Re: [TWiki-Dev] Is there any community interest in getting TWiki 4.2.0 released anymore

[Kenneth L. <ke...@la...>]

Michael Daum wrote:
>
> (1) massive rewrite of user code, this code is still *young*; I expect
> to discover gotchas *after* 4.2.0 that we have to deal with in the following
> patch releases.
>   
I agree that the user code is young and almost untested. And because of 
already known bugs - especially Item4375 - we cannot even release a beta.
We cannot release a beta that people cannot revert from without having 
their topic changed in a way that is not possible to revert to previous 
version. And worse - probably will not even be compatible with the final 
version of 4.2.0

If we ask people to beta test - or run a production site from SVN - then 
we need to ensure that we preserve the topics already existing.
> (2) massive rewrite of PatternSkin, even after feature freeze
>
> In addition to the lack of people fixing the code, there is a significant
> lack of people *using* the dev code. Seriously, everybody, are you
> running a twiki based on dev code and use it *on a daily base*: 
> Peter, Kenneth, Crawford, Sven, Arthur, anybody? Well, I do.
>
> However, what is being sold currently is 4.1.2 + enhancements.
>   
No - I cannot run the code as long as Item4375 is open and as long as 
there are open skin related bugs that makes it hard for the users from 
creating new topics. And as long as there are bugs that causes users 
topics look totally wrong. Topics with forms from other webs invite the 
user to create false form topics in current web.

We have bugs open and known that makes it totally impossible to expose 
the current MAIN to real users. Maybe you can do it with the Natskin. 
But I use Pattern and the bugs open there are of a nature that I will 
not expose my users to.

It is good to see that I am not the only one against the many changes 
done after feature freeze. I was right when I said they would cost one 
month. I actually think they will cost more than a month because the 
already known ones are not closed.
>
> Feature freeze only covers core code and default plugins. It shall not cover
> anything else.
>   
I am not saying that people should not be allowed to develop plugins 
during feature freeze. And I appreciate the new nice plugins. But there 
should still be some "CPU cycles" left to close a bug or two now and then.

Unless TWiki develops and gets better and better, the competition will 
take over all our customers and noone will be able to make money on 
developing plugins either.
I would expect all professionals to take their turn on fixing bugs. 
Especially the ones you may have caused yourself - instead of always 
letting Crawford fix them. There is too much new code and template added 
where the bugs and unit tests are left to Crawford to fix. And this is 
not fair.

I personally never asked for the 4.2.0 release to be made. The only new 
feature I find worth releasing is the new search syntax because having 
this in a release now enables more dramatic changes a year from now. The 
rest does not give me or my users any value. And I know from many 
currently passive developers that many of them do not plan to upgrade to 
4.2.0

But now that we have spent all the time and energy and most of us have 
held back on new feature let us get that beast released. What bugs me 
currently is that it is only 5 very important bugs that prevents beta 
testing with real users to start. It can only be a few hours of work 
from a few developers that separates us from starting beta testing. And 
most of those bugs are associated with new code made for 4.2.0 and not 
finished.

A last. I am not paid to develop TWiki. I do not develop TWiki in my 
working hours. All work is in my spare time and for free. And I am 
beginning to ask myself why I volunteer to release manage 4.2.0 when it 
does not benefit my users at all and it and seems that hardly anyone 
else is really caring about it.

Does anyone else want to take over the release management?

Kenneth