diff --git a/site/news/MANIFEST b/site/news/MANIFEST index 0353053..d1feaa5 100644 --- a/site/news/MANIFEST +++ b/site/news/MANIFEST @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@ +schedule.md libreboot20241206rev8.md libreboot20241206.md libreboot20241008.md diff --git a/site/news/schedule.md b/site/news/schedule.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0b6e539 --- /dev/null +++ b/site/news/schedule.md @@ -0,0 +1,102 @@ +% Formalised Libreboot 2025 release schedule +% Leah Rowe +% 17 January 2025 + +Libreboot releases will now be on a much stricter timeline than in the past. + +Testing/Stable release cycle +============================ + +As alluded to in the Libreboot 20241206 release, a new release schedule is +planned for 2025 onward: + +* April/October will be for testing releases. +* June/December will be for stable releases. + +So, two testing releases and two stable releases. Each release can have any +number of revisions, whereby the tarballs are re-generated and re-uploaded, +replacing old ones, must like what was done on the 20241206 and 20240612 +releases. + +Rules for revisions: +-------------------- + +Testing releases come out two months before stable; any number of non-breaking +or otherwise relatively safe changes can be made, and testing releases will +stop receiving new revisions about 3-4 weeks before the stable release. Any +number of improvements can be made, including massive updating of upstream +code revisions. + +Stable release revisions must not fundamentally alter the substance of a given +stable release, relative to first release. Essentially, any revisions to stable +releases post-release will be critical bug fixes; in a few cases, special +additions will be made when desirable and safe (e.g. Pico 2 support was added +to Libreboot 20241206 post-release, in the revision 8 update from 2025-01-06). + +Why? +---- + +In the past, a problem Libreboot has had was that we'd do testing releases, +but not do revisions on them; then by the time a stable release came around, +some upstream revisions would be about 4-6 months out of date (typically). + +With this new formalised structure, we can be as close to upstream as possible +by the time of each stable release, for each given upstream e.g. coreboot. + +This release schedule will also provide greater opportunity for coverage of +Libreboot releases, since people know then what to expect and what dates to +put in their calendars. + +This decision is part of a much larger initiative to boost Libreboot's +popularity and therefore use within the free software world. + +Release version numbers +======================= + +Libreboot YY.MM releases +------------------------ + +Libreboot YYYYMMDD was the previous version number scheme. + +The new scheme is: Libreboot YY.MM + +For example, the April 2025 release will be Libreboot 25.04. + +The new release scheme is better, because we presently need to start release +builds early in the morning to ensure (given build time and possible errors +to be fixed) that they are released on the day. For example, a 20250404 release +would have to come out on April 4th, so if it finished compiling on April 5th, +it would become Libreboot 20250405 under the previous scheme. + +With this new scheme, and given Libreboot's expansion plans, it won't matter +even if a release build takes 2 days to complete, because the day of the month +will no longer be included in a given release number. + +Y2.1k compliance +---------------- + +If Libreboot still exists in the year 2100, then those releases will be +e.g. Libreboot 100.04 for April 2100 release. + +It could happen. Even if I'm no longer around by then, Libreboot might still be. + +Release codenames +----------------- + +The release codename for Libreboot 25.04 will be "Corny Calamity", which is a +nod of respect to an equally gutsy release codename that *Fedora* used in +one of their releases (Beefy Miracle!). + +The rules for Libreboot release codenames are: two words, each starting with +the same letter. + +Credit +====== + +[Britney Lozza](https://janethemotherfucker.github.io/) was the one who suggested +to me that I use this new release number and codename scheme, and I previously +came up with the plan to use an April/June and October/December testing/stable +release schedule. + +Britney also came up with the codename that I've decided to use for +the June 2025 stable release - stay tuned!