Releases

[thelusiv]

I've actually dropped data versioning to be able to implement things in time, not having to write/maintain revision glue code.

I see your point. Different version code is indeed annoying, but maybe just enough to refuse to load a version older than the code currently supports would be good.

Here's an idea: create some kind of simple (Python?) tool available from SVN that knew the formats and how to add/rename/remove fields for different versions. This tool could also possibly be used to validate data files, which would be handy to data authors as much as migrating data. Such a tool could also be integrated into a car or track editor.

write migration scripts to automate changes to data file format.

This is what I am doing wherever possible.

Have you checked in your scripts anywhere? I don't see them in art or trunk.

Data changes are documented in the Wiki.

OK, before I didn't see the old car parameters page. Cool.

How would you qualify a major release?

Well that's up for debate. I think a major release would be completed well like this:

• list all the goals of the project (various bug-fixes, improvements, new features, rewrites, etc.)
  
• rank those goals by how long they will take and how important they are, noting dependencies between goals
  
• select a set of goals: identify one very important but time-consuming task, and several easy quick tasks (preferably some which other goals depend on)
  
• the next major release is made when the set of goals is complete.

I think that goal sets should be selected for two releases initially, and there should be a branch for the second set (the next major release) called development where unfinished changes to the next release can go without breaking trunk. Changes to trunk should always be merged to development as time goes on. When a release is made, trunk is tagged, all the changes in development are merged into trunk, and a goal set for the release (current + 2) is selected.

Lets face it, how many active contributors do we have?

That's a good question, I'll start a thread and we can see just how many there are. It would also help update the Contributors page on the wiki.

Not sure if my contributions to VDrift have been for good at all.

I would say you have done much good, and hope you will continue. I haven't helped any by being too busy to do any development for so long. Maybe I can help resolve some of these project management issues which seem to have become more important lately.

It would be great to have a list(maybe on the issue tracker).

Do you have access to the issue tracker? I can't tell that it's been updated much lately.