[Linux-cluster] Reminder: still no RHEL4 U5 system-config-cluster!

[jim parsons]

As a On Tue, 2007-05-22 at 19:35 +0200, Jos Vos wrote:
> Hi,

>  . As far as I can see, the promised new version of 
> system-config-cluster
> is still not uploaded!  I don't see it on RHN (nor are the sources on
> the ftp site).  Or am I overlooking something?
> Thanks,

Jos, 
I am a developer here at Red Hat and I am resonsible for cluster and
storage UI For each update cycle, I comb thru the reported bugs and set
up my own desired prioritization of the flaws and weigh them against the
strides we wish to make on a full featured set of configuratuin and
management tools. This process includes product management as well as
marketing representitives intent on making sure pain poins that current
customers are enduring are provided some relief.

So, you the users and I the developer describe what we want the app to
do and by a conscensus of interested parties, 
 a prioritized list of tasks is generated for an update cycle.Each task
has a bz number assigned to it. Then I fix a task. And I fix another,
and another. As I go, I do preliminary testing on the code.amd I mark my
completed BZ tickets as modified when I believe they are ready for prime
time.

When the deadline approaches and (hopefully) all of my issues are marked
modified, I as a developer begin developing a document that is touched
by several groups of excellant engineers here at Red Hat: Document
people become involved and check my grammer and syntax used in
describing the defects and enhancements.The files are composed and built
in our massive multi-way build system (a remarkable piece of engineering
in its own wright)and the resuts run through a gauntlet of automated
tests looking for missed dep declarations, builds that match all
necessary target arches, unusual file size changes from the last
build/release...there is a matrix of 20 or 30 low hanging fruit that
need to either be addressed or waived along as passed, with a written
affadavit appended to that test result.

After the initial set of hurdles, the candidate package for release must
be QA'd officially, by hand.As the developer, I must provide test notes
to guide QA along. The packages then move to another group of QA
Engineers associated with the RHN group. They have their owm battery of
package interaction tests that can easily be customized and scaled for a
particular package; Here is one of Red Hats True Strengths - the have
remarkably high caliber release and qa engineers.After spending 30 years
in this business, I can honestly say that the quality of personnel
concerned with our applications working as intended is exemplary. They
help make my code look great.

So Jos Vos, when I told you last week that I thought my package would
make it through the gauntlet in 24 hours to you, I truly believed it. I
have managed to push some packages in that time frame in the past. This
one has taken an additional week to make it through all necessary
testing, but I would not wanted to cheat the process and get it out on
the street any faster than when it is ready. It is sometimes frustrating
to a developer while they wait for the errata gears to grind, but as
always - I and most of us are always willing to let you try a release
early iyw. Often on this list I have addressed bugs for folks and
release pre-alpha version just to see if we are taking the right
approach; and then I run down the devel and PM consensus after
wards...if the fix is worthwhile and the correct one, it will be in the
next distribution.

And the the translation team needs time to do there thing and check out
any new strings that have been added to the UI...Sorry it takes so much
time. You can always ping me for a quick fix or an alpha to try...and if
the schema validation ever gets persnickety, just mail me your conf file
and your version number and I can have a fast fix in place for you in a
day. ok? s-c-cluster is supposed to be pushed tonight. Please try it out
- it does some fun new stuff like persist your custom tags and write
them out for you. They just won't appear in the UI proper.

Good Luck,

Jim