Did I miss a release? Releases only shows v2.0.4.36-2.0.4.36_canary_2019-12-08 released yesterday.
v2.0.4.1-2.0.4.1_experimental_2018-11-08
Changes in this version:
This is a collection release that is based on the 2.0.3.14 canary build.
is like what you ask, then you must know Experimental soon led to v2.0.4.5-2.0.4.5_beta_2018-11-28.
v2.0.3.1-2.0.3.1_experimental_2018-03-16
This experimental release is mostly the same as the canary build v2.0.2.20.
was an earlier example, but the exact words used depend on the person who writes the release notice, which has been consistent recently. There’s an opening for a release manager if anyone wants to do it.
v2.0.3.3-2.0.3.3_beta_2018-04-02 was where that ended. BTW this is also all in About → Changelog, which is quite a bit of reading, but if you’re interested in what changed when, that’s the way to find out.
In my opinion, there’s not a whole lot of planning in advance. Commonly, volunteers just show up with code. There’s been an effort lately to slow things down a bit, get stable, and do a Beta, which is first a Canary, then if that holds an Experimental (which are infrequent, so are good tests that update works), then if that holds it goes Beta. Sometimes an Experimental or a Beta takes a few tries before it’s good.
and probably lots of staff to manage, coordinate, build, test, and release it all. Or at least I’ve seen that. Typically there are plans, schedules, trackers, assignments, and pressure. I’m not sure it’s a good fit…
There have been (and still are) quite a few discussions on how to best do a project that’s bigger than a person, yet smaller than a large professional development organization. Currently there’s one master branch in GitHub that builds Canary (and might build Nightly soon), and no other permanent branches. Having more and moving code around has been discussed, but it gets complex and needs a volunteer.
This has been tough, but is a bit better recently when it’s clear that the November 2018 Beta is too old. Perhaps even more importantly than new features, Canary has a lot of bug fixes that users should get, however it sometimes has new bugs. Its purpose is to let volunteers find them. So which one is better? Likely it varies from time to time. Right now, Canary is more reliable, but any update could change that, which is why when I recommend it to people suffering from Beta bugs fixed in Canary, I suggest being careful about future Canary, maybe not installing right away, and reading Releases category for clues. Settings can also be changed from Canary to Beta (or perhaps Experimental) to avoid surprise issues.
v2.0.3.6-2.0.3.6_canary_2018-04-23
Beware that this update contains a lot of new code, and should only be used in test environments.
was one example of one where the release note specifically warned, so don’t put those into production. Eventually things get better, and the trick is to try to find a point for a Beta when things are at their best. Scheduled releases (and scheduled slowdowns) have been discussed, but the idea hasn’t caught on…
master turns into Canary which turns into Experimental which turns into Beta, so in a sense there’s no coordination from a what’s-where viewpoint because it’s continuous. The trick is to find a stable spot… Nobody’s been eager to make this complicated, but it’s not clear how long current process will hold up.
Discussion: release cycle shows the above flow, hits hard spots on specifics, and shows links to it from process discussions such as this one which you can follow back to see what the other discussions said.
Can you give a concrete example based on the current changelog which says pretty much everything? What’s missing is “but how good is it now” which isn’t an easy thing to say when it’s initially announced.
Canary = new features with unknown bugs plus known fixes to known bugs, hopefully not adding more.
Beta = known bugs that are fixed in Canary, but lots of people running it, so it’s a better-known release. There are also fewer features (if it matters), but if a Canary release note has a feature you want, try it if you’re willing to put up with whatever bugs it might have, or whatever other bugs have been introduced.
That’s my view on where things stand now. Possibly other people will add in some additional input on it.