[MOAB-dev] MOAB git branching model

[Tim Tautges]

Hi all,
   The recent instability of the master branch of the MOAB repository (due entirely to me pushing large gobs of code) 
has gotten me thinking about our current repository branching model, or really lack thereof.  I think it's probably time 
to get a bit more formalized about this, in spite of my distaste for explicit processes in general.

To review, in our current repo, we have a master branch, and several branches for previous releases.  In general, other 
MOAB developers have been using either direct clones (w/o named branches) or forks and pull requests.  The advantage of 
this is simplicity, but the disadvantage is having a master branch that could be unstable.

There are two things I'd like to propose or at least start a discussion on in this email:

1) For developers on the project, I think we should always do that development in branches, either feature branches or 
hotfix branches.  That will make it easier to figure out what's going on at any point in time, and for associating 
individual merges with specific development features or fixes.  External developers (those w/o credentials to push 
directly into MOAB master) would continue to submit pull requests as before.

2) I think we should go to a more formalized repo structure and branching/release process, similar to what is described 
in http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/.  Mostly what this would mean is that the master branch would 
be come our "stable" or last-released version, while a development branch would be the one receiving day-to-day changes 
(and receiving the most autotesting).  This wouldn't prevent the kind of instability on that branch that I caused 
recently, but at least would protect non-developers from these problems.

Comments?

- tim

-- 
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"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is
   steadfast, because he trusts in you."               Isaiah 26:3

              Tim Tautges            Argonne National Laboratory
          (tautges at mcs.anl.gov)      (telecommuting from UW-Madison)
  phone (gvoice): (608) 354-1459      1500 Engineering Dr.
             fax: (608) 263-4499      Madison, WI 53706