[Rpm-maint] [REQUEST] new release of rpm-4.9.x branch

[Panu Matilainen]

On 03/13/2012 11:48 AM, Panu Matilainen wrote:
> On 03/13/2012 11:30 AM, Thierry Vignaud wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> I see you're back-porting fixes in FC's rpm. eg:
>>
>> * Wed Mar 07 2012 Panu Matilainen<pmatilai at redhat.com> - 4.9.1.2-6
>> - fix memory corruption on rpmdb size estimation (#766260)
>> - fix couple of memleaks in python bindings (#782147)
>> - fix regression in verify output formatting (#797964)
>> - dont process spec include in false branch of if (#782970)
>> - only warn on missing excluded files on build (#745629)
>> - dont free up file info sets on test transactions
>>
>> * Thu Feb 09 2012 Panu Matilainen<pmatilai at redhat.com> - 4.9.1.2-5
>> - adjust font detection rules for libmagic change (#757105)
>> - fix classification of ELF binaries with setuid/setgid bit (#758251)
>> - switch back to smaller BDB cache default (#752897)
>>
>> However they don't land in other distros' rpm unless they look at FC's
>> rpm.
>>
>> I know that not all those patches would be committed upstream, but please
>> can you do a new release of rpm-4.9.1.3 with those fixes so that
>> everybody can enjoy them?
>
> A new maintenance release of 4.9.x has been in the plans for quite some
> time now, it's just gotten delayed, delayed and delayed again for
> various reasons. But yes, there will be 4.9.2 bugfix release, hopefully
> sooner than later.

Speaking of maintenance releases...

The intent has always been to make maintenance releases for the current 
stable release every few months, but you know how it goes with good 
intentions... The gaps (and the releases) have gotten bigger and bigger 
as time has gone by, and as more and more stuff gets fixed in a single 
release, the bigger the chance for regressions comes.

Would people prefer having smaller rpm bugfix releases, more often? 
Putting out releases, even small ones, involves certain amount of extra 
effort to prepare release notes and all, so it's not something I'd do 
"just for fun." But if rebasing to minor rpm versions more often is 
something that distro maintainers would prefer and see as a useful thing...

	- Panu -