On Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 2:31 PM Dan Smith via chirp_devel < chirp_devel@intrepid.danplanet.com> wrote:
I like straight edges, right angles, and easy-to-remember dates. So, I'm thinking that first thing in January would be a good time to send out announcements to the users, looking to expand the testing to a wider audience. I think an initial blast to the chirp_users list would be good, see how that goes, and then start offering both on the download page.
I really like the "New Year, New Chirp" idea. As you say below, there may be some bumps along the road, but I think this would be a very positive message to send to the community as we start a new year.
I also think the plan should be to effectively freeze the py2 branch for anything other than bug fixes at that point, and expect all new drivers to be against the py3 branch only. I feel like we've got some inertia now and we had better capitalize on it. At one point in the past I tried to say "new stuff has to work in py3" but I don't think we were close enough to really make that work (sorry Rick!). But now I think we've got builds, they're clearly usable, and saying that new radios will only be available in the new builds is actually reasonable.
I couldn't agree more. Now that we're gaining real momentum on py3 and reaching critical mass, it's time to focus all our energy on moving forward, and let go of the past as rapidly as we can. Being clear about py2 being in strict maintenance mode will be essential. It will also be crucial to jump on any issues that come up with installation of py3 builds, on any platform, so that we can make the transition process as painless as possible for as many users as possible.
I've also started on a couple of docs on the website for "why are we doing this":
https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/ChirpNextBuild
as well as explaining some differences between the old and new UI:
https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/ChirpNextBuildChanges
If you have comments, edits, or suggestions on these, let me know.
I think, perhaps just prior to the announcement to chirp-users, or perhaps sooner, it might be helpful to add the bug lists from "list of requested features" and "list of bugs" in the first document to the list of "Custom queries" in the issue tracker (i.e. the right-hand column), to make it as easy as possible to find these. It might help reduce duplication as people start to use the new builds.
Onward! :-)
Martin. KD6YAM
--Dan
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