3.2 Schedule Update

We were scheduled to do RC1 today. With around 100 tickets in TracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress., this is not happening. We did a giant push to meet the betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. deadline, but then people went back to their other stuff, dealt with 3.1.3 security release along with beta 2, and generally slowed down. I’m pushing back the RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). target date on the schedule to Monday.

In the words of Lester Bangs (by way of Cameron Crowe via Almost Famous), let’s be honest and unmerciful in today’s scrub.

  • If there’s a patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing., make the call: is it in or out? If it’s not a blockerblocker A bug which is so severe that it blocks a release. or a regressionregression A software bug that breaks or degrades something that previously worked. Regressions are often treated as critical bugs or blockers. Recent regressions may be given higher priorities. A "3.6 regression" would be a bug in 3.6 that worked as intended in 3.5. and the patch isn’t quite there, puntpunt Contributors sometimes use the verb "punt" when talking about a ticket. This means it is being pushed out to a future release. This typically occurs for lower priority tickets near the end of the release cycle that don't "make the cut." In this is colloquial usage of the word, it means to delay or equivocate. (It also describes a play in American football where a team essentially passes up on an opportunity, hoping to put themselves in a better position later to try again.) it, even if it is your pet ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker..
  • If there’s not a patch, how bad is the bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority.? Blocker or regression? Assign it to someone and get a patch for testing by tomorrow. Not? Punt it and hit it early in 3.3.
  • We need to fish or cut bait on a number of lingering small UIUI User interface things. If someone wants to run through them with me we should be able to knock them out today or by tomorrow at latest.
  • Licensing tickets. We need to do the right thing in all cases, and we need to do it this release.
  • String freeze. I’ll do a run through today/tomorrow and look for anything that we’d planned to update but haven’t yet, including Credits and Freedoms screens. We need to do a check on text in help tabs,too, some still need updating. Will write text change patches myself or have a volunteer do them.
  • Any tickets left in the milestone by EOD tomorrow should be blockers.

Let’s get this released tidied up and shipped so we can get started on 3.3!

#3-2, #schedule, #scope

A couple of hours ago the first 3.2…

A couple of hours ago, the first 3.2 beta release hit the ground. You know the drill: you break it, you buy it. Oh, wait. I meant, you break it, report it, and we all work together to fix it. Would be great to get more people helping with bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes between now and RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta).. Tell your friends.

#3-2, #releases

Just a heads up WP trunk uses jQuery…

Just a heads up. WP trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. uses jQuery 1.5.2. 1.5.2 no longer allows selectors of the form [property=value]. These selectors now require quotes: [property=”value”]. Unquoted values will result in “uncaught exception: Syntax error, unrecognized expression: [property=value]”. Check your plugins against 1.5.2.

#3-2, #dev-notes, #jquery

Dev Chat Summary – May 4, 2011

We have passed feature freeze, and are now in UIUI User interface week, leading up to a betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. date of May 11. This week’s dev chat checked in on all the things we originally targeted for 3.2.

  • Drop PHP4 compat: This is done, but there are 1 or 2 places we went a little too far and need to revert to not break things.
  • Distraction-free Writing (dfw): Backend is ready. Need to change the buttons used for HTMLHTML HyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. actions, provide support for escape key, support theme styles, and fine-tune transition times. @azaozz owns this one.
  • List tables APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. improvements: Not happening for 3.2. Westi’s basic summary of findings: More actions/filters/standardization and don’t support subclassing as an override method. Will try to get to this in 3.3.
  • Twenty Eleven (new default theme): Mostly finished, needs editor style support added.
  • IE6 EOL: Most agreed with @aarondcampbell‘s suggestion for the nag — IE < 8 could say "you're insecure" and anything < most recent could say "your browser is outdated" @aarondcampbell will write patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing., with confer with nacin about recent api work.
  • Speed improvements: There are lots and lots of speed improvements under the hood. Ryan has done time testing to prove it. If we have release video, Mark J suggested doing side by side view to show the difference. Nacin looked into PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher lazy loading, said it would not bring much improvement, so skipping it.
  • Partial coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. upgrades: work begun by @dd32, being finished by @nacin. Says nothing needs to be done in core, just on .org side re generating appropriate zips.
  • Style update: @dkoopersmith got first patch into trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. yesterday, had a large chunk of the update in it. Getting the rest in now, and then we’ll do a sweep to see what needs fixing/adding. Asking people to hold off on design feedback/requests/details until we’re ready, to avoid lots of tracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. messages about details that are already being added, just haven’t been committed yet. Should be there in a day.
  • Trac tickets: feature requests and enhancements mostly getting punted since past feature freeze. If there’s a bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. you really wanted fixed, then get in there and find more people to test the patches on the ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.. Tickets withut patches will be punted.
  • Remainder of UI week will be dedicated to finishing the style update, and hitting small UI tickets that weren’t urgent/important enough to take attention away from core functionality, but that just make things a little bit nicer (it’s embarrassing that there are still things we put in during 2.7 that we said we’d clean up in 2.8 and then never got around to).

