Re: [ jEdit-devel ] Fixing plugins

[Kevin A. B. <bu...@re...>]

Slava Pestov wrote:
> 
> Hello everybody,
> 
> The current versions of QuickFile and JBrowse have bugs, and the
> numerious 'unofficial' versions floating around with some bugs
> fixed and a few extra features aren't helping a bit, they just
> create confusion.
> 
> So I propose that until Jason and George have more free time, we
> import QuickFile and JBrowse into the CVS and assign a
> 'maintainer' to each. The maintainer would fix bugs and make
> plugin central releases. I'm sure Jason and George won't mind
> if we release new versions to plugin central which only contain
> bug fixes.
>
> Of course, when Jason and George have more time, they will take
> over from the temporary maintainers.
> 
> I think only bug fixes should be commited; extra features
> should not be added (after all, we don't know the code as well
> as the original authors, and it's best to leave major changes to
> the people who wrote the code).
> 
> Does this sound like a good idea? Anybody want to volunteer
> to maintain these plugins for a while?

So this is the whole point of CVS.  Once it is in there anyone can make
modifications to any of the code.  I just think that one should be
polite and make it known what they are working on.

Which is where CVS commit mailings come in.  

The whole point is to be  "Open" and let anyone touch the code if they
want.  The downside is that someone could do something "bad" to the
code.  

So what is needed is the following we run on java.apache.org and at work
(and I run at home too)

---------------- BEGIN Example CVS commit mailing ---------------

*****************************************************************
File:  JavaDocManager/CHANGELOG.txt

CVSWEB Options: -------------------

CVSWeb: Annotate this file:        
http://relativity.yi.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/JavaDocManager/CHANGELOG.txt?annotate=1.4

CVSWeb: View this file:            
http://relativity.yi.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/JavaDocManager/CHANGELOG.txt?rev=1.4&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup

CVSWeb: Diff to previous version:  
http://relativity.yi.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/JavaDocManager/CHANGELOG.txt.diff?r1=1.4&r2=1.3

---------------- END Example CVS commit mailing ---------------

This allows you to keep track of the code modifications.  If you don't
like what someone has done you can veto the operation.  (this is where
apache voting rules come in but everyone ignored me)

The only problem right now is that Sourceforge doesn't run CVS commit's
mailings.  I am going to contact them and get this done.

As far as above, and getting people to "maintain" other peoples code.  I
really value having CVS write.  Having the source doesn't do much really
because of the overhead involved with checking the code back in
(contacting the maintainer, diffing it up, making sure the code is
good).  I would *love* if people made modifications to my code. 
Specifically because I can keep up with it through the CVS commits.

The other cool part is that if there are some small nagging bugs (like
with what I have right now with CodeAid on Linux) I can fix them through
an Open manner.

It is all good.  Having the code in a public CVS is a good thing.  Ah...
the golden age of jEdit! :)

Kevin

-- 
Kevin A Burton
Senior Software Engineer
Kendara Inc
http://www.kendara.com
Mobile:  408-910-6145
Linux - The revolution will NOT be televised