Managing a large GNOME

[Stephen White <spwhite chariot net au>]

As GNOME becomes increasingly large, package interoperability is becoming an
issue. It's become harder to juggle the latest version of packages that work
well with other packages.

>From a user's perspective, they have three main choices.

  1) They can use the release version, knowing that it's a pretty
     stable snapshot that works well as a system.

  2) They can install newer versions of packages onto their system.
     (this is the apt-get or Red Carpet level of handling)

  3) They can use bleeding edge stuff.

The problem with 1) is that they get stuck with older software, and have
to upgrade the whole system to get later versions of packages.

The problem with 2) or 3) is that the newer package may not work with
older software or libraries. The latest version of that package may be
written on a GNOME 1.4 system, when the user is on GNOME 1.2.

This problem will get worse as Bonobo comes into the picture. Version
6.4 of package A only talks to versions 3.4 to 4.* of package B.

Do we agree at this point that there is a problem?

Here is a proposed solution...

  Place GNOME packages into CVS, for control at the package level.

This effectively treats all the different GNOME packages as "source" for
the meta-project "GNOME RELEASE". Just as source code is compiled against
the CVS branch, packages are tested against other packages in the CVS
tree before being submitted as a valid update to the system.

In effect, this bypasses the release version methodology as it shifts the
upgrade responsibility from the system level back to the package level.
This also creates a group who can accept bug reports for "package X
doesn't work with package Y" type problems.

As packages are just files in CVS, Bugzilla can be used to report
interoperability problems, resulting in the correct action of backing
the offending packages down one version level so the system continues
working as a whole.

THis would create a cutting edge system that works as a system (better
than running bleeding edge direct from CVS!), rather than integrating
before releases.

Any thoughts or corrections are welcome.

--
  spwhite@chariot.net.au
  whatever on IRC/#gnome.