#3-2, #dev-chat, #meeting-notes

For all you SVN uppers don’t freak out…

For all you SVNSVN Subversion, the popular version control system (VCS) by the Apache project, used by WordPress to manage changes to its codebase.-uppers, don’t freak out: we’re trying out the style refresh that’s been being talked about over on the UI blog, and things might look a little ugly as we get it all worked out.

#3-2, #ui

The Distraction Free Writing mode has been in…

The Distraction Free Writing mode has been in trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. since yesterday. Would appreciate comments, suggestions, opinions, etc. Bug reports should probably go on #17136.

#3-2

There are 56 tickets in the 3.2 milestone…

There are 56 tickets in the 3.2 milestone marked has-patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing., needs-testing. 18 with needs-patch. It would be great if everyone capable of doing so would help test these and report on them this week, since freeze is coming up on the 30th, and at that point anything not in will be punted. The leads are all working on specific things, so these tickets are in need of loving attention. Namely, yours. 🙂

Help, as always, is greatly appreciated.

#3-2

Bug gardeners there is now a 3.2 milestone…

Bug gardeners, there is now a 3.2 milestone in core.tracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress.. Tickets assigned to this milestone should relate to the 3.2 plan. There are currently 312 tickets marked as 3.2 early. Only a fraction of these should end up on the 3.2 milestone.

#3-2

WordPress 3.2, the plan: faster, lighter

Timelines and assignments will be decided next week, but in the meantime, here’s what WordPress 3.2 is looking like:

  • Faster release cycle than 3.1 — more focused release. I’ll be taking point on this release, making sure people stay on target and making sure we don’t try to slip “one more thing” in. Don’t make me get mean. 🙂
  • The theme is “faster, lighter.” We’re dropping support for outdated technologies. We’re looking at making things faster, and we’re looking at making the writing experience more lightweight and calming.
  • List Tables APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. improvements (Westi and Koop) — finalize the API for third party use and more flexibility.
  • List Table XHR loading — to be investigated only after List Table API has stabilized. Make sure it’s worth it before we burn time on it.
  • PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher 5.2 (5.2.4, specifically) to be required. Drop compat. But don’t go adding a bunch of PHP5 stuff. This release is about dropping the old, not adding the new. More red than green.
  • MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. 5 to be required. This quite literally involves no work beyond changing the requirements. Do not change queries.
  • IE6 EOL for the adminadmin (and super admin). If BrowseHappy is updated in time, we can consider adding a “use a real browser” nag for IE6 users. We probably can’t drop much CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets., as IE7 shares a lot of the issues. This is mostly symbolic, and reduces the platform combos we need to test. This also means any security issues that are shown to only affect IE6 only can be lowered in priority.
  • Distraction Free Writing. This is our headline “ooh, shiny” user feature. Replace our current fullscreen implementation with something more beautiful, more useful (in terms of line-length and font size), and simpler (only limited RTE functionality). Look at WriteRoom, OmmWriter, http://www.quietwrite.com/ for inspiration. Koop is investigating this, and may crank out a quick plugin to jump-start development efforts
  • Upgrade improvements. Changed-files-only upgrades can be done with zero changes to coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. For the first effort, let’s just do updates to the latest point-point from within the same major version. So, 3.2 to 3.2.2 and 3.2.1 to 3.2.2. Optionally consider scanning for changed core files and offering them a full upgrade to overwrite those changed files. Skip the wp-contents directory when upgrading (no more upgrading the default theme or bundled plugins).
  • Speed improvements. There are a bunch of little things we can do to make WordPress load or at least “feel” faster. Nacin is looking at PHP lazy loading. He also is working on a patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing. to make the admin menu load faster by doing the expansion in PHP. We can make the dashboard faster by not doing async requests for panes if the cache is hot. Dion has some FTPFTP FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol which is a way of moving computer files from one computer to another via the Internet. You can use software, known as a FTP client, to upload files to a server for a WordPress website. https://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients. improvements that should make upgrades a lot faster for people using a certain FTP server. Everyone can get involved here. Pick sometime small and manageable that will make WordPress a little faster. Together, they’ll add up to a bullet point in the release post.

#3-2