release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

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release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Olindo Pindaro-2
What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?

TNX
--
Olindo Pindaro
http://www.linkedin.com/in/olindopindaro
+39 3939455830
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Vivek Mishra-2
Please search the mail achieves. Recently a discussion was going on for
this topic.
You will get all your questions sorted out.

Thanks!
-- Vivek Mishra

Olindo Pindaro wrote:
> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>
> TNX
>  

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Jacques Le Roux
Administrator
In reply to this post by Olindo Pindaro-2
http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBIZ/Main+New+Features

Jacques

From: "Olindo Pindaro" <[hidden email]>
> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>
> TNX
> --
> Olindo Pindaro
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/olindopindaro
> +39 3939455830
>

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ruth Hoffman-2
In reply to this post by Olindo Pindaro-2
Hello Olindo:
IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor but
very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the 9.04 release
that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user. I found
this out the hard way while trying to use the 9.04 release as a basis
for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)

My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the
4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when you
understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.

Again,
Just my 2 cents.
Ruth

Olindo Pindaro wrote:
> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>
> TNX
>  
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ashish Vijaywargiya-5
-1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release branch  
9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.

PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is used
for the repository on which current development is going on.

--
Regards
Ashish Vijaywargiya
HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
http://www.hotwaxmedia.com

Helping hand around the World ...
USA | Italy | India | New Zealand



Ruth Hoffman wrote:

> Hello Olindo:
> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor
> but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the 9.04
> release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user.
> I found this out the hard way while trying to use the 9.04 release as
> a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>
> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the
> 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when you
> understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>
> Again,
> Just my 2 cents.
> Ruth
>
> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>
>> TNX
>>  

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Jacques Le Roux
Administrator
I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving
day after day and have a lot more features and a better architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva in R4. And
IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to the future, not
the past...

Jacques

From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>

> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>
> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is used for the repository on which current development is going
> on.
>
> --
> Regards
> Ashish Vijaywargiya
> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> Helping hand around the World ...
> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>
>
>
> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>> Hello Olindo:
>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in
>> the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to use
>> the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>
>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then,
>> when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>
>> Again,
>> Just my 2 cents.
>> Ruth
>>
>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>
>>> TNX
>>>
>


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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ruth Hoffman-2
In reply to this post by Ashish Vijaywargiya-5
Hi Ashish:
You are correct - but it does get confusing after a while - "trunk" vs.
"releases" vs. whatever....Anyhow, I meant to say: "4.x Release". And I
stand by that, especially if you want to evaluate ecommerce features.

As for reporting bugs, I beg to differ. Bug reporting is not for the
beginner (or the faint of heart :-)

Just my 2 cents.
Ruth

Ashish Vijaywargiya wrote:

> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release branch  
> 9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>
> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is used
> for the repository on which current development is going on.
>
> --
> Regards
> Ashish Vijaywargiya
> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> Helping hand around the World ...
> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>
>
>
> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>> Hello Olindo:
>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor
>> but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the 9.04
>> release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user.
>> I found this out the hard way while trying to use the 9.04 release as
>> a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com
>> website.)
>>
>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the
>> 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when you
>> understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>
>> Again,
>> Just my 2 cents.
>> Ruth
>>
>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>
>>> TNX
>>>  
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ruth Hoffman-2
In reply to this post by Jacques Le Roux
Hi Jacques:
I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I think
you need to consider that for new users (and this is only for new
users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven release.
The 4.x release is the only release that is proven and works
out-of-the-box as advertised.

Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is
developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in good
conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven either
through formal release management practices or through actual experience
in the field.

Just my 2 cents.
Ruth

Jacques Le Roux wrote:

> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right to
> say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving day
> after day and have a lot more features and a better architecture. For
> instance there is still issues with Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main
> reason is you will not get much help (if any) from the community with
> R4. We are almost all turned to the future, not the past...
>
> Jacques
>
> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release branch  
>> 9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
>> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>
>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is
>> used for the repository on which current development is going on.
>>
>> --
>> Regards
>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>
>> Helping hand around the World ...
>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>
>>
>>
>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>> Hello Olindo:
>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor
>>> but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the 9.04
>>> release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time
>>> user. I found this out the hard way while trying to use the 9.04
>>> release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the
>>> myofbiz.com website.)
>>>
>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with
>>> the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when
>>> you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>
>>> Again,
>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>> Ruth
>>>
>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>
>>>> TNX
>>>>
>>
>
>
>
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Olindo Pindaro-2
In reply to this post by Ruth Hoffman-2
The received informations are all very useful.
Thanks to all
2009/9/24 Ruth Hoffman <[hidden email]>

> Hello Olindo:
> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor but
> very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the 9.04 release
> that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user. I found this
> out the hard way while trying to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen
> shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>
> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the 4.x
> trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when you understand how
> OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>
> Again,
> Just my 2 cents.
> Ruth
>
>
> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>
>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>
>> TNX
>>
>>
>


--
Olindo Pindaro
http://www.linkedin.com/in/olindopindaro
+39 3939455830
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

David E. Jones-2
In reply to this post by Ruth Hoffman-2

I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either  
through formal release management practices or through actual  
experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary  
cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.

You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme, and pretty  
or not it really does cause problems and it's probably better to use  
it with the old flatgrey theme. There could certainly be other  
problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and certainly  
much more feature complete.

As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything  
advertised either way... ;) One nice thing about 09.04 is that the  
business processes are much more complete. In other words you can run  
through a business process and not find the big functional gaps that  
exist in 4.0. A LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases,  
and probably around 50 man-years of effort went into things. This  
really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based on a  
set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking for anything,  
ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close to the  
percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.

Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still recommend  
going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before in many cases  
the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release branch as long as  
you stay updated with it, of course with the release branches you have  
to stay updated with them too if you want bug fixes (ie that is the  
"patching" process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when  
using the release branches).

That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose still  
holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely more  
"stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-free, but it  
does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide What To Use"  
section here:

http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started

-David


On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:

> Hi Jacques:
> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I  
> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only for  
> new users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven  
> release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven and  
> works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>
> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is  
> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in good  
> conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven  
> either through formal release management practices or through actual  
> experience in the field.
>
> Just my 2 cents.
> Ruth
>
> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right  
>> to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving  
>> day after day and have a lot more features and a better  
>> architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva in  
>> R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if any)  
>> from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to the future,  
>> not the past...
>>
>> Jacques
>>
>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE 
>>> ) and some other document best support to Release Branch 9.04 &  
>>> trunk.
>>>
>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is  
>>> used for the repository on which current development is going on.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards
>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>
>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of  
>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in  
>>>> the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a  
>>>> first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to  
>>>> use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books  
>>>> (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>
>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with  
>>>> the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when  
>>>> you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>
>>>> Again,
>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>> Ruth
>>>>
>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>
>>>>> TNX
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Adrian Crum
I agree with most of what David said.

