Software ECO process

DRAFT Operating System Release Process

Patch Release Process

From time to time, there may be critical bug fixes that must be released before the next normal, scheduled releases. These can occur due to security issues, from unexpected hardware problems, or the discovery of latent bugs that affect large numbers of users.

Proposals for Patches

Proposals for patches will be submitted to the "eco-software" mailing list, with a bug number in the trac system. This bug must describe:

• the nature of the issue
• the consequences of not fixing the problem
• an estimate of the number of affected people
• how they are affected, and how seriously they are affected
• the patch for review
• who has reviewed the patch for correctness (preferably at least three people competent in the area affected)
• whether the problem has been tested in a development build, and for how long
• how the patch has been tested
• and how the fix can be verified in the resulting build.
• the eco-software mailing list should be in the cc: field of the bug.

Discussion can then ensue in trac. If there is no clear consensus that the patch should be deployed, a decision will be made by Jim Gettys, Kim Quirk, and Walter Bender.

Security patches cannot, unfortunately, follow this path due to disclosure rules, but will occur in a similar fashion on a closed security mailing list.

Proposals for a Patch Release

Proposal for a patch release will also be made to the "eco-software" mailing list, enumerating exactly which bugs will be closed.