Re: release coordination

[Maciej Stachowiak <mjs noisehavoc org>]

On 21Aug2001 04:10PM (-0400), Havoc Pennington wrote:
> 
> 
>  - maintain a list of target dates and milestones
> 
>  - make sure there is a bugzilla query that shows everything left to
>    do for each GNOME 2 milestone
> 
>  - maintain a list of which parts of the GNOME 2 platform will install 
>    in parallel, and which still need fixing
> 
>  - coordinate docs, translations, etc.
> 
>  - lead the push for fixing apps wrt accessibility, key navigation,
>    usability project, etc. - i.e. coordinate what needs doing
>    and maintain up-to-date info on that.
> 
>  - making sure we port to the new libs and release, without going 
>    on too many destabilization tangents
> 
>  - deciding which new packages are added to GNOME and which 
>    old packages are dropped
> 

I'd like to add a couple of items to this list:

- When/if deadlines are missed (as for example the now-passed freeze
date), do damage control to minimize slippage and/or set a new
deadline

- When it comes close to release time, argue with people about what
bugs are release-critical and make sure any that are get fixed.

- Harass all maintainers to make releases at the appropriate time

- Determine a list of which libraries are official platform libraries

- Ensure appropriate PR for release

- Make sure everyone who needs to be is constantly aware of what's
going on by having meetings, posting regular status updates and
announcements, reminding maintainers of deadlines, spamming people
with the schedule, etc.

- Recruit other people to do some of this work, and make sure they are
actually doing it

- Determine release staging process and put together the packages to
make a release

- Coordinate with binary packagers if they are interested in doing so
(GPP, Ximian, Red Hat, Mandrake, etc)

- Make sure freezes are enforced by working with maintainers, watching
the commits list, and if you are a real bastard, reverting unapproved
committs if we ever get that frozen.


All of this work is extremely boring to the average hacker, and some
of it is extremely painful (the part that involves harassing or
arguing with others).

You will not be a hacker, you will be a manager. No, scratch that, you
will be a project manager - all the responsibility, none of the
power. You will probaly hate this job. But you will get a nice warm
fuzzy feeling at the end.


Regards,

Maciej