[petsc-dev] does next model mess up our histories

[Karl Rupp]

>> I second more frequent feature releases. Currently we release every ~12
>> months. Releasing every 6 months is certainly within reach. It should also
>> help us with finishing features up on a regular basis rather than having them
>> in a half-done state for too long (of course I'm also referring to myself
>> here).
>
> As long as we don't wait for a feature - we should be able to do
> frequent timely releases [master is always supporsed to be in a
> releaseable state :)]

:-)


> One issue is: we currently support only 1 previous release at a
> time. For faster releases - would this cause grief? [wrt users
> requiring frequent upgrades, and us requiring to support more
> releases]

The rate of new features will remain roughly the same, so the time 
between eventual interface changes will also be roughly the same. 
Conversely, it will be easier for users to upgrade, since the 
differences between versions are smaller. If we keep the current policy 
of supporting the latest release and occasionally advise users on how to 
fix their problems with older releases, we should still be fine with a 6 
months release cycle.

Best regards,
Karli