On Mon, Aug 12, 2002 at 12:17:13AM +0200, Thomas Arp wrote:
> I noticed a couple of the list contributors releasing patches
> made against the latest CVS snapshot, and wondered if this is
> a good idea?
It has seemed to be to me thus far, but perhaps that is because I am
the only one using them? I am basically maintaining these updated
versions so that the circlemud-patched package from my unofficial
Debian set can track core CVS just like the unpatched package does.
> Pros:
> The code which is the base for the patch is the most error-free[1]
> stock circle available.
> Everyone can download the latest CVS snapshots.
That is why I have been tracking the CVS snapshots for my packages.
In between snapshots I throw in intermediate bugfix patches (mostly
one-liners) until the next snapshot comes out and (usually) fixes
the various new bugs.
> Cons:
> A CVS snapshot is a working document.[2]
> Not everyone will be able to find the correct version based on a
> 10 digit version number. It's easier to find the official bpl21
> release, and it won't change - ever. Next release will be bpl22,
> period[3].
> If you have a patch against a CVS snapshot, you may have problems
> patching it against both the previous and the next official releases,
> since some of the functions may be/have changed.
Well, at the moment I am attempting to maintain the updated versions
of these patches (specifically ASCII PFiles, DG Scripts and
OasisOLC) synced each time the official patch maintainer or Circle
core maintainers provide a new patch, release, snapshot, whatever.
[snip]
> [2] in practical use, a CVS snapshot will contain untested and perhaps
> half unfinished code changes (->in_room => IN_ROOM() migration
> springs to mind as a long trek).
[clip]
But so far those changes haven't resulted in un-runnable code. If it
does I hold off on updating the patches until I can fix them or a
fixed version becomes available. These patches are not meant to
provide a completely stable codebase--just a means for others to
test their modifications with proposed future versions of CircleMUD.
I already do all this work myself (for my purposes I keep sequential
patches for each major modification I require and update as new core
and third-party patches become available). I figure it can't hurt to
make them available to the community for testing. Someone might
report back to me pointing out a bug I introduced, for example,
saving me time and headache, or an official maintainer might find
that by adapting a handful of functions to the next bpl prior to its
release I have saved them some work (if I did it right, presumably).
If this seems like a bad idea to anyone, is at odds with the goals
of the maintainers, et cetera, by all means let me know either
privately or via this list. I can always continue to do it for
myself and stop circulating my unofficial adaptations if requested.
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