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Re: Request for a version/ revision/ release number for the whole Cygwin release/ distribution


Mike Kenny - BCX - Infrastructure Services wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: cygwin-owner@cygwin.com [mailto:cygwin-owner@cygwin.com]On Behalf
Of David Christensen
Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 4:15 AM
To: cygwin@cygwin.com
Subject: RE: Request for a version/ revision/ release number for the
whole Cygwin release/ distribution

.... ....

I don't think there are enough potential volunteer man-hours to make

such a thing feasible.


I disagree.  Assume for a moment that all Cygwin project member
development efforts can be put into the following bins:

Well, there might be plenty of potential volunteer hours, but since it's voluteer, people can prioritize their efforts as they wish...


1. Code development.

2. Design documentation.

3. Test suite development.

4. Test suite documentation.

5. Test suite execution and reporting.

6. User documentation.

7. Packaging for distribution.

8. Infrastructure development.

9. Infrastructure administration.

10. Version control/ configuration management of all of the above.

11. Personnel leadership and project management.

It would seem that bin #1 is consuming the majority of the effort.  I
think that by changing priorities and re-allocating people and
resources, it should be possible to create integration tests and a
"stable" distribution.  Such would increase Cygwin's acceptance and
usage for potentially hundreds of millions of people.  Is this not a
good thing?

Well potential... and potential. Who would use Cygwin and what for? Cygwin doesn't really offer anything that Joe Average needs or even bothers to learn since it's "difficult".


For advanced users, system operators and such Cygwin gives lot more. But it definitely reduces potentials down.

For a corporations there is magic word called "tech support".


It seems to me that as it is a volunteer community, the people in question would need to volunteer to be re-allocated. This does not seem to be happening. :-)

It seems that it isn't happening and I think it takes a whole lot more time and personel to volunteer their time to all those "bins".


And since many of packages are open source, builts are targeted on *nix systems, primary maintenance happens outside cygwin eg. level of documentation, testing, testcases and such varies greatly. Then there is cygwin specific maintainers that just make sure that package compiles and works okay (as specified by original author(s)) and builds distribution package. And then there is people who work for core of cygwin, cygwin1.dll...

Always have to think of target audience.

If you're looking something "simple" you can take a look for "TheOpenCD" project, OSI licensed software for average users. Or less professional looking "GnuWin2" project, also OSI licensed software for advanced propellerheads.

Both offer many OSS software as native builds, with nice standard gui installers and such.

But how about Cygwin? Cygwin installation provides only basically list of packages and you really have to know what you're doing before you get something useful out.

Maybe it would be just enough to produce better installation program, maybe even possiblity to categorize tools like you could just say "C and C++ development tools" and you get all needed stuff to build programs, maybe even in neat single download package. After that you could name installation package as "Cygwin Environment version 99.99" and refer people to download and use that specified package.

Hmm... NSIS could even work this out pretty well... I might even try that one if there is enough interest for that.

--

Jani Tiainen


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