only keep the latest package in testing?

[Russell Harrison]

On 11/5/07, Michael DeHaan <mdehaan at redhat.com> wrote:
> If this is based on it being a "testing" repo I am not sure that is
> right as different folks are using it in different ways, but then again,
> I'm not sure
> it actually matters that much either.   What are the technical reasons
> for keeping it?

I can see the use case where a user is testing a fix for package foo
in updates-testing.  As it turns out package foo only partially fixes
the problem.  When the developer pushes out foo +1 to updates-testing
with what he believes is the true fix it turns out to break in the
user's environment for whatever reason.  That user would most likely
like to revert to the original package foo he started with in
updates-testing because it is better than the one in stable for him.
If only one version of a package is in updates-testing at any one time
he wouldn't have that option.

Its the same argument for keeping multiple versions in stable.  Just a
smaller number of users impacted.  It just so happens these are the
users that are most likely helping out the project.  I wonder if there
is a way to age out backup copies of packages.  I don't see any reason
to keep the backup copy after a few weeks, but the hope is that the
package as a whole would have graduated to stable by then anyway.
-- 
Russell Harrison
Systems Administrator -- Linux Desktops
Cisco Systems, Inc.

Note:  The positions or opinions expressed in this email are my own.
They are not necessarily those of my employer.