[maemo-developers] QA Process for non user/* packages and how Application Manager handles upgrades (was: Re: extras-devel -> extras-testing auto-promotion not working?)

[From: Anderson Lizardo]

On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 9:51 AM, Mikko Vartiainen <mvartiainen at gmail.com> wrote:
> You can promote PyMaemo packages to extras-testing but it's not the
> solution, because it doesn't help getting them to Extras (you can't
> promote them there). Even if newer versions of non user/ packages were
> promoted to Extras it doesn't help much getting them to end users
> devices if they had earlier version of them installed because of how
> Application Manager works. Currently getting something to updated
> requires that update is somehow visible through user/ package both in
> Application Manager and packages interface autopromotion algorithm.

Sorry but it is still not clear to me how to get fixes to non user/*
packages to the users' devices. If I understand correctly, Application
Manager does not follow the same behavior as apt-get on this case,
i.e. it will not upgrade non user/* packages on Device even if there
are new versions in extras, is that right?

> Promotion system could probably be changed that it always promotes
> newer version of non user/ package. One option would be that package
> maintainer can promote updates of non user/ package to extras
> manually, but that circumvents the whole qa process.

If I remember correctly, the QA process is currently very user/*
centered. I followed the discussions on last meeting too, and the
process does not seem to cover the updates for non user/* packages. So
right now we have a serious problem (IMHO) where we can get non user/*
package updates delivered to final users through a clean process.

Some user suggested once creating meta user/* packages for libraries,
python modules etc. that need updates, but I think this just too
hackish, and even if we proceed and do this, how do we convince the
end user to install it?

Regards,
-- 
Anderson Lizardo
OpenBossa Labs - INdT
Manaus - Brazil