Re: Devel models [was: Setting Deafult Font Size in X]

["SN_Diamond" <Norman.Diamond@example.com>]

Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:

> This is a little OT, so tell us to take it off line if you want, but I
> think most people will be interested.

Nah, no one will be interested because it concerns development of a Linux
application (motivated by a Unix application developed by Bill Joy) which is
convenient to use in developing Linux applications (which might or might not
be motivated by Unix applications developed by Ken Thompson etc.).  People
would be more interested if we were calling each other names instead  ^_^

> Hm.  As a matter of professional interest, how does the vim community
> decide what's "alpha", "beta", or what?  What other categories do they
> have (stable, I suppose)?

I think the primary developer of vim (Bram Moolenaar, whose relationship to
vim is comparable to Linus Torvalds' relationship to Linux) decides whether
to call it alpha or beta.  He doesn't consider 6.0 to be at beta stage yet.
5.7 is stable and was released long ago.

> We've recently also given up on trying to release a "stable" XEmacs on
> a specific date.

Of course.  In a fantasy world, they would be released when they're stable.
In a theoretically possible world, they would be released on a specific
date.  In the real world, they're released under conditions which are none
of the above.  All that anyone would need to do next is keep the source
secret, prohibit anyone and everyone from making any fixes, charge money for
it, and force every purchaser of a computer to pay you for it, and tell lies
about it, and then they could be the next Microsoft.