I disagree that the trunk is more bug free than a release. There have
been many times where a trunk revision won't even compile. At least a
release has a better chance of compiling.

Not too long ago, I upgraded our production server to the trunk and I
ended up having to fix a dozen or so regressions in the Work Effort
application - regressions that don't exist in the 9.04 release.

So, if you choose to use the trunk, you have to time your checkout very
carefully. You have to be sure to check out a revision that hasn't
introduced new bugs.

For someone who doesn't have the time to monitor the trunk closely, the
release is the best choice.

-Adrian

David E Jones wrote:

>
> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either
> through formal release management practices or through actual experience
> in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary cutoff point and
> not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>
> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific? Unfortunately
> I think many issues are related to the theme, and pretty or not it
> really does cause problems and it's probably better to use it with the
> old flatgrey theme. There could certainly be other problems, but in
> general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and certainly much more feature
> complete.
>
> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything
> advertised either way... ;) One nice thing about 09.04 is that the
> business processes are much more complete. In other words you can run
> through a business process and not find the big functional gaps that
> exist in 4.0. A LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases,
> and probably around 50 man-years of effort went into things. This really
> isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based on a set of
> requirements I haven't seen any business looking for anything, ever,
> where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close to the percentage of
> overlap that 09.04 does.
>
> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still recommend
> going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before in many cases
> the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release branch as long as
> you stay updated with it, of course with the release branches you have
> to stay updated with them too if you want bug fixes (ie that is the
> "patching" process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when
> using the release branches).
>
> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose still
> holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely more "stable"
> (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-free, but it does help
> some with that), see the "How Do I Decide What To Use" section here:
>
> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>
>> Hi Jacques:
>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I
>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only for
>> new users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven
>> release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven and works
>> out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>
>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is
>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in good
>> conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven
>> either through formal release management practices or through actual
>> experience in the field.
>>
>> Just my 2 cents.
>> Ruth
>>
>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right
>>> to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving day
>>> after day and have a lot more features and a better architecture. For
>>> instance there is still issues with Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main
>>> reason is you will not get much help (if any) from the community with
>>> R4. We are almost all turned to the future, not the past...
>>>
>>> Jacques
>>>
>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release
>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
>>>> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>
>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is
>>>> used for the repository on which current development is going on.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Regards
>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>
>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor
>>>>> but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in the
>>>>> 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first
>>>>> time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to use the
>>>>> 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the
>>>>> myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>
>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with
>>>>> the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when
>>>>> you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Again,
>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>
>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ruth Hoffman-2
In reply to this post by David E. Jones-2
Hi David:
Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out and
invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the OFBiz project.
IMHO, project releases are a really important concern for new users. By
new users, I mean new users of the many and varied applications that
come with the OFBiz distribution. Maybe we could call these users new
"end-users". I don't mean users intent on building new applications
and/or modifying existing project files (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML,
Javascript, Groovy, XML  etc.). New users may get to a point where they
feel compelled to modify project files...but I suggest we don't put the
cart before the horse.

Please see my comments below:

David E Jones wrote:
>
> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either
> through formal release management practices or through actual
> experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary
> cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>
OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time in
service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the 4.x
release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the current
trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the supporting
applications work.

Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after the 9.04
branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog Manager, Order
Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and reliable in the 4.x
release?
> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?
> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first encounter
with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as rendered by the theme -
I think there is a big issue here. In fact, IMHO this is what we use to
call a "show stopper" and makes the release unstable. Doesn't matter how
good the underlying product is, first impressions always count. Again,
this is just my opinion.

Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point out the
documentation concerning how to work around theme based issues with the
flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as was discussed here on
this mailing list.)
> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably
> better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could certainly be
> other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and
> certainly much more feature complete.
>
How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you start up
the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser). Sorry, but this
does not bode well for the remainder of the demonstration and for a
successful outcome should one be a new user testing the waters.
> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything
> advertised either way... ;)
Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else to
work with, older is better in this case.
> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are much
> more complete. In other words you can run through a business process
> and not find the big functional gaps that exist in 4.0. A LOT happened
> in the 2 years between the two releases, and probably around 50
> man-years of effort went into things.
Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-years of
work, but how many years of work went into the code base prior to the
9.x release? And how many implementations are there of 4.x code vs.
trunk releases since the branch?
> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based on
> a set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking for
> anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close to
> the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right direction.
> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still recommend
> going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before in many cases
> the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release branch as long as
> you stay updated with it, of course with the release branches you have
> to stay updated with them too if you want bug fixes (ie that is the
> "patching" process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when
> using the release branches).
>
I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick the
tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They just want
to get started with a minimum of frustration and a maximum of success.

> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose still
> holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely more
> "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-free, but it
> does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide What To Use"
> section here:
>
> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>
>> Hi Jacques:
>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I
>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only for
>> new users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven
>> release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven and works
>> out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>
>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is
>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in good
>> conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven
>> either through formal release management practices or through actual
>> experience in the field.
>>
>> Just my 2 cents.
>> Ruth
>>
>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right
>>> to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving day
>>> after day and have a lot more features and a better architecture.
>>> For instance there is still issues with Minerva in R4. And IMO, the
>>> main reason is you will not get much help (if any) from the
>>> community with R4. We are almost all turned to the future, not the
>>> past...
>>>
>>> Jacques
>>>
>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release
>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
>>>> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>
>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is
>>>> used for the repository on which current development is going on.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Regards
>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>
>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of
>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in
>>>>> the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a
>>>>> first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to use
>>>>> the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and
>>>>> for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>
>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with
>>>>> the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when
>>>>> you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Again,
>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>
>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Jacques Le Roux
Administrator
In reply to this post by Ruth Hoffman-2
Hi Ruth,

Actually my main argument was the help of the community. But on the other hand, it's true that you need less help with R4.0 because
it's more stable (Minerva issue aside)

Jacques

From: "Ruth Hoffman" <[hidden email]>

> Hi Jacques:
> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only
> for new users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven
> and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>
> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in
> good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven either through formal release management practices or
> through actual experience in the field.
>
> Just my 2 cents.
> Ruth
>
> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's
>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a better architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva
>> in R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to
>> the future, not the past...
>>
>> Jacques
>>
>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
>>> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>
>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is used for the repository on which current development is going
>>> on.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards
>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>
>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in
>>>> the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to
>>>> use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>
>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then,
>>>> when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>
>>>> Again,
>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>> Ruth
>>>>
>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>
>>>>> TNX
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>


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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Ruth Hoffman-2
In reply to this post by Adrian Crum
Hi Adrian:
Thanks for your comments.

Your email exemplifies exactly what I've been trying to say: There is
way too much confusion and conflicting guidance about what a new user
should do. If I step back for a minute and put myself in an OFBiz
novice's shoes and then answer the question again...well maybe you can
see where I'm coming from.

Anyhow, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment.

