RE: Next pretest, and branching plans

["Drew Adams" <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> > If pretest feedback from Windows users is at all useful or 
> > important to you, then you might consider this a loss.
> > If not, just keep on rolling...
> 
> Is a policy to provide a binary for windows? There's no binary for
> GNU/Linux, OSX and many others.

I cannot speak to what the "policy" is, or whether there even is a policy. I
make no claim about policy.

GNU Emacs does publish this, FWIW:
http://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest/windows/.
The README there (from 2010/01/03) says, "This directory contains precompiled
distributions for GNU Emacs on Windows".

That is, GNU Emacs publishes a directory that has _only_ Windows binaries.

No, the README does not claim that the directory includes a binary of the latest
pretest. And it did not include a binary for the previous pretest (23.1.91)
either, until we reminded about it a few times and Jason found time to create
and post it (thank you).

But prior to that, AFAIK, it generally _has_ included pretest binaries.

I repeat: *IF* such feedback from Windows users is important to Emacs
development, then you might consider that not posting a binary will reduce
useful feedback.

Speaking for myself only, that will be the case. As an example, I recently spent
some time with Michael A. trying to debug and fix bug #5478, and we were forced
to test using the previous Windows pretest because the latest was not available.

With no pretest binaries at all, next time perhaps we will need to wait for a
binary of the next release. Or the bug might find someone who wants to not only
fix the bug but also build Emacs on Windows.

Perhaps more importantly, there will be fewer (far fewer, IMO) new bug reports
from Windows users for the latest code. Instead of a pretest, you will, in
effect, just wait until after the release to get such bug reports. The purpose
of the pretest will thus be defeated, except for those Windows pretesters who
are willing to build Emacs.

Speaking for myself again, I have submitted many bug reports for Emacs pretests,
including for the last one (23.1.91). I submitted none for 23.1.92, since there
was no binary. IF you think that bug reports during pretest can be helpful in
general, then this is a loss.

> But when I was using Windows, I have found the following two sources
> that provide excellent binary for windows.
> http://code.google.com/p/emacs-for-windows/
> http://www.ourcomments.org/Emacs/DL/EmacsW32/EmacsCVS/unptch/e
> macs-from-cvs-091015.zip

Yes, and there are other sites that also have, or have had, old Windows
binaries. And people appreciate this. But that is all beside the point.

Those you cite are from 2010/02/02 and 2009/10/15, respectively.
Neither represents the latest pretest. That's the point: the pretest.

If you, Lennart or anyone else builds a pretest binary and posts it, that will
be helpful and appreciated.