Dev:Doc/Process/Release Cycle

Release Cycle

The 2.7x release cycle

The last 2.7x releases will only be made when enough work was done on 'master'. Officially all focus now go to the 2.8 branches. Note that the B-Con levels were updated in 2014 to allow the 'release candidate' made as BCon5 target.

B-Con Levels

Bcon Level	Duration	Task
Bcon1: Set targets	2-3 weeks	Confirm targets, make release schedule, start merging approved work to trunk
Bcon2: Targets set, Merge	3-4 weeks	Remaining branches can be merged in, but only the ones agreed on in Bcon1. Module work can continue, focus is on stabilizing and fixing.
Bcon3: Fixing/Stabilize only	2-3 weeks	If a branch added in Bcon1/2 is still very unstable it will be reverted. Focus is on bugfixing and get release ready
Bcon4: Only essential bug fixes	1-2 weeks	Test build is being made, only critical fixes are allowed
Bcon5: Release & Freeze	1-2 days t	Splash & version commit, Release Ahoy and clear call for freeze/unfreeze. The Release Candidate release(s) happen

(Test) Build Schedule

Build	Time	Testing
First Testbuild	Beginning of Bcon4	All new features are added, user can test. At this point documentation efforts can also start.
Release Candidate	Beginning of Bcon5	The release candidate gets splash and version number. Release sources are tagged to become a branch, work in 'git master' then can continue on next release
Final	During BCon1, using the tagged release branch.	Final stable release