Re: [boost] [Boost-testing] Release branch purge policy request

On 2015-03-13 12:17 PM, Rene Rivera wrote:

On Wed, Mar 11, 2015 at 11:29 AM, Jim Bell mailto:Jim@jc-bell.com> wrote:

Just wanted to put this out there again since it seems to have flown under the radar...

http://lists.boost.org/boost-testing/2015/02/7926.php

I suggest that, for the release branch, we lengthen the 15-day purge to 90 days or more.

My immediate answer is no. At minimum because..

Those looking to that matrix are determining where the last boost release works or breaks for their platform. A different audience than maintainers.

I don't see how extending the purge would address that. The master branch testing is for the *next* release. Hence it doesn't say anything about previous release (not even the last release).

While I agree that the master branch is for the next release, I'd dispute strongly that it doesn't say "anything" about previous releases. It says just about everything for those libraries which haven't undergone revision, and still says a lot--or at least something--for the rest. My personal experience has been finding the bug I suspected in a library by looking at the matrix, sometimes with the library a couple revs out of date. Just guessing, but I'd say it's a pretty good bet statistically that a yellow mark on the master regression will still be yellow after 90 days (at least). When a boost user looks at an out-of-date matrix, what does (s)he see for his/her platform? Mostly green (hopefully!), some yellow that's been fixed (maybe!), some that hasn't. That's more valuable than seeing nothing at all. Please reconsider. (Ok, ok, 90 days is pretty long, but still...) Cross-posting with the main list since (I say) the audience is wider.