Re: [Tails-dev] Basing Tails on quarterly snapshots of Debi…

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Autore: sajolida
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To: The Tails public development discussion list
Oggetto: Re: [Tails-dev] Basing Tails on quarterly snapshots of Debian Testing: status update… and next steps?
intrigeri:
> So I see three options:
>
> A. Drop the ball entirely for the Buster cycle, and possibly come back
>    to it for the next Debian release cycle (Debian 11 aka. Bullseye)

>
>     - pros: less work to do right now
>     - cons: we get none of the expected benefits of this project, e.g.
>       we have to deal with Stretch bugs and backports for ~18 more
>       months

>
> B. I keep working on this alone and at my own pace
>
>    I think I can do step #1 by the end of the year, and step #2 + #3
>    by the end of March, worst case by the end of April. So we would
>    target the June release and we'll only be based on a non-frozen
>    Buster for a something like 3-6 months.

>
>     - pros: less ambitious than the original plan so if this doesn't
>       work well between June and the Buster freeze, we don't suffer
>       for too long; and we already get some data points that will help
>       us make our decision for Bullseye

>
>     - cons: we get less data points to make a decision for Bullseye
>       than with the origin plan or with option B

>
> C. I get team-mates and we do the work in a timely manner in order to
>    reach a decision ASAP, say by the end of January, so we can target
>    the 2018-03-06 release

>
>    Pros/cons: exactly the opposite of B's

>
>    Required skills: good knowledge of the Debian ecosystem (release
>    cycle, transitions, handling of security issues) and/or of Tails
>    system integration glue i.e. what we call "code" here.

>
>    We don't have many potential candidates in Tails currently, and
>    they're all busy with other projects that I absolutely don't want
>    to disrupt.

>
>    It's unclear if we can pay this work right now, which is a blocker:
>    I can't reach out to my favorite external contractors who would
>    probably be happy to get onboard. If we think we should try this
>    I can look into the money aspect more closely.

>
> My personal preference would be:
>
> C (assuming the money thing is solved) >> B >> A
>
> How do you feel? What do you think? Other options I overlooked?


Speaking as an accountant: I'm worried about taking important money
decisions before the end of the fundraising campaign and our budget
planning which will happen in February. Because I wouldn't like to
commit to paying work on "rolling Tails" (what's the name of your
project by the way?) to then realize two months later that we will be
very short on other core budget lines. This applies to technical writing
as well: I'd rather have more money for core technical writing in 2018
than money for technical writing on "rolling Tails" now.

So maybe I would need a quick sanity check on our current balance and
how would differ from last year after the fundraising campaign is over
(assuming it's as successful as last year as a first try) and if it's
not much more than last year I would drop C.

Speaking as a friend: Which options are more work and more stress for
the people involved across the next 12 months?