Re: Getting a move on for 8.2 beta

Bruce,

> > What's VC?
>
> MS Visual C++

Given that this could lead to us recruiting more developers out of our
Windows user base, I'd prioritize it.

Overall, I think this whole process is pointing up that there's a problem
with our historic Feature Freeze+1 month|beta|RCs cycle. Given the number
of developers and companies involved and the increasing size of the code,
we need to develop a new schedule that allows us to get draft patches (or
at least full specifications) eariler than the month before feature
freeze. In short,the issue is that Feature Freeze isn't just Feature
Freeze, it's "final patch submission".

If you look at the two "incomplete" patches, and the "misfired" one
(Bitmaps, Updatable Views, and WITH RECURSIVE) all of them are patches
where the submitter had been working on them months ago, and might have
made the release (or let us know they weren't on schedule) if we'd held
them to an earlier deadline. As I recall, it was the same situation last
year: getting large patches dropped on us out of the blue the week before
feature freeze, which then didnt' make it in.

Therefore I propose that we adopt the following schedule for 8.3, assuming
an September 1 Beta date:

June 1: Specification Freeze: specifications for all new features due
July 1: Feature Freeze: Draft patches and any minor tweaks due
August 1: Final (completed, mostly debugged) patches due
September 1: First Beta

--
--Josh

Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL @ Sun
San Francisco