Re: [jerome.marant@free.fr: Re: Possible help with stable Emacs releases.]

[Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

>> Actually, we already have "the RC branch" from which 21.2 and 21.3 came.
>> So I agree to the extent that "Debian patches" should be applied to the RC
>> branch of Emacs rather than just to the Debian Emacs package (assuming the
>> fixes are sufficiently clean, of course).

> It is much easier to create a new branch for every stable release: you
> can then avoid the pain of CVS merges for the same cost (I'm not
> inventing anything, GCC people do this).

OK, it seems we're mis-communicating because I assume you know things you
don't.  "The" RC branch is the branch that's created when a new major
release is made.  I.e. when 21.1 was released, a new branch was created
(EMACS_21_1_RC).  From this branch were cut the bugfix releases 21.2 and
21.3.  When 21.4 will be release a new RC branch will be created.

I.e. right now there's a single RC branch for the simple reason that there's
only been a single major release since we switched to CVS.  But there will
be more (but obviously at any point in time only one RC branch is active,
because we don't have the manpower to continue releasing bugfix releases of
several major versions).

I.e. what you're suggesting is "what we already do" except that you're
proposing to be more actively involved in maintaining the RC branch (and you
suggest we call the revisions 21.1.N rather than 21.2, 21.3, ...).  I think
that any separately maintained set of patches is a waste of resouces, so of
course I'd welcome it if Debian put their patches directly in the RC branch
rather.


        Stefan