Regards,
Ruth

Adrian Crum wrote:

> I agree with most of what David said.
>
> I disagree that the trunk is more bug free than a release. There have
> been many times where a trunk revision won't even compile. At least a
> release has a better chance of compiling.
>
> Not too long ago, I upgraded our production server to the trunk and I
> ended up having to fix a dozen or so regressions in the Work Effort
> application - regressions that don't exist in the 9.04 release.
>
> So, if you choose to use the trunk, you have to time your checkout
> very carefully. You have to be sure to check out a revision that
> hasn't introduced new bugs.
>
> For someone who doesn't have the time to monitor the trunk closely,
> the release is the best choice.
>
> -Adrian
>
> David E Jones wrote:
>>
>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either
>> through formal release management practices or through actual
>> experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary
>> cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>>
>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?
>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme, and
>> pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably better
>> to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could certainly be other
>> problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and certainly
>> much more feature complete.
>>
>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything
>> advertised either way... ;) One nice thing about 09.04 is that the
>> business processes are much more complete. In other words you can run
>> through a business process and not find the big functional gaps that
>> exist in 4.0. A LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases,
>> and probably around 50 man-years of effort went into things. This
>> really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based on a
>> set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking for anything,
>> ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close to the
>> percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>>
>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still recommend
>> going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before in many
>> cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release branch as
>> long as you stay updated with it, of course with the release branches
>> you have to stay updated with them too if you want bug fixes (ie that
>> is the "patching" process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update
>> when using the release branches).
>>
>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose
>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely more
>> "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-free, but
>> it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide What To Use"
>> section here:
>>
>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Jacques:
>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I
>>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only for
>>> new users), they should be guided towards using a stable, proven
>>> release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven and
>>> works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>
>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is
>>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in good
>>> conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been proven
>>> either through formal release management practices or through actual
>>> experience in the field.
>>>
>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>> Ruth
>>>
>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also right
>>>> to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's improving
>>>> day after day and have a lot more features and a better
>>>> architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva in
>>>> R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if any)
>>>> from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to the future,
>>>> not the past...
>>>>
>>>> Jacques
>>>>
>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release
>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner
>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document best
>>>>> support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>
>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word is
>>>>> used for the repository on which current development is going on.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Regards
>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>
>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of
>>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer) in
>>>>>> the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate a
>>>>>> first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying to
>>>>>> use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2 books
>>>>>> (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start with
>>>>>> the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and then, when
>>>>>> you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>
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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

David E. Jones-2
In reply to this post by Ruth Hoffman-2

It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this means  
is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about it... and I  
guess that's sad. Too much committing without testing, or even  
running, things. Too much not caring about existing functionality and  
creating new things that steamroll and break existing things. All in  
all, the stuff I tried to guide away from when I wrote the stuff here  
in the General Responsibilities of Committers:

http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities

Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares what  
can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep doing my  
own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and when they'll  
let me.

-David


On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:

> Hi David:
> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out and  
> invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the OFBiz  
> project. IMHO, project releases are a really important concern for  
> new users. By new users, I mean new users of the many and varied  
> applications that come with the OFBiz distribution. Maybe we could  
> call these users new "end-users". I don't mean users intent on  
> building new applications and/or modifying existing project files  
> (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML, Javascript, Groovy, XML  etc.). New  
> users may get to a point where they feel compelled to modify project  
> files...but I suggest we don't put the cart before the horse.
>
> Please see my comments below:
>
> David E Jones wrote:
>>
>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either  
>> through formal release management practices or through actual  
>> experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary  
>> cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>>
> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time in  
> service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the 4.x  
> release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the current  
> trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the supporting  
> applications work.
>
> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after the  
> 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog Manager,  
> Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and reliable in  
> the 4.x release?
>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as rendered  
> by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In fact, IMHO this  
> is what we use to call a "show stopper" and makes the release  
> unstable. Doesn't matter how good the underlying product is, first  
> impressions always count. Again, this is just my opinion.
>
> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point out  
> the documentation concerning how to work around theme based issues  
> with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as was  
> discussed here on this mailing list.)
>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably  
>> better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could certainly  
>> be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and  
>> certainly much more feature complete.
>>
> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you start  
> up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser). Sorry,  
> but this does not bode well for the remainder of the demonstration  
> and for a successful outcome should one be a new user testing the  
> waters.
>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything  
>> advertised either way... ;)
> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else to  
> work with, older is better in this case.
>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are much  
>> more complete. In other words you can run through a business  
>> process and not find the big functional gaps that exist in 4.0. A  
>> LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases, and probably  
>> around 50 man-years of effort went into things.
> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code base  
> prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are there of  
> 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based  
>> on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking for  
>> anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close  
>> to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
> direction.
>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before  
>> in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release  
>> branch as long as you stay updated with it, of course with the  
>> release branches you have to stay updated with them too if you want  
>> bug fixes (ie that is the "patching" process for them and it's BAD  
>> BAD BAD to not update when using the release branches).
>>
> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick  
> the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They  
> just want to get started with a minimum of frustration and a maximum  
> of success.
>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose  
>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely  
>> more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-
>> free, but it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide  
>> What To Use" section here:
>>
>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Jacques:
>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I  
>>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only  
>>> for new users), they should be guided towards using a stable,  
>>> proven release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven  
>>> and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>
>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is  
>>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in  
>>> good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been  
>>> proven either through formal release management practices or  
>>> through actual experience in the field.
>>>
>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>> Ruth
>>>
>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a better  
>>>> architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva in  
>>>> R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if  
>>>> any) from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to the  
>>>> future, not the past...
>>>>
>>>> Jacques
>>>>
>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document  
>>>>> best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>
>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word  
>>>>> is used for the repository on which current development is going  
>>>>> on.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Regards
>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>
>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of  
>>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer)  
>>>>>> in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate  
>>>>>> a first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying  
>>>>>> to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2  
>>>>>> books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start  
>>>>>> with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and  
>>>>>> then, when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to  
>>>>>> 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Tim Ruppert
Being a test-first, test-driven community would still be the best way  
to avoid that.  Until we take a stance and reject everything that  
doesn't do this, then I guess I'd have to agree with David that the  
community must not care.  The fact this project has gotten this far  
along without doing this is amazing and a testament to the tools (and  
the people) that have been put in place being helpful enough to make  
it so these major flaws don't happen very often.

I'm looking forward to that being a major shift in the way  
contributions and work is committed to the project - I think it would  
do worlds of good.

