Re: Update on 2016 Firefox Release Schedule

I'm concerned about the suggestion that we could start delaying trains,
especially on an ad hoc basis. Trains work because of predictability and
frequency.

It's hard for me to quite understand the rationale behind varying the
schedule, but if it's because of things like quality issues, say, from
shipping features before they're adequately tested, then delaying trains
will actually exacerbate the problems, not fix them. The less people can
depend on trains, the more pressure they will feel to ship early, which is
precisely the thing you were trying to address. If the problem with
holidays and such is that people are trying to cram features in at the last
minute, then again, delaying trains and making them less predictable will
exacerbate that.

Regardless of the rationale, adding variability and uncertainty into the
train system works directly at odds with what it has been so successful at
achieving -- not just for Firefox, but for Chrome and Rust, for example.
This isn't a small thing: giving credit where due, I see trains as the best
thing Chrome ever did for the web. It's been one of the biggest drivers in
pushing the platform forward. I would hate to see us regress in our
contribution to that part of our mission.

Dave

On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 12:50 PM, Lawrence Mandel <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Four years ago Mozilla moved to a fixed-schedule release model, otherwise
> known as the Train Model
> <https://blog.mozilla.org/channels/2011/07/18/every-six-weeks/>, in which
> we released Firefox every six weeks to get features and updates to users
> faster and move at the speed of the Web. We studied the process carefully
> and learned a lot. We have also identified additional areas for improvement
> and it’s time we iterate again.
>
> We are moving to a variably scheduled six-to-eight week release cycle for
> Firefox. With this new release cycle, we will deliver the same number of
> releases per year but gain a few significant benefits over the previous six
> week fixed model.
>
> For example, we will now be able to adjust release dates to respond to
> emerging user and market needs and provide at least six working weeks for
> every release. We also want to help support the well-being and
> connectedness of our global Mozilla community by specifically allowing time
> for holidays.
>
> You’ll find the 2016 Firefox release schedule listed below and in the
> following Wiki <https://wiki.mozilla.org/RapidRelease/Calendar>.
>
>
> This note has also been posted to the Future of Firefox blog
> <
> https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2016/02/04/update-on-2016-firefox-release-schedule
> >
> .
>
>
> 2016 Firefox Release Schedule
>
> 2016-01-26 - Firefox 44
>
> 2016-03-08 - Firefox 45, ESR 45 (6 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-04-19 - Firefox 46 (6 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-06-07 - Firefox 47 (7 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-08-02 - Firefox 48 (8 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-09-13 - Firefox 49 (6 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-11-08 - Firefox 50 (8 weeks cycle)
>
> 2016-12-13 - Firefox 50.0.1 (5 week cycle, release for critical fixes as
> needed)
>
> 2017-01-24 - Firefox 51 (6 weeks from prior release)
>
> Note: Firefox ESR will continue to ship point releases on the same day that
> Firefox ships.
>
>
> Lawrence
> _______________________________________________
> dev-planning mailing list
> [email protected]
> https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-planning
>
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