One of the biggest advantages of open source technology projects is that everybody from the community is free to float an idea and if it gains community support, it could be turned into reality. Along the similar lines, well-known Ubuntu developer Simon Quigley has suggested an idea that might change the Ubuntu Linux development process.
In an Ubuntu mailing list post, he has proposed to get rid of Alpha and Beta 1 milestones entirely. But, why has he made this proposal? Well, a couple of recent developments made him question the usefulness of the current milestone model. First was the cancellation of alpha releases and then missing of Lubuntu Beta 1 due to some bugs.
He also said that while Alpha 1 images are time bound and shipped as “safe to install” for testing. But that’s not the case; most of the time, due to a given timeline, these releases are shipped with bugs which could have been fixed with some effort.
Instead of the current model, he proposed a monthly “testing week” that would go from Tuesday to Thursday. It won’t involve existing milestones like archive freeze or formally released ISOs. Throughout the week, the users would be able to download bleeding edge ISOs. As per Quigley, he has discussed the proposal with developers of Xubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, Kubuntu, and Ubuntu Budgie. Simon Quigley’s proposal to drop Alpha and Beta milestones hasn’t received any downvotes. As a result, the Ubuntu 18.10 release cycle will feature testing weeks and Alpha and Beta milestones will be dropped.
Source: https://fossbytes.com/ubuntu-linux-replace-alpha-beta-release-model-test-weeks/
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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