Cheers,
Ruppert
--
Tim Ruppert
HotWax Media
http://www.hotwaxmedia.com

o:801.649.6594
f:801.649.6595

On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:46 AM, David E Jones wrote:

>
> It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this  
> means is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about  
> it... and I guess that's sad. Too much committing without testing,  
> or even running, things. Too much not caring about existing  
> functionality and creating new things that steamroll and break  
> existing things. All in all, the stuff I tried to guide away from  
> when I wrote the stuff here in the General Responsibilities of  
> Committers:
>
> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities
>
> Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares  
> what can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep  
> doing my own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and  
> when they'll let me.
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>
>> Hi David:
>> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out and  
>> invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the OFBiz  
>> project. IMHO, project releases are a really important concern for  
>> new users. By new users, I mean new users of the many and varied  
>> applications that come with the OFBiz distribution. Maybe we could  
>> call these users new "end-users". I don't mean users intent on  
>> building new applications and/or modifying existing project files  
>> (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML, Javascript, Groovy, XML  etc.). New  
>> users may get to a point where they feel compelled to modify  
>> project files...but I suggest we don't put the cart before the horse.
>>
>> Please see my comments below:
>>
>> David E Jones wrote:
>>>
>>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either  
>>> through formal release management practices or through actual  
>>> experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary  
>>> cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>>>
>> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time in  
>> service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the 4.x  
>> release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the current  
>> trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the supporting  
>> applications work.
>>
>> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after the  
>> 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog Manager,  
>> Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and reliable  
>> in the 4.x release?
>>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
>> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
>> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as rendered  
>> by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In fact, IMHO  
>> this is what we use to call a "show stopper" and makes the release  
>> unstable. Doesn't matter how good the underlying product is, first  
>> impressions always count. Again, this is just my opinion.
>>
>> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point out  
>> the documentation concerning how to work around theme based issues  
>> with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as was  
>> discussed here on this mailing list.)
>>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably  
>>> better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could  
>>> certainly be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more  
>>> solid and certainly much more feature complete.
>>>
>> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you start  
>> up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser). Sorry,  
>> but this does not bode well for the remainder of the demonstration  
>> and for a successful outcome should one be a new user testing the  
>> waters.
>>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything  
>>> advertised either way... ;)
>> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else  
>> to work with, older is better in this case.
>>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are much  
>>> more complete. In other words you can run through a business  
>>> process and not find the big functional gaps that exist in 4.0. A  
>>> LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases, and probably  
>>> around 50 man-years of effort went into things.
>> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
>> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code base  
>> prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are there of  
>> 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis  
>>> based on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking  
>>> for anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even  
>>> close to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
>> direction.
>>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before  
>>> in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release  
>>> branch as long as you stay updated with it, of course with the  
>>> release branches you have to stay updated with them too if you  
>>> want bug fixes (ie that is the "patching" process for them and  
>>> it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when using the release branches).
>>>
>> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick  
>> the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They  
>> just want to get started with a minimum of frustration and a  
>> maximum of success.
>>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose  
>>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely  
>>> more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-
>>> free, but it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide  
>>> What To Use" section here:
>>>
>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>>
>>> -David
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Jacques:
>>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I  
>>>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only  
>>>> for new users), they should be guided towards using a stable,  
>>>> proven release. The 4.x release is the only release that is  
>>>> proven and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>>
>>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is  
>>>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in  
>>>> good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been  
>>>> proven either through formal release management practices or  
>>>> through actual experience in the field.
>>>>
>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>> Ruth
>>>>
>>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a  
>>>>> better architecture. For instance there is still issues with  
>>>>> Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much  
>>>>> help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost all  
>>>>> turned to the future, not the past...
>>>>>
>>>>> Jacques
>>>>>
>>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document  
>>>>>> best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word  
>>>>>> is used for the repository on which current development is  
>>>>>> going on.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of  
>>>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer)  
>>>>>>> in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate  
>>>>>>> a first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying  
>>>>>>> to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2  
>>>>>>> books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start  
>>>>>>> with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and  
>>>>>>> then, when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to  
>>>>>>> 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>


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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

David E. Jones-2

There are other ways to do this without requiring automated tests for  
everything.

For example, if someone cares about quality or more specifically about  
a particular thing working a particular way, what is stopping them  
from writing and contributing an automated test for it?

In other words, there's no reason that the same people have to do  
implementation of functionality and test cases, and IMO if anyone  
blames a developer and is unwilling to do anything about it, that is  
just an excuse and an attempt to avoid taking responsibility and  
getting involved.

The general idea is we need to do things that encourage more  
contribution, not less. Requiring automated tests for everything  
committed would likely reduce contributions. Encouraging people who  
care about things working in a certain way to contribute automated  
tests for those things would, hopefully, increase contributions.

-David


On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:59 AM, Tim Ruppert wrote:

