API freeze timeline (was: [gst-devel] caps/caps2)

[David Schleef]

On Tue, Dec 02, 2003 at 12:46:01PM +0100, Benjamin Otte wrote:
> The new caps system will be in 0.8
> If we slip the schedule, we slip the schedule.

I didn't want to say it, but we're going to slip the schedule
(slightly).

The scope of the API freeze is basically anything in gstreamer
or gst-plugins that installs headers into include/gst/.  I am
defining "API freeze" such that you may continue to _add_
functions (within reason), but removing or changing functions is
not allowed.  I'm hoping this is the same definition that GNOME
uses.

As I see it, one or more of us have expressed interest in doing
the following API-related tasks before the API freeze:

 - GstEvent should use GstStructure for all events (Company)

 - GstError needs to be implemented (thomasvs)

 - merge CAPS branch (ds)

 - implement GstPadLink (ds)
   - this can probably be done without API changes, since it's mostly
     internal recordkeeping in the core.  There may be API elements
     exposed to schedulers.

 - fix bufferpools (ds)
   - I haven't even begun to design this :)  Unfortunately, this is
     somewhat critical.

 - rename GstInterface (BBB)

 - rename some of the .pc files (Company)

 - gstreamer-gnome needs to be split out of gst-plugins (Company)

 - change GST_OBJECT_PADDING (etc.) to actual unused fields (ds)
   - GtkDoc doesn't really like 'GST_OBJECT_PADDING'

Also, I've marked a few bugs by adding "[API]" to the summary.
These bugs may require API changes to resolve.  Please look at
the bug list and mark any more that you feel are relevant.  I'd
like to at least come to some consensus on each bug about what
we're going to do -- e.g., drop it until post-0.8, resolve the
bug in an API-compatible way, etc.


So, for a proposed timeline (the dates are deadlines):

 Monday, 8 December -
  - identify and have a plan of action for any potential API changes.
    (i.e., the list above)  The key part is having the plan of action
    written down.
  - merge CAPS branch
  - 0.7.3 release
  - Most API frozen.  Areas of exception will be listed in an email to
    this list.

 Monday, 15 December -
  - status report on the list of pending API changes.

 Monday, 22 December -
  - status report on the list of pending API changes.  Hopefully, the
    list will be empty.
  - 0.7.4 release
  - API and ABI frozen.  After this point, we do careful library
    versioning.

(Does anyone know if we're supposed to bump the library version to
0.8 at the time of the ABI freeze?)

Comments?



dave...