Re: [Plplot-devel] Wish list for the release--various thoughts.

[<jca...@in...>]

On Thursday 17 January 2002 17:15, Alan W. Irwin wrote:
| Joao, you have brought up a number of interesting points which I
| will attempt to answer in context below.
|
| Alan
=2E..

| On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, Joao Cardoso wrote:
| > Hi,
| >
| > I think that the main directory README, INSTALL, CHANGES and NEWS
| > files should be updated, as they are the first think that I read
| > on (and I assume others also do it :).
| > The ToDo and PROBLEMS file also needs an update, as some users
| > can have the expertise and mood to do/solve it. WE *should* use
| > it, also!
|
| I agree with both your points here.  I don't have time to start any
| of this myself so I would encourage you (after the release,
| please!) to change these files any way you like. Once you start to
| use them, I (and perhaps the other developers) will most likely
| follow.  Note, if there are any English problems with your changes,
| I would be willing to make corrections after you make your main
| changes.

As you say latter that this will be a major release, I think that=20
they should be changed now. But as nobody has the time now, I suggest=20
a 5.1.1 release to follow shortly after 5.1.0, with bug fixes and=20
improved docs.

You can quickly change the the README or NEWS files by just appending=20
the announcements you made when you release 5.0.1...5.0.4.

| > The examples/java/README file should be in bindings/java, or its
| > name changed to README.java, to follow what is done in the other
| > examples directory.
|
| Done.
|
| > I thinks that each bindings and examples subdirs should have a
| > README file, and the main README file should point to them.
|
| We are gradually getting there on the first point, and on the
| second point I say please go ahead.  I would be happy to see
| changes in the overall README before the release.

I will try it.

|
| > What is the purpose of the "new" directory and its "bogus" file?
| > And the bindings/python/1.4b3 subdir?
|
| Haven't got a clue.
|
| > When will be 5.1 released?
|
| 24 January.

!?!

I thought that this release would be 5.0.5! But if I were the boss we=20
would continue until reaching release 5.0.31415926

Seriously, there are too many new functionalities for this to be 5.1.=20
Java is all new, python has suffered significative modifications,=20
plimage() has still bugs on it, what else?... I can't use "plrender"=20
with device tk,..

| What do we intend to have on it?
|
| Current CVS HEAD plus any changes we do from now until then.  See
| my wishlist.
|
| > Can we add more
| > and more stuff to HEAD
|
| Yes, so long as it is useful.  plimage is an excellent example of
| such an add-on.
|
| and always have an unstable CVS?
|
| No.  For example, we are in a stabilizing phase right now in
| preparation for the release.

I don't agree. My not yet commited plimage() changes and related=20
functions are yet alpha. At this point I'm afraid of commiting my=20
changes, as perhaps the current cvs plimage() is more stable than=20
mine. I have just added an option to x01c to show how one can=20
programatically save a file (that is stable, I will commit it).

What I mean is that 5.1 is too definitive for the current status.
As you say, we are not many, and can't afford the pressure of a=20
faulty major release.

| We have discussed release philosophy many times before so I will
| try to keep this short.  As far as I am concerned, I never plan to
| make an experimental or unstable release.  Instead, periodically we
| work hard to stabilize cvs HEAD and release that.

Yes, but I was not aware of 5.1.0

| My own view is we are too small a project to support a lot of
| different branches.  For example, I never want to see a special
| stable branch (except periodically for CVS HEAD).

I agree.

|  Branches are
| useful for the really big changes such as dynamic drivers, but I
| personally lost weeks of work on the tea branch because there
| wasn't a critical mass of interested developers at the time.  Thus,
| you have to be really careful about splitting development up too
| much.  Taking the plimage example, again, I wouldn't have gotten
| interested in it if you hadn't put it on the HEAD.

So, it was my mistake. I would put it on a branch.

|  So for
| relatively small changes like this that don't impact a lot of other
| stuff, put them right on HEAD, then work to stabilize them in time
| for a release. Obviously, you are not quite satisfied with plimage
| yet ("work in progress"), but I am not personally going to worry if
| you change the API one more time after this release.  Users of new
| features have to expect API changes.  However, I do hope that the
| x20c example at least works for this release, and that you have
| plimage completely stabilized (including API decisions) in time for
| the release after this one.

Isn't the current x20c.c stable enought for you? As I said before, my=20
current changes are not so stable... I think, as I never run a clean=20
cvs HEAD again.

| > I would like to add some things to the documentation, after
| > english-proofing by an English native speaker, but I found the
| > DocBook too complex! I was still not able to create the
| > development environment (and I tried, and I tried, and I tried ,
| > but I couldn't get it :-)).
|
| I will be happy to help you get this sorted out, Joao.  But I need
| specifics from you off list.  (In the next few days I will be going
| through this for my own woody system and perhaps a RedHat 7.2
| system as well so now is an excellent time to get the DocBook
| development environment working on your system as well.)
|
| > Is there a xml2sgml utility?
| > ( My system has a sgml2xml utility). Than I could convert to
| > latex and add the docs.
|
| I have not heard of an xml2sgml facility.  sgml is being phased out
| in favor of xml so I think the sgml/xml language types would view
| xml2sgml as a retrograde step they were unwilling to support.

It is not xml that is complicated, is all the setup needed to run it!=20
DocBook is for book writers, editors and publishers, not for a lonely=20
graphics library. I personaly don't want to spend too much time=20
writing docs, and I want to it using my usual tools. But what is done=20
is done.

(And sgml was "made" because xml was too complicated for everyday=20
usage.)

| I
| think a much better solution is simply to get the DocBook-xml
| environment working on your system.  I will help, but as I said
| above, I need specifics about what doesn't work.  For example, how
| far did you get in README.developers?

Re-read it several times, installed several, possibly confliting=20
packages, looking for the tons of perl modules my system has and has=20
not... Don't worry, I will write the text, trying to use the tags=20
correctly, and I will submit it to you.

Thanks,
Joao