haiku/docs/develop/release/index.rst
Augustin Cavalier 94c66b276e docs/develop: Rename release "milestones" page to "cookbook".
This more accurately reflects what it contains, as well as
mirrors what it used to be called when it was on Trac.
2024-08-20 13:13:24 -04:00

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Release engineering
===================
To forge a successful stable release of the Haiku operating system, several important tasks must be
accomplished. These steps are time tested as a best roadmap to draft a successful release of Haiku.
.. toctree::
cookbook
Important first steps
---------------------
* Review blockers for the next release in `Trac <https://dev.haiku-os.org>`_
* Active members of the `contributors group <https://review.haiku-os.org/admin/groups/23fa29f291e2dd5d41452202147d038f020fc8db,members>`_ should reach concensus on the need for a stable release
* We try to have a release every year, but blocker tickets can prevent this from happening
* It's difficult to commit to strictly time-based releases because the available time of unpaid developers is unpredictable
* Community nomination of a Release Coordinator
* Should be someone from the contributors group
* Should have visibility of most aspects of Haiku
* Should have good coordination and communication skills
* Generally occurs via the haiku-development mailing list
* Timeline proposals are proposed via the haiku-development mailing list
General Rules
-------------
* Don't rush the release. Better delay it a bit and take the time to make sure everything is ok.
* Make sure the final image is really well tested.
* Start planning early. Getting the release ready takes time. Waiting until a new release is urgent is a bad idea.
* There will be another release. Maybe some big changes are too risky to integrate now, and should wait until the next release.
Forming a timeline
------------------
An important aspect of drafting a release is forming a timeline. The Release Coordinator's role is
to drive Haiku towards this release date.
* Final date for enhancements in (RELEASE)
* Branch buildtools for (RELEASE)
* Branch haiku for (RELEASE)
* Setup CI/CD pipelines for (RELEASE)
* Generate first test candidates (TC0, TC1, etc), encourage extreme testing.
* Begin accepting bugfixes in branches via code review
* Final translations synchronization
* Generate first release candidates (RC0, RC1, etc), encourage testing.
* Profit
* R1/Beta 2's timeline from branch to release was roughly 35 days
* R1/Beta 3's timeline from branch to release was roughly 50 days.
Release dates can slide, it's ok.
We just try to slide pragmatically (+1 week because of X,Y,Z)