> Being a test-first, test-driven community would still be the best  
> way to avoid that.  Until we take a stance and reject everything  
> that doesn't do this, then I guess I'd have to agree with David that  
> the community must not care.  The fact this project has gotten this  
> far along without doing this is amazing and a testament to the tools  
> (and the people) that have been put in place being helpful enough to  
> make it so these major flaws don't happen very often.
>
> I'm looking forward to that being a major shift in the way  
> contributions and work is committed to the project - I think it  
> would do worlds of good.
>
> Cheers,
> Ruppert
> --
> Tim Ruppert
> HotWax Media
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
> o:801.649.6594
> f:801.649.6595
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:46 AM, David E Jones wrote:
>
>>
>> It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this  
>> means is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about  
>> it... and I guess that's sad. Too much committing without testing,  
>> or even running, things. Too much not caring about existing  
>> functionality and creating new things that steamroll and break  
>> existing things. All in all, the stuff I tried to guide away from  
>> when I wrote the stuff here in the General Responsibilities of  
>> Committers:
>>
>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities
>>
>> Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares  
>> what can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep  
>> doing my own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and  
>> when they'll let me.
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>
>>> Hi David:
>>> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out  
>>> and invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the  
>>> OFBiz project. IMHO, project releases are a really important  
>>> concern for new users. By new users, I mean new users of the many  
>>> and varied applications that come with the OFBiz distribution.  
>>> Maybe we could call these users new "end-users". I don't mean  
>>> users intent on building new applications and/or modifying  
>>> existing project files (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML, Javascript,  
>>> Groovy, XML  etc.). New users may get to a point where they feel  
>>> compelled to modify project files...but I suggest we don't put the  
>>> cart before the horse.
>>>
>>> Please see my comments below:
>>>
>>> David E Jones wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven  
>>>> either through formal release management practices or through  
>>>> actual experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more  
>>>> arbitrary cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as  
>>>> 09.04.
>>>>
>>> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time in  
>>> service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the 4.x  
>>> release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the  
>>> current trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the  
>>> supporting applications work.
>>>
>>> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after the  
>>> 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog Manager,  
>>> Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and reliable  
>>> in the 4.x release?
>>>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>>>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
>>> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
>>> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as  
>>> rendered by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In  
>>> fact, IMHO this is what we use to call a "show stopper" and makes  
>>> the release unstable. Doesn't matter how good the underlying  
>>> product is, first impressions always count. Again, this is just my  
>>> opinion.
>>>
>>> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point out  
>>> the documentation concerning how to work around theme based issues  
>>> with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as was  
>>> discussed here on this mailing list.)
>>>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably  
>>>> better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could  
>>>> certainly be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more  
>>>> solid and certainly much more feature complete.
>>>>
>>> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you start  
>>> up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser). Sorry,  
>>> but this does not bode well for the remainder of the demonstration  
>>> and for a successful outcome should one be a new user testing the  
>>> waters.
>>>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything  
>>>> advertised either way... ;)
>>> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else  
>>> to work with, older is better in this case.
>>>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are  
>>>> much more complete. In other words you can run through a business  
>>>> process and not find the big functional gaps that exist in 4.0. A  
>>>> LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases, and  
>>>> probably around 50 man-years of effort went into things.
>>> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
>>> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code base  
>>> prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are there  
>>> of 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>>>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis  
>>>> based on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business  
>>>> looking for anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would  
>>>> hit even close to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>>> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
>>> direction.
>>>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>>>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed  
>>>> before in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than any  
>>>> release branch as long as you stay updated with it, of course  
>>>> with the release branches you have to stay updated with them too  
>>>> if you want bug fixes (ie that is the "patching" process for them  
>>>> and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when using the release  
>>>> branches).
>>>>
>>> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick  
>>> the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They  
>>> just want to get started with a minimum of frustration and a  
>>> maximum of success.
>>>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose  
>>>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely  
>>>> more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-
>>>> free, but it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide  
>>>> What To Use" section here:
>>>>
>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>>>
>>>> -David
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Jacques:
>>>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But  
>>>>> I think you need to consider that for new users (and this is  
>>>>> only for new users), they should be guided towards using a  
>>>>> stable, proven release. The 4.x release is the only release that  
>>>>> is proven and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>>>
>>>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this  
>>>>> is developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't  
>>>>> in good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't  
>>>>> been proven either through formal release management practices  
>>>>> or through actual experience in the field.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>
>>>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a  
>>>>>> better architecture. For instance there is still issues with  
>>>>>> Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get  
>>>>>> much help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost  
>>>>>> all turned to the future, not the past...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jacques
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document  
>>>>>>> best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word  
>>>>>>> is used for the repository on which current development is  
>>>>>>> going on.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of  
>>>>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation  
>>>>>>>> layer) in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and  
>>>>>>>> frustrate a first time user. I found this out the hard way  
>>>>>>>> while trying to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen  
>>>>>>>> shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start  
>>>>>>>> with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and  
>>>>>>>> then, when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to  
>>>>>>>> 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Tim Ruppert
Understood David - but where are these magical elves that come by and  
test the entire system?  They don't exist - that's the fact of the  
matter - or we'd see more business users sitting here and putting  
tests in place for the stuff that already exists.

For my money, it goes back to putting tests around what you're doing  
so that you know that when someone else makes a change it doesn't  
break your functionality.  Unfortunately it would require tests  
everywhere - something to aspire to for sure - to ensure you didn't  
break other people's work - but if they cared enough about their code  
working, then tests and reproduceability steps would seem a must to  
everyone.

Hopefully more people will get involved in doing it on the existing  
functionality.  Manually testing a system of this size, watching each  
and every commit that people do and tracking down the places where  
that commit could cause problems is something that we do for the good  
of the community, but as you know better than most, it relies on  
expert level people - not just anyone.  If there were more tests, then  
anyone could add code and know that they needn't be scared about it.

Since there aren't, I guess I'll either hire more elves or hope that  
other people start to contribute at this level as well.

Cheers,
Ruppert

On Sep 24, 2009, at 12:04 PM, David E Jones wrote:

>
> There are other ways to do this without requiring automated tests  
> for everything.
>
> For example, if someone cares about quality or more specifically  
> about a particular thing working a particular way, what is stopping  
> them from writing and contributing an automated test for it?
>
> In other words, there's no reason that the same people have to do  
> implementation of functionality and test cases, and IMO if anyone  
> blames a developer and is unwilling to do anything about it, that is  
> just an excuse and an attempt to avoid taking responsibility and  
> getting involved.
>
> The general idea is we need to do things that encourage more  
> contribution, not less. Requiring automated tests for everything  
> committed would likely reduce contributions. Encouraging people who  
> care about things working in a certain way to contribute automated  
> tests for those things would, hopefully, increase contributions.
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:59 AM, Tim Ruppert wrote:
>
>> Being a test-first, test-driven community would still be the best  
>> way to avoid that.  Until we take a stance and reject everything  
>> that doesn't do this, then I guess I'd have to agree with David  
>> that the community must not care.  The fact this project has gotten  
>> this far along without doing this is amazing and a testament to the  
>> tools (and the people) that have been put in place being helpful  
>> enough to make it so these major flaws don't happen very often.
>>
>> I'm looking forward to that being a major shift in the way  
>> contributions and work is committed to the project - I think it  
>> would do worlds of good.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Ruppert
>> --
>> Tim Ruppert
>> HotWax Media
>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>
>> o:801.649.6594
>> f:801.649.6595
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:46 AM, David E Jones wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this  
>>> means is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about  
>>> it... and I guess that's sad. Too much committing without testing,  
>>> or even running, things. Too much not caring about existing  
>>> functionality and creating new things that steamroll and break  
>>> existing things. All in all, the stuff I tried to guide away from  
>>> when I wrote the stuff here in the General Responsibilities of  
>>> Committers:
>>>
>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities
>>>
>>> Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares  
>>> what can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep  
>>> doing my own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and  
>>> when they'll let me.
>>>
>>> -David
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi David:
>>>> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out  
>>>> and invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the  
>>>> OFBiz project. IMHO, project releases are a really important  
>>>> concern for new users. By new users, I mean new users of the many  
>>>> and varied applications that come with the OFBiz distribution.  
>>>> Maybe we could call these users new "end-users". I don't mean  
>>>> users intent on building new applications and/or modifying  
>>>> existing project files (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML, Javascript,  
>>>> Groovy, XML  etc.). New users may get to a point where they feel  
>>>> compelled to modify project files...but I suggest we don't put  
>>>> the cart before the horse.
>>>>
>>>> Please see my comments below:
>>>>
>>>> David E Jones wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven  
>>>>> either through formal release management practices or through  
>>>>> actual experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more  
>>>>> arbitrary cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as  
>>>>> 09.04.
>>>>>
>>>> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time  
>>>> in service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the  
>>>> 4.x release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the  
>>>> current trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the  
>>>> supporting applications work.
>>>>
>>>> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after  
>>>> the 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog  
>>>> Manager, Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and  
>>>> reliable in the 4.x release?
>>>>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>>>>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
>>>> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
>>>> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as  
>>>> rendered by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In  
>>>> fact, IMHO this is what we use to call a "show stopper" and makes  
>>>> the release unstable. Doesn't matter how good the underlying  
>>>> product is, first impressions always count. Again, this is just  
>>>> my opinion.
>>>>
>>>> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point  
>>>> out the documentation concerning how to work around theme based  
>>>> issues with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as  
>>>> was discussed here on this mailing list.)
>>>>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's  
>>>>> probably better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There  
>>>>> could certainly be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04  
>>>>> is more solid and certainly much more feature complete.
>>>>>
>>>> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you  
>>>> start up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser).  
>>>> Sorry, but this does not bode well for the remainder of the  
>>>> demonstration and for a successful outcome should one be a new  
>>>> user testing the waters.
>>>>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was  
>>>>> anything advertised either way... ;)
>>>> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else  
>>>> to work with, older is better in this case.
>>>>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are  
>>>>> much more complete. In other words you can run through a  
>>>>> business process and not find the big functional gaps that exist  
>>>>> in 4.0. A LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases,  
>>>>> and probably around 50 man-years of effort went into things.
>>>> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
>>>> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code base  
>>>> prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are there  
>>>> of 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>>>>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis  
>>>>> based on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business  
>>>>> looking for anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would  
>>>>> hit even close to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>>>> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
>>>> direction.
>>>>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>>>>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed  
>>>>> before in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than  
>>>>> any release branch as long as you stay updated with it, of  
>>>>> course with the release branches you have to stay updated with  
>>>>> them too if you want bug fixes (ie that is the "patching"  
>>>>> process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when using  
>>>>> the release branches).
>>>>>
>>>> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick  
>>>> the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They  
>>>> just want to get started with a minimum of frustration and a  
>>>> maximum of success.
>>>>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose  
>>>>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely  
>>>>> more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-
>>>>> free, but it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide  
>>>>> What To Use" section here:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting 
>>>>> +Started
>>>>>
>>>>> -David
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Jacques:
>>>>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But  
>>>>>> I think you need to consider that for new users (and this is  
>>>>>> only for new users), they should be guided towards using a  
>>>>>> stable, proven release. The 4.x release is the only release  
>>>>>> that is proven and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this  
>>>>>> is developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't  
>>>>>> in good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't  
>>>>>> been proven either through formal release management practices  
>>>>>> or through actual experience in the field.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a  
>>>>>>> better architecture. For instance there is still issues with  
>>>>>>> Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get  
>>>>>>> much help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost  
>>>>>>> all turned to the future, not the past...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jacques
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya"  
>>>>>>> <[hidden email]>
>>>>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>>>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document  
>>>>>>>> best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk"  
>>>>>>>> word is used for the repository on which current development  
>>>>>>>> is going on.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number  
>>>>>>>>> of minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation  
>>>>>>>>> layer) in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and  
>>>>>>>>> frustrate a first time user. I found this out the hard way  
>>>>>>>>> while trying to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen  
>>>>>>>>> shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start  
>>>>>>>>> with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and  
>>>>>>>>> then, when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to  
>>>>>>>>> 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>


