[maemo-developers] How to use extras-testing correctly?

[From: Aniello Del Sorbo]

2009/9/24 Quim Gil <quim.gil at nokia.com>:
>
> ext Aniello Del Sorbo wrote:
>> I am not developing for  Apple because of their approval process and
>> their desire of control.
>
> What is your opinion about Deboan, Ubuntu, Fedora... all of them having
> also QA processes in place in order to make it to their stable releases?
>

I don't know them.
But I understand it's a different matter and I think I am missing the
point of the whole Extras Testing infrastructure.
I see it as a very useful tool to help bringing good quality
application in the hands of people.
I like it.
My only complaint is on who has the final word.

>> I don't want my application to go through an approval process to reach my users.
>> I think that the developer HAS the last work on whether or not her
>> application is ready to be promoted to Extras.
>
> Your work as an individual developer has an impact on the overall image
> the Maemo platform and even the Maemo devices have in the hands of real
> users. maemo.org wants to keep good quality for community applications
> and this is why this community qa process was started.
>
> You can still skip it completely by convicing your users to install the
> version in extras devel, go ahead with your own repo... From a community
> point of view you are simply not encouraged to do so and follow the QA
> process.
>

I don't want to set up my own repo, but I wanted to make good use of
this tool (extras testing)
I have this complaint on who has the last word on the application
going to extras.
It's still not clear. Neils stated we do have such control.
Is that true, then?

>
>> But I like the idea of my application being tested and I'd love to get
>> feedback from the final users.
>> Android has a nice approach, I think the application goes straight to
>> Market and when a user removes it, she's being asked why.
>
> After going through
> http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement.html - which
> I reckon I haven't read entirely.
>

Me neither. But it doesn't matter, I liked the part when it asks me
why I am removing the application.

>> I learned that the extremes are almost never the best choice.
>> Thus, I would like to see is a mix of Apple idea of "testers" and
>> Google Android "uninstallation survey".
>>
>> Here's my proposal:
>>
>> We leave Extras-Testing as it is, with votes, comments, bug reports an
>> so on (or improve it, as you wish).
>> But then it's only the developer that decides, based on that feedback,
>> if or not to promote the application to Extras.
>>
>> When the application gets promoted to Extras, people will start using it.
>>
>> If there's a major bug, the user will uninstall the application.
>>
>> The Application Manager should ask the user, as Android Market does,
>> WHY she uninstalling the application.
>> Of course she may choose not to give any feedback.
>> One of the choice she has is "Uninstalling because of a bug" and she
>> can fill in the bug if she wish so.
>
> Implementing this in the Application Manager before the Maemo 5 final
> release is impossible. Only debating it here might take longer.
>

I am not pushing this idea so that i can be implemented now.
But I feel it can help keeping up the quality of applications in Extras.
Independently from my first point.

--
anidel
Sent from London, Eng, United Kingdom