[Development] Removing Qt 3D from release configuration in dev branch

[Tuukka Turunen]

From: Development <development-bounces at qt-project.org> on behalf of Giuseppe D'Angelo via Development <development at qt-project.org>
Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 14:30
To: development at qt-project.org <development at qt-project.org>
Subject: Re: [Development] Removing Qt 3D from release configuration in dev branch
Hi,

On 27/03/2024 09:39, Tuukka Turunen via Development wrote:
> # Qt 3D module is removed from official release configuration in the dev
> branch, i.e. no longer part of the releases from Qt 6.8 onwards
> # Qt 3D continues to be part of Qt project, it continues to be covered by
> CI, and available in the repository for those who want to use it
> # Even though not part of the release configuration, intention is to keep
> Qt 3D working also with Qt 6.8
> # Qt 6.7 and older releases continue to have Qt 3D module in the upcoming
> patch releases

Thank you for the heads-up. I think this should eventually become a blog
post, a changelog note in 6.7, and needs some documentation notes --
users deserve to be notified visibly in advance.
TTT: Yes, we should notify users about this. Release notes of Qt 6.7.x as well as Qt 3D documentation is probably the best place. Blog is quite active, but still only a fraction of users follow it, so that is less effective than docs and release notes.


There is still a number of aspect that IMHO need to be addressed:

* If Qt3D is not bundled with the Qt installer, how are users going to
install it? I'd really want a very practical solution; ideally a CMake
command that does everything (for instance: is Qt3D found in your Qt
build? Then use it, otherwise fetch+build "the right version" from
sources.).
TTT: That would be good to sort out in general for the multiple items in the Qt project repositories that are not part of the release configuration of Qt. For those releases Qt 3D is still part of it would continue to show Qt 3D in the installer. But for dev and Qt 6.8 snapshots it would do longer be included at the point when it is removed from the release configuration.

* What branching and release model is Qt3D going to have? Is it still
promising API/ABI compat in the future? Will it evolve towards a more
complicated model like Webengine?
TTT: It is part of multiple currently active releases (Qt 6.2. Qt 6.5, Qt 6.6 and Qt 6.7), so we would need to ensure things continue to work for picking changes from dev to these. These can be done from dev, so new branches would not be needed.


* Is Qt3D going to be under Qt's CI *after* 6.8?

TTT: Yes. It should be covered by CI at least until no longer needed as part of supported releases, but I don’t see any reason why it could not be in CI also after that, if so desired.
Yours,
                Tuukka


Thanks,
--
Giuseppe D'Angelo | giuseppe.dangelo at kdab.com | Senior Software Engineer
KDAB (France) S.A.S., a KDAB Group company
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