[zeromq-dev] Stable releases

[Martin Sustrik]

Hi,

So so far the consensus seems to be:

1. rename sustrik account to zeromq
2. do experiments on branches

My feeling is that branches are kind of leftover from centralised 
version control systems, but most people prefer it that way, so be it.

As for the stable branch I think the things to care about are:

1. API/ABI backward compatibility
2. Wire protocol backward compatibility
3. Avoiding performance regressions
4. Avoiding build regressions

Pt 1. means that users would be able to upgrade to new versions without 
a need to change their code.

Pt 2. means that applications linked with old version of 0MQ would be 
able to speak to applications linked with new version of 0MQ.

Pt 3. means that performance wouldn't drop unexpectedly after installing 
new version.

Pt 4. means that support for particular platforms / transports won't be 
dropped in new versions.

To achieve the above, at least two questions should be answered:

1. Which APIs are going to be officially supported (method prototypes as 
well as command lines).

2. Which OS platforms / transports are going to be officially supported.

My suggestion would be start with a minimal set and add officially 
supported features as needed. The rationale is that it's a one-way road 
-- a feature can be added to the set anytime, however, no feature can be 
dropped.

Martin