[TYPO3-core] After the LTS is before the LTS

[Jigal van Hemert]

Hi,

On 23-6-2014 23:09, Ernesto Baschny wrote:
> [1] http://wiki.typo3.org/Blueprints/Release

In general very good plans!

A few observations and opinions about the concept:

Version numbers
---------------

Will probably be a much debated issue; it will not be a problem for 
people looking for a version to install. The website always shows the 
current stable, the old stable and in the future the EAR version. Nobody 
really cares which number it has as long as the quick information shows 
what to expect.
More important is to keep a numbering scheme which is compatible with 
our current code (TER, EM, Install Tool, etcetera)

Deprecation
-----------

Will not be much of a problem. Extensions must have a dependency with at 
least one maintained branch, so extensions authors who update that 
dependency can fix usage of deprecated functions during that process.

Perhaps we could replace the deprecation log call plus the working code 
with an exception after a release, instead of removing the functionality 
completely? The removed functionality would break an extension already; 
the exception just displays extra information (in development mode).

Benefits
--------

There is clearly a desire for LTS versions by agencies. They like to 
sell long supported releases to their customers. Most of them will 
postpone upgrading as long as possible. Jumping from version x to x+2 
will become the usual way. Maybe that is a good thing to combine it with 
a redesign/relaunch every three years.

We still have to maintain quite a few releases. With this scheme there 
are always two and during the overlap three LTS versions to maintain and 
of course the EAR branch.

We'll have to see how the EAR idea will work out. Maybe people drop a 
feature in the master branch and expect others to iron out the issues. 
Maybe people will concentrate on their own feature and stay away from 
bugfixing.

Adoption of releases
--------------------

According to t3census data 70% uses 4.5 or higher. 47% uses an LTS 
version; this is 66% of the users of 4.5 or higher.

This will only increase when "regular" versions disappear.
Many users of 4.5-6.1 will move to 6.2 LTS during the current overlap 
period. A few will not update (we still have 30% using 4.4 or lower).

Since there will be a possibility to skip an LTS version my expectations 
are that 7.xLTS will not be used a lot. Mainly very active and new sites 
will use this version. The majority of the 6.2LTS sites will eventually 
move to 8.x. Only in the long run the usage of odd and even LTS version 
will become more balanced as the influence of new websites in the 
previous years becomes larger. If CMS lives long enough to see this 
remains to be seen :-)

Adoption of EAR will IMO remain very low. Only sites that are actively 
developed may find the need to use such versions. It will be regarded as 
a continuous beta version of the next LTS.

Do I have a solution for this? Not really. It is the result of having 
LTS versions, which are so desired by agencies. Maybe the agencies that 
called so loudly to have LTS releases should take the responsibility and 
invest time in testing EAR releases. It is after all the next LTS that 
they sell to their clients.

Thanks for the efforts of making the concept and blueprint.

-- 
Jigal van Hemert
TYPO3 CMS Active Contributor

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