Last modified: 2011-08-25 16:37:48 UTC
The to-be "stable" release REL1.18 has several extensions with bugs. For example the SMW extensions are in "1.6 RC1" with several bugs (e.g. 30304). Please update the stable releases so that the extensions (in general all, in this case the SMW-related ones) are also stable and bug-free. Background problem: bugs in extensions of "stable" mediawiki releases seem to be only fixed in the wmf-branch, not elsewhere. However, the wmf-branch is not reusable (see bug 30519) and developers advise third parties against using it (e.g. Reedy in Bug 30490, or Bug 30487). The checkout of stable releases does come with all extensions, including the SMW ones. But unless the bugs in extensions are fixed, the resulting "stable" version after switching from "alpha" to "release" will be stable only with respect to core without extensions. This is not a realistic use-case of mediawiki. Conversely, in our experience, it is not generally possible to use trunk extensions with "stable releases". Unless fixing the bugs also occurs in releases, it makes it hard to use mediawiki.
Apologies, self-correction: I looked poorly, there was activity in updating some extensions in REL1.18 in June and until 15. July!
At this point we really don't have the manpower to go backport to such MW branches. And I think it would not make sense to begin with, as those branches are made at pretty random points as far as SMW and extensions are concerned, making it a bad to use extensions from there at all. At least when extensions are maintained and see actual releases; if they are not, grabbing from such branches does make some sense. Since SMW is both maintained and sees regular releases, you can just grab the latest one compatible with your MediaWiki version, either regular download, or SVN tag: http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticMediaWiki/ Most other SMW related extensions have such tags as well: http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/ Hope that helps you :)
Perhaps what would help is a page on mediawiki.org how to install and maintain a continuously updated mediawiki from subversion. As you describe, the "stable releases" are not directly usable, but form only the basis. However REL1_18 does come with all SMW-related extensions included. From this I gather, that to maintain a mediawiki installation, one has to remove dozens of extensions for the REL1_18 checkout, replacing them with compatible "release extensions". So for SMW: Is http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticMediaWiki/REL_1_6/ or REL_1_6_1/ the correct one? Which one the compatbile one for: http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/Maps/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/OpenID/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticDrilldown/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticForms/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticMaps/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/SemanticResultFormats/ http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/tags/extensions/Validator/ etc.? Perhaps such a page exists on mediawiki.org and I have overlooked it. (I don't fully see why it would not be easier for those who know about the core to extension compatibility to check the extensions, once they have become stable or "released" in trunk, into the stable mw release branch, i.e. for the coming stable one, into REL1_18.) The same problem exists for the extensions that are used by WMF: The WMF version gets the error corrections of the extensions used, but these are not transparent. We tried (and failed) to use the 1.17WMF version for this reason.
> one has to remove dozens of extensions for the REL1_18 checkout Just check out phase3, not the extensions as well. > Is or REL_1_6_1/ the correct one? Yeah. > Perhaps such a page exists on mediawiki.org and I have overlooked it. There is no such page, but most extensions do have some notes on compatibility on their own pages. For most this will only include the min MW, not the max one. Then again, for maintained extensions, the max version is usually trunk. All SMW extensions I'm familiar with are compatible with 1.18 and later. This includes everything in http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Semantic_Bundle Some non-activly-maintained SMW extensions might not work with recent versions of MW.
"Just check out phase3, not the extensions as well." -- we need many more extensions than the SMW ones... So you think best management is to check out each extension individually? Just counted, we presently have 75 extensions. That is less than WMF, which has 106, but we use a significant number of different ones. "All SMW extensions I'm familiar with are compatible with 1.18 and later." -- but the newest version from trunk may not be stable. So your method of using tags is a step forward, but alas available only for a few extensions. In my opinion, it would be more transparent and easier, if those extensions like SMW that do not participate in stable releases would be removed from the SVN stable releases starting with REL1_18.
> In my opinion, it would be more transparent and easier, if those extensions like SMW that do not participate in stable releases would be removed from the SVN stable releases starting with REL1_18. Sure. I actually voiced this before, but core devs don't seem to agree with this standpoint. > but the newest version from trunk may not be stable. So your method of using tags is a step forward, but alas available only for a few extensions. Yeah, extension management currently sucks, no need to convince me of that. See https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/mediawiki/wiki/User:Jeroen_De_Dauw/GSoC2010/Proposal (project is unfinished, no one wants to further fund it)
