Re: Comments/questions about the use of snapshot dependencies during the release process.

[Paul Spencer]

Manfred,

First off, regardless of the outcome this discussion should not hold up 
the current release process.  In fact, lets wait until it is done.

Thank you for working on the release.

Paul Spencer



Manfred Geiler wrote:
inline-->

On 2/6/07, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Manfred,
See below.


Manfred Geiler wrote:
> inline >>>
>
> On 2/6/07, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> Manfred Geiler wrote:
>> > On 2/6/07, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>> >>
>> >> IMHO we should not add a SNAPSHOT dependency until their their is a
>> >> change from the released version of the dependency.  This will
>> minimize
>> >> the number of projects to released.  Thus at the end of the release
>> >> process, only the following SNAPSHOT dependencies should exist:
>> >
>> > See above. There are no officially available non-SNAPSHOT 
releases for
>> > "maven-project" or "shared" or "core" yet.
>> >
>> >
>> >> In addition the snapshot dependency should not be add until 
AFTER the
>> >> release is cut.
>> >
>> > Same problem and additional danger here:
>> > Imagine a developer changes something and forgets to increase the
>> > version number of the artifact from "x.y.z" to "x.y.z-SNAPSHOT". 
If he
>> > does a mvn install (or a mvn deploy!!!) he will have a total version
>> > chaos in his local repo: He will have local artifacts with version
>> > x.y.z that differ to the official released artifacts with the same
>> > version number!
>> >
>> > See description of the maven release plugin [1] for best practice 
and
>> > to learn how others are doing.
>> >
>>
>> The version of the artifact should be a SNAPSHOT for the above reason.
>> I am referring to how the artifact is used.  As an example, Tomahawk
>> v1.1.5 will be dependent on maven-project v2.0.5. My comment was 
related
>> to Tomahawk v1.1.6-SNAPSHOT.  Should it be dependent on maven-project
>> v2.0.5 or v2.0.6-SNAPSHOT?
>
> My feeling is that it should depend on maven-project v2.0.6-SNAPSHOT
> because it seems safer in case someone checks in something into the
> maven-project that is incompatible to tomahawk. This will be detected
> then during continuum nightly build at the latest.
>
> Well, and as mentioned before, there does not exist an official
> maven-project v2.0.5 yet.
>
> Do you mean, we should freeze tomahawks dependencies to maven-project
> (and shared) until some new feature or fix is added to these artifacts
> that is needed in tomahawk?  Hmm. My feeling is that it makes more
> problems than it solves. I think the best thing is to keep all MyFaces
> "intra dependencies" on the trunk(s) at the latest ie. every
> subproject uses the latest snapshot version of each other. Upon
> releasing there is still a chance to turn back the dependency to an
> artifact that has not changed since the last release.
>
> That means: When we release a new tomahawk version in a few weeks and
> the dependency to maven-project v2.0.6-SNAPSHOT there will be two
> possibilities:
> - there is NO diff between maven-project v2.0.5 and v2.0.6-SNAPSHOT
> --> voila, we can release tomahawk with a dependency to maven-project
> v2.0.5
> - there is A diff between maven-project v2.0.5 and v2.0.6-SNAPSHOT -->
> we must publish an official maven-project v2.0.6 release first and
> then release tomahawk with a dependency to maven-project v2.0.6
>
> Thoughts?
>

Their is a balance here.  If a dependent project is likely to change
then by all means depend on the SNAPSHOT, otherwise depend on the
released version.

Dependency on maven-project-2.0.6-SNAPSHOT:
   Pro:
   o Dependent project will not have to update their dependency after
     the first commit to maven-project.
   Con:
   o More work during the release process if their is not change to
     maven-project. I.e. the release manage has to either release
     maven-project 2.0.6 or update the dependent projects to use
     2.0.5
   o Maven 2.0.4 has some issues around retrieving snapshot that are
     dependencies of a snapshot.

If their is no difference between maven-project (or shared) between
MyFaces and Tomahawk, then the same version of maven-project should be
used.  From a developers stand point the minimized issues like "what
version of this artifact should I be using" and "what has changed".  I
am not advocating a "freeze" since a freeze may prevent, or
unnecessarily complicate, a fix to Tomahawk.

In short my preferences is to keep the dependency on snapshots to a
minimum, but I understand their are occasion when they are necessary.

Paul,
I agree with most of your arguments. And you are right, there must be
a tradeoff between the likelyhood of a subproject to change and
dependent projects.
But there is one more Pro for a dependency on
maven-project-2.0.6-SNAPSHOT that just came to my mind and that might
be the cause for my feeling that "intra project" dependencies should
always be the latest snapshots:
When people check out the current "meta-project" and do a complete
build they expect to have a clean compile of every artifact and that
there are no dependencies to "old" artifacts. That's one of the major
pitfalls of maven: When you build an aggregated meta-project most
people would expect it to act like a "make all" and compile and link
together what they have on their disk. Now, if there are dependencies
to project artifacts of an older version this might have dreadful
sideeffects.

I'm almost finished with core 1.1.5 preparations and already have
changed all dependencies to the next SNAPSHOT versions. Although there
should be more discussions regarding this issue, I would like to go on
like I have started. Please do not take this as an act of ignorance.
All right?

--Manfred