meeting 2008-03-19 - version numbers

[Andrew Cagney <cagney at redhat dot com>]

Here's a transcript from using the hpd today (please note kernel 
"issues" mean it may not work on your system):

$ ./frysk/bindir/fhpd ./frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello
[0.0] Loaded executable file: 
/home/scratch/frysk/git/native/frysk-core/./frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello
(fhpd) run
Attached to process 7518
starting/running with this command: ./frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello
Running process 7518
(fhpd) Task 7518 is terminating from signal SIGSEGV(11)
list
[0.0]
   34   // exception to your version of the file, but you are not 
obligated to
   35   // do so. If you do not wish to provide this exception without
   36   // modification, you must delete this exception statement from your
   37   // version and license this file solely under the GPL without
   38   // exception.
   39  
   40   #include <unistd.h>
   41  
   42   void
   43   print(char *what) {
->  44     while (*what != '\0') {
   45       write(1, what, 1);
   46       what++;
   47     }
   48   }
   49  
   50   int
   51   main(int argc, char** argv) {
   52     // XXX: This forgets to check ARGC.
   53     print(argv[1]);
(fhpd) where
#0 0x080483da in print(char * what) 
/home/scratch/frysk/git/frysk/frysk-core/frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello.c#44
#1 0x08048435 in main(int argc,char ** argv) 
/home/scratch/frysk/git/frysk/frysk-core/frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello.c#53
#2 0x00808390 in __libc_start_main () from /lib/libc-2.7.so
#3 0x08048311 in _start () from 
/home/scratch/frysk/git/native/frysk-core/frysk/pkglibdir/funit-hello
(fhpd) print what
(char *) 0x0 " < Memory Error > "
(fhpd)

which is the most straight forward of debugging sessions; and a major 
milestone.  In the meeting, this brought forward two proposals:


a) move frysk forward to 0.8.x, from 0.0.x

This is to signal that we consider all our tools are minimally at alpha 
(key functionality is present but more to come); and for many tools they 
are actually beta/release quality (e.g., fstack, fcore, fcatch).  As 
fhpd and frysk mature we can move to 0.9 and 1.0.


b) move to regular (monthly?) patch-level releases; e.g., 0.8.1, 0.8.2, ...

Since we've now reached a good code baseline we're able to, over shorter 
periods, show significant fixes and improvements.  Making slightly more 
formal regular releases would provide us with a way to highlight this; 
and highlight the work completed over each of those periods.


"discuss"


Andrew