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

[From: Aniello Del Sorbo]

2009/9/24 Jeremiah Foster <jeremiah at jeremiahfoster.com>:
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 12:48, Aniello Del Sorbo wrote:
>
>> 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.
>
> All community developed projects have a Quality Assurance process. Debian's,
> which is what Maemo is based on, looks like this;
>
> 1. Submit your app to autobuilders
> 2. If it fails to build from source, start over at 1
> 3. If it builds, it stays in the new queue for ten days
> 4. After ten days it automatically gets promoted to 'testing'
> 5. After (roughly) eighteen months, testing is frozen (no more new apps)
> 6. After all Release Critical bugs are fixed, testing becomes stable
>
> Maemo is trying to innovate and crowd source the quality control and shrink
> that time as much as possible.
>

Uhm...
I see the point.
If I want my new application to be in the Official Debian repository,
it goes thru all this testing.
It makes sense.

>> 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.
>
> Your software lives in an ecosystem of autobuilders, repositories, and end
> user tablets. It has to co-operate with all these resources to be of value
> to a user. You have a responsibility to not wipe out a user's hard drive,
> etc.
>

I know and I do take that responsibility into account.

> I understand your interest in getting your software into your user's hands
> faster, but the QA process will help with this. If we can build the
> reputation of packages in Extras being high-quality, users will be more
> willing to download them. We have to build that reputation first.
>

No I don't want my app to go faster in the user's hand.
I want it to reach that hand when it's ready.

--
anidel
Sent from London, Eng, United Kingdom