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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

Jacques Le Roux
Administrator
In reply to this post by David E. Jones-2
I think we should 1st fix the bugs, then do other things, isn't that natural ?
That's what I'm trying to do.-

Jacques

From: "David E Jones" <[hidden email]>

>
> It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this means  
> is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about it... and I  
> guess that's sad. Too much committing without testing, or even  
> running, things. Too much not caring about existing functionality and  
> creating new things that steamroll and break existing things. All in  
> all, the stuff I tried to guide away from when I wrote the stuff here  
> in the General Responsibilities of Committers:
>
> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities
>
> Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares what  
> can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep doing my  
> own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and when they'll  
> let me.
>
> -David
>
>
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>
>> Hi David:
>> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out and  
>> invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the OFBiz  
>> project. IMHO, project releases are a really important concern for  
>> new users. By new users, I mean new users of the many and varied  
>> applications that come with the OFBiz distribution. Maybe we could  
>> call these users new "end-users". I don't mean users intent on  
>> building new applications and/or modifying existing project files  
>> (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML, Javascript, Groovy, XML  etc.). New  
>> users may get to a point where they feel compelled to modify project  
>> files...but I suggest we don't put the cart before the horse.
>>
>> Please see my comments below:
>>
>> David E Jones wrote:
>>>
>>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven either  
>>> through formal release management practices or through actual  
>>> experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more arbitrary  
>>> cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as 09.04.
>>>
>> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time in  
>> service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in the 4.x  
>> release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as the current  
>> trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and the supporting  
>> applications work.
>>
>> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after the  
>> 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog Manager,  
>> Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable and reliable in  
>> the 4.x release?
>>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
>> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
>> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as rendered  
>> by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In fact, IMHO this  
>> is what we use to call a "show stopper" and makes the release  
>> unstable. Doesn't matter how good the underlying product is, first  
>> impressions always count. Again, this is just my opinion.
>>
>> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point out  
>> the documentation concerning how to work around theme based issues  
>> with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as was  
>> discussed here on this mailing list.)
>>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's probably  
>>> better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There could certainly  
>>> be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04 is more solid and  
>>> certainly much more feature complete.
>>>
>> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you start  
>> up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my browser). Sorry,  
>> but this does not bode well for the remainder of the demonstration  
>> and for a successful outcome should one be a new user testing the  
>> waters.
>>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was anything  
>>> advertised either way... ;)
>> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing else to  
>> work with, older is better in this case.
>>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are much  
>>> more complete. In other words you can run through a business  
>>> process and not find the big functional gaps that exist in 4.0. A  
>>> LOT happened in the 2 years between the two releases, and probably  
>>> around 50 man-years of effort went into things.
>> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
>> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code base  
>> prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are there of  
>> 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis based  
>>> on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business looking for  
>>> anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would hit even close  
>>> to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
>> direction.
>>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed before  
>>> in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than any release  
>>> branch as long as you stay updated with it, of course with the  
>>> release branches you have to stay updated with them too if you want  
>>> bug fixes (ie that is the "patching" process for them and it's BAD  
>>> BAD BAD to not update when using the release branches).
>>>
>> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to kick  
>> the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting bugs. They  
>> just want to get started with a minimum of frustration and a maximum  
>> of success.
>>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to choose  
>>> still holds pretty true, and the release branches are definitely  
>>> more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not meaning more bug-
>>> free, but it does help some with that), see the "How Do I Decide  
>>> What To Use" section here:
>>>
>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>>
>>> -David
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Jacques:
>>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from. But I  
>>>> think you need to consider that for new users (and this is only  
>>>> for new users), they should be guided towards using a stable,  
>>>> proven release. The 4.x release is the only release that is proven  
>>>> and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>>
>>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this is  
>>>> developer documentation not end-user documentation), I can't in  
>>>> good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that hasn't been  
>>>> proven either through formal release management practices or  
>>>> through actual experience in the field.
>>>>
>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>> Ruth
>>>>
>>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a better  
>>>>> architecture. For instance there is still issues with Minerva in  
>>>>> R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get much help (if  
>>>>> any) from the community with R4. We are almost all turned to the  
>>>>> future, not the past...
>>>>>
>>>>> Jacques
>>>>>
>>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]>
>>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either Release  
>>>>>> branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other document  
>>>>>> best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk" word  
>>>>>> is used for the repository on which current development is going  
>>>>>> on.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number of  
>>>>>>> minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation layer)  
>>>>>>> in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and frustrate  
>>>>>>> a first time user. I found this out the hard way while trying  
>>>>>>> to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen shots in my 2  
>>>>>>> books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner, start  
>>>>>>> with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and proven) and  
>>>>>>> then, when you understand how OFBiz should work, move on to  
>>>>>>> 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>

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Re: release 4.0 vs release 09.04?

