crazy thought about how to ease QA testing

[Jim Popovitch]

Jesse Keating wrote:
> On Fri, 2006-02-10 at 17:54 +0200, Pekka Savola wrote:
>> So, instead of adding more hoops ("please, install a virtual image of 
>> all the other distros and do verify testing etc. there"), most focus 
>> should be put on making participation easier. 
> 
> I am trying to make it easier.  I'm trying to make it so that people
> don't have to use their production systems as package fodder for our QA
> process.  I'm trying to make it so that those that really care about one
> release and do the work for one release can easily do the work for
> another release w/out having to support yet another system.  Just run a
> program anywhere that is convenient.
> 
> I am really opposed to any kind of automated testing that boils down to
> 'it installed here, guess it is good to go'.  I want human interaction
> on the packages, so I'm trying to make that human interaction easier.
> 

I have to agree with Jesse, there is no way automated testing will work. 
  There are just too many differing issues from patch to patch.

Jesse, Is there a way FL can beg/borrow/steal a somewhat beefy central 
host to run VMWare Server.  You could then control the server and VMWare 
install, yet you could provision and make available virtual testing 
systems that we could use to Q&A.  Sort of like SF's compiler farm, 
although virtual.  Testing X apps might prove a pain via an exported 
display (over SSH of course), but in those cases we could use vnc.

Thoughts?

-Jim P.