[Releasing] Meeting minutes: Qt release team meeting 12.05.2015

[Turunen Tuukka]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: releasing-bounces+tuukka.turunen=theqtcompany.com at qt-
> project.org [mailto:releasing-
> bounces+tuukka.turunen=theqtcompany.com at qt-project.org] On Behalf Of
> Timo Jyrinki
> Sent: 15. toukokuuta 2015 16:26
> To: Heikkinen Jani
> Cc: releasing at qt-project.org
> Subject: Re: [Releasing] Meeting minutes: Qt release team meeting
> 12.05.2015
> 
> 2015-05-12 17:54 GMT+03:00 Heikkinen Jani
> <jani.heikkinen at theqtcompany.com>:
> > Qt5.6 initial plan:
> > - Earlier we tried to execute our releases according to schedule
> > skeleton in https://wiki.qt.io/Qt5Releasing
> > - We have been late always (with 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 & 5.4), that's why plan
> > for 5.6 is now done based on actual schedules earlier
> ..
> > * Final Release 8th December 2015
> 
> I did like the Apr/Oct releasing plan of Qt 5, and I would have preferred
> trying to get back on track of that by eg making the freezes earlier. I
> understand though that the previous attempts did not work.
> 

We like Apr/Oct cycle too and would like to get into it. Qt 5.4 slipped, we aimed to catch up a bit with 5.5 and failed. Now there is a new CI system under way and we do not want to plan to catch up with Qt 5.6 because of it. Target is still the same - get into April & October release cycle. Next option to get to it is then to make Qt 5.7 in April 2016.

> The December release of 5.6 will make it a bit tough sell for the next Ubuntu
> LTS. Not impossible if the .0 release is regression free, and I'll start first tests
> with alpha already. But from downstream perspective the idea of a .0 release
> at the start of the cycle
> (October) is more pleasing. Ideally the .1 and .2 bug fix releases would
> happen by the middle of the cycle well before freezes so that there is a
> possibility to thoroughly test products with them too.
> 

True, but it does not seem to be feasible to plan having Qt 5.6 out in October as we are still working with getting Qt 5.5 released - and because we are changing the CI system. In case we are ready sooner, we can of course release already in November. 

> It went ok with Qt 5.4 for non-LTS Ubuntu, and Ubuntu phones will get their
> Qt 5.4.1 soon enough. But the later the Qt releases, the greater the risk for
> subtle regressions found too late that prevent shipping the new Qt because
> of deadlines that cannot be extended.
> 
> But the worst that can happen is that Ubuntu 16.04 LTS will simply ship with
> Qt 5.5.x. I just wanted to give a vote to supporting earlier than
> December/June releasing.

Getting all Qt 5.6 content in good shape by the feature freeze (as well as not putting things in that are not in good shape) and addressing all found issues quickly during the release cycle is the best we can do to make it faster. But in order to get it out in October, we would have to declare feature freeze about now, which is not feasible. 

Yours,

	Tuukka

> 
> -Timo
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