Re: [TCLCORE] Petition to TCT! Drop 8.7 and focus on 9.0

[Rolf A. <tcl...@po...>]

Another one from the peanut gallery:

+1

As an extension writer I have to say that I would have to take
additional notable investigation and implementation effort to support
8.7.

As long as Tcl 9.0 was only a vague dream and something to come some day
an 8.7 may seemed to be a good way to both support pressing needs and
get new features out.

But thanks for some folks pushing 9.0 forward (Jan, Harald) Tcl 9 is no
longer a pipe dream.

We're not there - see the discussion brought up by me and others within
the last six or seven weeks - but hopefully we come closer, during the
next weeks. Would be fine if the TCT could participate more on that
discussions. They at the end are the only ones with the power to make
decision.

Let's concentrate on that.

rolf

apnmbx-public--- via Tcl-Core writes:
> The subject line says it all. This is a request to cancel the 8.7 release
> and focus on 9.0. As for the rationale / motivation ...
>
> Tcl development is severely resource constrained. I can't imagine anyone
> would argue with that.
>
> Tcl has always had policy of supporting current releases when a new
> release comes out. After 8.6 released, there was still 8.5.10,11,12 etc.
> Similarly, I expect there will be an 8.6.14,15 etc. which
> means there will three release trains 8.6.x, 8.7.x, 9.0.x for some time
> and perhaps in the future 8.7.x, 9.0.x, 9.1.x. That is not tenable.
>
> Having 8.7 and 9.0 parallel tracks adds a significant burden to the
> development process. Diff the repository for a view. This impacts all
> areas, design, coding, bug-fixing, docs, testing. Moreover, this is not
> a one-time thing with a (already) sunk cost. The maintenance burden
> will continue.
>
> Much of this load is also passed on to extension writers as well
> as binary distributions.
>
> In terms of the "market", I've noted several folks in the mailing list
> and chat looking towards 9.0, I've not seen anyone interested in 8.7.
> Are there really users out there who (a) are unwilling to move to 9.0,
> AND (b) are willing to move to 8.7 AND (c) unhappy enough with 8.6 to
> *want* to move off it?
>
> The benefit that 8.7 brings to the table in return for all
> the additional effort is not clear to me. It has been said it will ease
> the transition to 9.0 but I at least do not understand how. I've started
> looking at moving my packages / extensions to 9.0 and do not see how
> getting there via 8.7 as an intermediate step would reduce work at all.
>
> Finally, perhaps not as important, without an 8.7, there will far more
> functional enhancements between Tcl8 and Tcl9, giving folks greater
> incentive to upgrade to 9. Which should be our end game.
>
> Given that, please consider doing away with 8.7 and allow the community
> to focus completely on 9.0+.
>
> /Ashok