[csw-maintainers] testing team for packages

[Dagobert Michelsen]

Hi,

Am 21.01.2009 um 02:50 schrieb Philip Brown:
> On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 01:11:55AM +0100, Peter Bonivart wrote:
>> ...
>> Not only will maintainers know better what is and is not
>> happening with their packages, I think it will encourage testing as
>> well.
>
> a side note: maintainers already tend to "know what is happening" with
> their packages already. Often within a few hours; usually within a  
> day.

That is okay. If someone is willing to work on the next-generation  
package
tracking web interface: even better.

> As far as testing goes:
> Across-the-board testing doesnt happen because people write a fancy  
> interface.

Only if it is hard. We already have a testing catalog. If we had a
full catalog (instead of an "add-on") people could subscribe to testing/
directly. If we then had some easy-to-use feedback mechanism (Mantis
with prior registration is not!) that may help.

> I would LOVE for us to have an official testing team, to test every  
> package
> before release.
> [something which completely torpedoes any idea of "fully automated  
> release"
>  out the door, btw]

Fully automated testing is what checkpkg already does. What Phil does is
looking for things like consistent naming, decent package splitting,
putting files in the correct locations, all things that you simply
can not automate - and these things are important too. However, the
operational guidelines for this can and should be written down in
addition to the formal guidelines in checkpkg.


Best regards

   -- Dago