[Python-Dev] New functionality in micro releases (was:Documenting branch policy) (original) (raw)

Raymond Hettinger python at rcn.com
Mon Sep 8 19:29:10 EDT 2003

[Just van Rossum]

> Apart > from real bugs, I think every program that works on 2.x.y should work on > 2.x.z, regardless of whether y > z or y < z.

[Fred Drake]

Depending on just what you mean "every program that works", this could completely prevent these bugfix releases. We might not be able to remove a core dump since it would allow code to run that was not run before, thereby changing the behavior of the code.

JvR did qualify it with: "apart from real bugs". The only question is how "real" does it have to be. I think all of the following should be fair game:

I think of micro releases as being the same as service patches which are supposed to be painless upgrades that any admin or user can load without fear of breaking existing code. That should likely be the standard rather than requiring that all programs work irrespective of the micro version.

If an application is affected by a bug in an earlier micro version, it isn't terribly unreasonable to ask the users to download the service patch which should be relatively effortless as compared with installing a new major release.

Raymond Hettinger

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