11.3.0/Release plan

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Scope and aims

  • Add ARM support for XO-1.75
  • Add other features of limited scope
  • Stick to Fedora 14 as a base
  • Solve some known issues

Schedule

Like 11.2.0, we aim to follow the general and slowly evolving Release Process (that page includes more details about all of the stages outlined below).

Due to scheduling difficulties, some ARM changes may arrive late, breaking some of the "rules" of the process. This shouldn't cause problems, given that platform-specific changes can't introduce regressions (this is the first ARM release). At the same time, we should carefully consider these exceptions so that they are limited to necessities rather than nice-to-haves (the latter can be included in following development cycles), minimizing disruption.

Development stage

  • Duration: Approximately 6 weeks

Normal, open development. Features (of limited scope and risk) are accepted. OLPC plan to implement the features described below according to the priorities they have been given.

Bug-fixing stage

  • Start: September 6th 2011
  • Duration: 4 weeks

Focus on stability. No new features are accepted at this point, as we move into "bug fixes only" mode.

Sugar activities are frozen at the start of this milestone, but new versions will be taken when demonstrated to fix bugs.

Fedora 14 updates will continue to be applied, which (according to Fedora guidelines) are compatible with the "bug fixes only" mindset.

If the rate of change drops low enough, builds will begin to be signed by OLPC.

Regression fixing stage

  • Start date: October 4th 2011
  • Duration: 4 weeks

At this point, the project should have the "ready for release" feel. This final milestone is reserved for final testing. The only changes accepted here are fixes for regressions over previous OLPC OS releases.

All builds are now signed.

Fedora updates will only be taken (selectively) when shown to fix regressions.

Sugar activity updates will only be taken (selectively) when shown to fix regressions.

We may also take trivial fixes to important problems (e.g. one-line fixes) where the risk is low.

Final release

  • Date: November 1st 2011

Work plan

OLPC plan to implement the following items during the development phase. Features that do not make the development stage will be deferred til the next release cycle. As always, we will continue to take contributions from the community in other areas, providing that they fit with our schedule.

The XO-1.75 team will work on the ARM port, including porting Fedora 14 to ARM, finishing a kernel for XO-1.75, and so on.

Simon will work on:

  • Sugar collaboration issues (with possible help from Gonzalo, Martin)
  • Upstreaming our changes to the Sugar control panel (keyboard + software updater)
  • Some Sugar features that have been brewing.
  • More details

Gonzalo will work on:

  • Sugar activities ARM port/rebuild
  • New Toolbar design & icons
  • Books: Catalogs, content bundles
  • Robots
  • Sugar: startup animation
  • Possible resolution of our Browse fork, by solving the core issue of one activity launching another
  • More details

Manuel will work on:

  • Books and content (with Gonzalo)
  • Activity toolbars (with Gonzalo)

Daniel will work on:

  • Network stability
  • Low-hanging fruit for image size reduction
  • Misc x86 low-level fixes
  • More external engagement
  • More details

Risk areas

As an initial release for the entirely new XO-1.75 platform, we are likely to hit teething issues. We may not be able to offer high video performance, power efficiency or system stability. This will unfold as the cycle continues. Followup releases may be made to solve any big issues that remain.

Maintainability

Apart from exceptional circumstances, no new packages will be forked. This means all features have to go in through upstream channels. An upstream-first mentality will be maintained for the Sugar work:

  • Bug fix patches must already be in the relevant 0.92 branch of upstream git
  • Feature patches must already be in the relevant master branch of upstream git

Testing

Sam Greenfeld will maintain a spreadsheet recording when each of the basic functionalities have most recently been tested, and this will be shared with contributors. We will continue to engage the AU and NZ testing groups on the testing list. And we will try to clone their success with the formation of an OLPC testing group in Miami.

Trac conventions

Sugar and Sugar activity bugs must be filed on http://bugs.sugarlabs.org. All other bugs (or if uncertain) go to http://dev.laptop.org.

Bugs on dev.laptop.org are marked as "add to build" when the solution has been packaged, and then set to "test in build" by the release manager once a build has been made. Sam Greenfeld (QA lead) is in charge of watching and closing those tickets.

Bugs on bugs.sugarlabs.org are marked as fixed when the fix is committed to git, but tickets that deserve OLPC QA are keyworded with olpc-test (even in the fixed state). Sam Greenfeld (QA lead) is in charge of watching those tickets and to remove the keyword when his testing passed successfully or reopen the bug if failed. The developer committing the fix is in charge of closing the ticket.

Release management

Daniel Drake will act as release manager, applying/enforcing the guidelines and milestones as above, approving the inevitable handful of exceptions, producing/announcing development builds, and coordinating release notes. He will be helped by Peter Robinson and Martin Langhoff on the ARM builds front.

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