Mageia 2 has wesnoth 1.10.2 in core/release
+> - Mageia 1 can't get a higher version in its backports media
+> 
+> Do you all agree with my understanding of the policy ?
+
+No.  Well assuming that the backports policy is sane, then no.  
+
+- Mageia 1 can not get a higher version into _updates_ until 
+the new version (or an even higher one) has made its way into 
+Mageia 2 _updates_.  
+
+- Mageia 1 can not get a higher version into _backports_ until 
+the new version (or an even higher one) has made its way into 
+Mageia 2 _backports_.  
+
+> This is a serious limitation to our ability to backport to Mageia (n-1)
+> and even to our ability to provide security fixes to backports there (will
+> not prevent it, but will prevent to do it by a version upgrade, which is
+> the common way to fix that kind of issue in backports).
+
+I don't see it.  
+
+Most backports will have a version not higher than the which  
+is provided by the next release and so will just not be a problem.  
+
+Even in the *very* strange situation that the back ported package has a 
+version number that is higher than that of the next release it is 
+workable, all that is needed is the requirement that backports are 
+not made available to release N before they are made available to 
+release N+1 (Cauldron counts as a release) and that backport media 
+be available at upgrade time.  
+
+> Maybe we shouldn't open backports for Mageia 1, and make sure upgrade to
+> Mageia 3 can take backports from Mageia 2 into account so that backports
+> to Mageia 2 are not stopped when Mageia 3 is released. Then we'll be safe.
+> 
+> Samuel
+
+Extreme hypothetical example:  
+
+Cauldron Core has long term support FF 29 and Cauldron Backports 
+has this week's official release of FF 41.  
+
+Mageia 5 gets released with Core and Core Backports.  Sensible 
+users get the long term support version.  Insane fools who are 
+trying to use the notoriously broken FF 35 get FF 41 (which is 
+broken in a different way).  
+
+-- 
+blind Pete
+Sig goes here...  
+
+