[sword-devel] experimental repository & new module release procedures

[Chris Little]

I created a new repository over the weekend for experimental modules. 
This repo is intended for front end developers. PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT 
USERS TO THIS REPOSITORY. It is not for casual users or even very many 
people on this list.

It will contain three types of modules:

1) Utility modules to aid in development of new features. This includes 
the new set of v11n* modules now in place. LeningradV11N was replaced by 
v11nLeningrad, and one v11n module was created for each of the other 
supported v11ns (KJV, KJVA, NRSV, NRSVA, MT, and Synodal). This also 
includes the UDHR module, intended primarily for testing support for 
various writing systems.

2) Modules which might someday be released, but which employ features 
absent from the current release of Sword or the major front ends. This 
includes the GenBook Bibles and any versekey Bible employing a non-KJV 
v11n. Currently the latter include the WLC, KJVA (the KJV2006 plus 
Apocrypha), and two Bibles employing the Synodal v11n (roughly 
speaking): RusSynodal and CSlElizabeth.

3) Content known to be somehow faulty. Such content might include 
modules from the beta repo identified as badly faulty or content that 
requires modifications to Sword or one of the import utilities in order 
to be repaired.

The repository URL is ftp://labs.crosswire.org/pub/sword/experimentalraw/

It's also in the masterRepoList.conf file, for those of you whose 
install managers have been updated to use this facility.

I'm open to suggestions for other modules that should be moved from beta 
to experimental. I will probably move some of the TEI 2 & P4 
dictionaries to experimental until I can update them to proper P5 
markup. The Japanese modules, however, I would not consider candidates 
for movement to experimental because they /mostly/ worked in 1.5.11 and 
being able to hide the ruby is automatic for any front end compiled with 
1.6.0 (assuming it uses Sword as intended).


In addition to the new repo, I'm announcing the new module release 
procedures (though they've actually been in effect for a while):

Entirely new modules will be released to the public repo directly, 
following a cursory review.

Only updated modules will go to the beta repo for wider review, to 
prevent clobbering better versions with worse. Very minor updates may 
skip this step and go directly to the public repo.

Hopefully we can clear out most of the beta repo in coming weeks by 
releasing to public or (in some cases) moving content to experimental. I 
do plan to note releases of new modules on a testing page in the Wiki so 
that they still garner some attention from testers.

--Chris