David E. Jones-2
In reply to this post by Tim Ruppert

On Sep 24, 2009, at 12:16 PM, Tim Ruppert wrote:

> Understood David - but where are these magical elves that come by  
> and test the entire system?  They don't exist - that's the fact of  
> the matter - or we'd see more business users sitting here and  
> putting tests in place for the stuff that already exists.

Who said anything about business users?

The fact is they do exist. There are people who test and contribute  
fixes. We need more of them, not less.

> For my money, it goes back to putting tests around what you're doing  
> so that you know that when someone else makes a change it doesn't  
> break your functionality.  Unfortunately it would require tests  
> everywhere - something to aspire to for sure - to ensure you didn't  
> break other people's work - but if they cared enough about their  
> code working, then tests and reproduceability steps would seem a  
> must to everyone.

I agree that it would be better for people to contribute automated  
tests along with things they develop. However, that doesn't excuse  
other people for complaining and not doing anything but complain if  
something that someone else develops doesn't do what they think it  
should. Different people and organizations have different  
requirements, and not all of us have a sufficient level of omniscience  
to guess at the requirements that others are facing (I know I  
certainly don't!).

> Hopefully more people will get involved in doing it on the existing  
> functionality.  Manually testing a system of this size, watching  
> each and every commit that people do and tracking down the places  
> where that commit could cause problems is something that we do for  
> the good of the community, but as you know better than most, it  
> relies on expert level people - not just anyone.  If there were more  
> tests, then anyone could add code and know that they needn't be  
> scared about it.

On that magical day when we do have a majority coverage for automated  
tests I hope we don't start thinking that we don't need to be scared  
about changes! On the other hand, I think most us aren't scared enough  
about changes. On the other other hand, we do have a pretty healthy  
level of peer review and peer pressure that keeps things fairly  
straight. On that note, while a comment is a good form of peer  
pressure an automated test case would be far more clear and more  
persuasive...

> Since there aren't, I guess I'll either hire more elves or hope that  
> other people start to contribute at this level as well.

I don't think we need more expert people, just more careful people,  
and more people willing to write automated tests. I think that's what  
we're talking about anyway. Maybe people being afraid that they aren't  
experts is more of a problem than not having enough experts?

On the other hand, if the da#$ experts weren't so lazy and selfish  
with their time they could solve all of our problems for us and none  
of us would have to worry about any of this! It's all the expert's  
fault that this is happening. Those $%^#ing selfish *&(t#$ds. ;)

