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This tries to encode all the decision making which goes on when working out whether to backport a commit from the unstable to stable branch. Signed-off-by: Philip Withnall <pwithnall@endlessos.org>
59 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
59 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
Backports policy
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===
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Aims
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---
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* Known bugs should be fixed in stable versions of GLib
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* New bugs must not be introduced into stable versions of GLib
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* Users and distributors should be able to rely on micro stable releases
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working as drop-in replacements for the previous releases on that stable
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branch, requiring no packaging changes, or recompilation or build system
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changes in dependent projects
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* Effort is only spent on [supported versions](../SECURITY.md#user-content-supported-versions)
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Policy
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---
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* Bug fixes and documentation fixes should be backported to the current stable
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branch of GLib, from the current unstable branch
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* Backports should only be done to
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[supported versions](../SECURITY.md#user-content-supported-versions) of GLib
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* New features must not be backported
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* Any change which will require packaging changes in a distribution should not
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be backported unless unavoidable to fix a widely-occurring bug
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* If a backported change does affect packaging or use of GLib, it must be
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listed prominently in the release notes for that stable release
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* Any change which requires changes or additions to translatable strings should
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not be backported unless unavoidable to fix a widely-occurring bug
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- If possible, existing translatable strings should be reused
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- If unavoidable, liase with the GNOME Translation Team and ensure string
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changes are landed with plenty of time to allow translators to provide new
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translations
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- See https://wiki.gnome.org/TranslationProject/HandlingStringFreezes
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* API or ABI changes (including API additions) must not be backported
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- A commit which changes the documented behaviour of a function counts as an
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API break
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* It is discretionary whether fixes to test cases, or new test cases, are
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backported, based on a maintainer’s assessment of the effort required to
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backport vs the value in running those tests on a stable branch
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- The risk of backporting changes to tests is that they fail or become flaky,
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and require further work on the stable branch to fix them
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* All backports must be submitted as a merge request against the stable branch,
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must pass through continuous integration, and must be reviewed by a
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maintainer (other than the person submitting the merge request)
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- The reviewer should first assess whether the backport is necessary, and
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then review it as with any other merge request
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- The submitter must set a stable release milestone on the merge request, so
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that the next stable release can’t be accidentally made before it’s merged
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* Typically, backports are trivial cherry-picks of commits from the unstable
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branch — changes to the unstable branch which are intended to be backported
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should be structured so that backporting is easier
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- For example, by splitting changes to be backported into a separate commit
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from those which should not be backported, or splitting out changes which
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are more likely to cause conflicts when cherry-picked
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* These rules are not entirely prescriptive: there may be situations where
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maintainers agree that a backport is necessary even if it breaks some of
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these rules, due to the balance of fixing a critical bug vs keeping things
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easy for distribution maintainers
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