Backporting features [was Re: RFR (11u, XXL): Upstream/backport Shenandoah to JDK11u]

[Andrew John Hughes]

On 17/02/2020 16:53, Andrew Haley wrote:
> On 2/17/20 3:38 PM, Volker Simonis wrote:
>> This reasoning of course also applies to any other downported
>> fix/enhancement.  We should try to make sure that if we downport
>> fix/feature X in release n, we should also downport X to any other,
>> supported release m with m>n.
> 
> For some value of "we".
> 

Indeed.

This did used to be in the case in simpler times, but, now we
effectively have nine OpenJDK versions that could warrant a backport of
any particular fix (from OpenJDK 14 right down to 6, were they all to be
actively maintained), that responsibility has to, in part, lie with
those choosing to maintain a particular OpenJDK version.

It seems a little unfair to expect, for example, someone backporting to
11u to also cover 12, 13 and 14, if those backporting to 14 don't return
the favour in backporting to 11.
-- 
Andrew :)

Senior Free Java Software Engineer
Red Hat, Inc. (http://www.redhat.com)

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