-David


> On Sep 24, 2009, at 12:04 PM, David E Jones wrote:
>
>>
>> There are other ways to do this without requiring automated tests  
>> for everything.
>>
>> For example, if someone cares about quality or more specifically  
>> about a particular thing working a particular way, what is stopping  
>> them from writing and contributing an automated test for it?
>>
>> In other words, there's no reason that the same people have to do  
>> implementation of functionality and test cases, and IMO if anyone  
>> blames a developer and is unwilling to do anything about it, that  
>> is just an excuse and an attempt to avoid taking responsibility and  
>> getting involved.
>>
>> The general idea is we need to do things that encourage more  
>> contribution, not less. Requiring automated tests for everything  
>> committed would likely reduce contributions. Encouraging people who  
>> care about things working in a certain way to contribute automated  
>> tests for those things would, hopefully, increase contributions.
>>
>> -David
>>
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:59 AM, Tim Ruppert wrote:
>>
>>> Being a test-first, test-driven community would still be the best  
>>> way to avoid that.  Until we take a stance and reject everything  
>>> that doesn't do this, then I guess I'd have to agree with David  
>>> that the community must not care.  The fact this project has  
>>> gotten this far along without doing this is amazing and a  
>>> testament to the tools (and the people) that have been put in  
>>> place being helpful enough to make it so these major flaws don't  
>>> happen very often.
>>>
>>> I'm looking forward to that being a major shift in the way  
>>> contributions and work is committed to the project - I think it  
>>> would do worlds of good.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Ruppert
>>> --
>>> Tim Ruppert
>>> HotWax Media
>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>
>>> o:801.649.6594
>>> f:801.649.6595
>>>
>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:46 AM, David E Jones wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> It really is a bad sign. In a community driven project what this  
>>>> means is that no one cares enough about it to do anything about  
>>>> it... and I guess that's sad. Too much committing without  
>>>> testing, or even running, things. Too much not caring about  
>>>> existing functionality and creating new things that steamroll and  
>>>> break existing things. All in all, the stuff I tried to guide  
>>>> away from when I wrote the stuff here in the General  
>>>> Responsibilities of Committers:
>>>>
>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/OFBiz+Committers+Roles+and+Responsibilities
>>>>
>>>> Like I've said recently on another topic... if no one else cares  
>>>> what can I do about it? I guess like everyone else I'll just keep  
>>>> doing my own thing... and collaborate with others when I can, and  
>>>> when they'll let me.
>>>>
>>>> -David
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 11:23 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi David:
>>>>> Thanks for your comments. As usually, they are well thought out  
>>>>> and invaluable in helping furthering the understanding of the  
>>>>> OFBiz project. IMHO, project releases are a really important  
>>>>> concern for new users. By new users, I mean new users of the  
>>>>> many and varied applications that come with the OFBiz  
>>>>> distribution. Maybe we could call these users new "end-users". I  
>>>>> don't mean users intent on building new applications and/or  
>>>>> modifying existing project files (i.e. Java code, CSS, HTML,  
>>>>> Javascript, Groovy, XML  etc.). New users may get to a point  
>>>>> where they feel compelled to modify project files...but I  
>>>>> suggest we don't put the cart before the horse.
>>>>>
>>>>> Please see my comments below:
>>>>>
>>>>> David E Jones wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I wouldn't say release4.0 or release09.04 have "been proven  
>>>>>> either through formal release management practices or through  
>>>>>> actual experience in the field." In fact, 4.0 was a much more  
>>>>>> arbitrary cutoff point and not planned or acted on as much as  
>>>>>> 09.04.
>>>>>>
>>>>> OK, point well taken. Maybe I should have said "...through time  
>>>>> in service..."? Regardless, the applications as they exist in  
>>>>> the 4.x release work. Maybe the framework is not as advanced as  
>>>>> the current trunk or 9.04 release, but the demo store works and  
>>>>> the supporting applications work.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just out of curiosity, have there been any bugs reported after  
>>>>> the 9.04 branch, that would make me believe that the Catalog  
>>>>> Manager, Order Manager and eCommerce component are not stable  
>>>>> and reliable in the 4.x release?
>>>>>> You mentioned issues in 09.04, could you be more specific?  
>>>>>> Unfortunately I think many issues are related to the theme,
>>>>> Yes - themes seem to be problematic. And, since the very first  
>>>>> encounter with OFBiz out-of-the-box is the presentation as  
>>>>> rendered by the theme - I think there is a big issue here. In  
>>>>> fact, IMHO this is what we use to call a "show stopper" and  
>>>>> makes the release unstable. Doesn't matter how good the  
>>>>> underlying product is, first impressions always count. Again,  
>>>>> this is just my opinion.
>>>>>
>>>>> Back to themes: not only are themes problematic, I would point  
>>>>> out the documentation concerning how to work around theme based  
>>>>> issues with the flatgrey theme was vague and contradictory (as  
>>>>> was discussed here on this mailing list.)
>>>>>> and pretty or not it really does cause problems and it's  
>>>>>> probably better to use it with the old flatgrey theme. There  
>>>>>> could certainly be other problems, but in general I'd say 09.04  
>>>>>> is more solid and certainly much more feature complete.
>>>>>>
>>>>> How about Jira #2602 - the very first thing you see when you  
>>>>> start up the demo store is broken (in my book and in my  
>>>>> browser). Sorry, but this does not bode well for the remainder  
>>>>> of the demonstration and for a successful outcome should one be  
>>>>> a new user testing the waters.
>>>>>> As far as "ad advertised" goes, I wasn't aware there was  
>>>>>> anything advertised either way... ;)
>>>>> Exactly my point! Its all implied. And since we have nothing  
>>>>> else to work with, older is better in this case.
>>>>>> One nice thing about 09.04 is that the business processes are  
>>>>>> much more complete. In other words you can run through a  
>>>>>> business process and not find the big functional gaps that  
>>>>>> exist in 4.0. A LOT happened in the 2 years between the two  
>>>>>> releases, and probably around 50 man-years of effort went into  
>>>>>> things.
>>>>> Actually, the devil is in the details. I'm not "dissing" 50 man-
>>>>> years of work, but how many years of work went into the code  
>>>>> base prior to the 9.x release? And how many implementations are  
>>>>> there of 4.x code vs. trunk releases since the branch?
>>>>>> This really isn't a small difference. When doing gap analysis  
>>>>>> based on a set of requirements I haven't seen any business  
>>>>>> looking for anything, ever, where the feature set of 4.0 would  
>>>>>> hit even close to the percentage of overlap that 09.04 does.
>>>>> That is good to know. Sounds like OFBiz is moving in the right  
>>>>> direction.
>>>>>> Whatever the case, depending on the circumstances I'd still  
>>>>>> recommend going with the trunk. For reasons we've discussed  
>>>>>> before in many cases the trunk is actually more bug-free than  
>>>>>> any release branch as long as you stay updated with it, of  
>>>>>> course with the release branches you have to stay updated with  
>>>>>> them too if you want bug fixes (ie that is the "patching"  
>>>>>> process for them and it's BAD BAD BAD to not update when using  
>>>>>> the release branches).
>>>>>>
>>>>> I guess this is where we differ. I'd say a new user - out to  
>>>>> kick the tires - is not interested in updating or reporting  
>>>>> bugs. They just want to get started with a minimum of  
>>>>> frustration and a maximum of success.
>>>>>> That said, the basic idea behind the releases and what to  
>>>>>> choose still holds pretty true, and the release branches are  
>>>>>> definitely more "stable" (meaning they don't change, not  
>>>>>> meaning more bug-free, but it does help some with that), see  
>>>>>> the "How Do I Decide What To Use" section here:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://docs.ofbiz.org/display/OFBADMIN/Apache+OFBiz+Getting+Started
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -David
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sep 24, 2009, at 9:49 AM, Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Jacques:
>>>>>>> I understand and respect where both of you are coming from.  
>>>>>>> But I think you need to consider that for new users (and this  
>>>>>>> is only for new users), they should be guided towards using a  
>>>>>>> stable, proven release. The 4.x release is the only release  
>>>>>>> that is proven and works out-of-the-box as advertised.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Your reference to beginner documentation aside (and, BTW, this  
>>>>>>> is developer documentation not end-user documentation), I  
>>>>>>> can't in good conscience suggest to anyone to use code that  
>>>>>>> hasn't been proven either through formal release management  
>>>>>>> practices or through actual experience in the field.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jacques Le Roux wrote:
>>>>>>>> I totally agree with Ashish (not surprising) but Ruth is also  
>>>>>>>> right to say that we have still some bugs in R9.04, but it's  
>>>>>>>> improving day after day and have a lot more features and a  
>>>>>>>> better architecture. For instance there is still issues with  
>>>>>>>> Minerva in R4. And IMO, the main reason is you will not get  
>>>>>>>> much help (if any) from the community with R4. We are almost  
>>>>>>>> all turned to the future, not the past...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Jacques
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> From: "Ashish Vijaywargiya" <[hidden email]
>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>> -1 for starting with OFBiz 4.0 release.
>>>>>>>>> Instead of this I will recommend to start with either  
>>>>>>>>> Release branch  9.04 or trunk and report any bug found.
>>>>>>>>> The main reason of my recommendation is that the beginner  
>>>>>>>>> document(http://docs.ofbiz.org/x/UBE) and some other  
>>>>>>>>> document best support to Release Branch 9.04 & trunk.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> PS: "4.x trunk release" - Ruth, If I am not wrong "trunk"  
>>>>>>>>> word is used for the repository on which current development  
>>>>>>>>> is going on.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>>>> Ashish Vijaywargiya
>>>>>>>>> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
>>>>>>>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Helping hand around the World ...
>>>>>>>>> USA | Italy | India | New Zealand
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Ruth Hoffman wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> Hello Olindo:
>>>>>>>>>> IMHO - and not to ruffle any feathers - there are a number  
>>>>>>>>>> of minor but very visible bugs (mostly in the presentation  
>>>>>>>>>> layer) in the 9.04 release that could easily discourage and  
>>>>>>>>>> frustrate a first time user. I found this out the hard way  
>>>>>>>>>> while trying to use the 9.04 release as a basis for screen  
>>>>>>>>>> shots in my 2 books (and for the myofbiz.com website.)
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> My advice for what it is worth: if you are a beginner,  
>>>>>>>>>> start with the 4.x trunk release (it's rock solid and  
>>>>>>>>>> proven) and then, when you understand how OFBiz should  
>>>>>>>>>> work, move on to 9.04 if needed.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Again,
>>>>>>>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>>>>>>> Ruth
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Olindo Pindaro wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> What is the difference beetween this 2 branches?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> TNX
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>

12