[dev] Development layout (was Re: [commits] Horde branch mnemo_4_1 updated. 7324877f91d83f8de26d41ba7ca05be559255994)(

[Michael M Slusarz]

Quoting Michael J Rubinsky <mrubinsk at horde.org>:

> Quoting Michael J Rubinsky <mrubinsk at horde.org>:
>
>> Perhaps, but it's not a solution that can work with our current  
>> branch structure. Each application/library has it's own x.1  
>> development branch, no since one could really be seen as a good  
>> candidate for a default branch to show.
>
> *sigh* Not sure what happened in that last sentence. It's obviously  
> supposed to read "...so no single branch could really be seen as a  
> good candidate for a default branch."

This brings up a *whole* other can of worms.  In that I believe one of  
the issues is that a single monolithic repository is absolutely not  
the right choice for us.

In other words: framework != IMP != passwd.  Yet they all live in the  
same repository, even though all 3 have different release paradigms.   
It is confusing enough for me, and I'm a developer.

This all goes back to our biggest strength/greatest weakness paradox:  
we are not a traditional framework distribution because we actually  
release top-notch applications.  But conversely, because we release  
applications, a framework distribution setup doesn't necessarily make  
sense.  We are trying to compromise with a mix of the two, and I'm not  
sure we are pulling it off.

Like Ben said: you can't discount that the rise of things like github  
and other web friendly source distribution tools has changed the way  
people interact with software.  Ten years ago, nobody outside of the  
actual developers, would ever think to clone (or even access) the  
CVS/SVN source for a project.  Now the entrance barrier to being able  
to peruse source has been substantially lowered.  So development  
layout becomes much more important as the development process becomes  
more transparent.

I would agree that the current branches doesn't have any single branch  
that makes the most sense for a combined branch.  But maybe this fact,  
in and of itself, reveals the true issue: the current layout is  
untenable.

michael

___________________________________
Michael Slusarz [slusarz at horde.org]