[CF-metadata] Editing/publishing workflow (Hattersley, Richard)

From: Schultz, Martin <m.schultz>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 14:02:44 +0000

> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 09:05:36 +0000
> From: "Hattersley, Richard" <richard.hattersley at metoffice.gov.uk>
> To: "Gregory, Jonathan" <j.m.gregory at reading.ac.uk>,
> "cf-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu" <cf-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CF-metadata] Editing/publishing workflow
> Message-ID:
> <21A2C87797FA6042B162A8A0A11A15DB06F60FCE at EXXCMPD1DAG2
> .cmpd1.metoffice.gov.uk>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> > I'd like to propose changing the rules. That's something the conventions
> committee can agree, I believe. I would suggest the simplest possibility, if we
> wish to retain provisional status, is to specify a time. We could say that, after
> one year from acceptance or when the next version of the conventions
> document is published, whichever is later, a change becomes permanent.
> What do you think?
>
> The more I consider the concept of "provisional status" the more it concerns
> me. What does it actually mean for a netCDF file to use a particular
> "Conventions" attribute value? How can one tell what is still in provisional
> status? What version should data writers be using? I've checked back
> through 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 and they all still contain sections marked as
> provisional. Using the analogy to software versions that has been raised
> elsewhere, the CF convention versions are essentially pre-release versions,
> e.g. 1.6-beta, and are not suitable for production use.
>
> [...]

Dear all,

     taking up Richard's comment: wouldn't it make most sense to change the release cycle as with any software product? Instead of immediately releasing "1.7", there would be a, say six months period where we have "1.6" as official version and "1.7-beta" as test candidate for the next release. This would allow everyone to develop, test and comment, while it remains fully clear which version is the latest operational one. CF checking tools could then even issue a warning if they find an outdated "*-beta" version in the Conventions attribute, and production datasets should simply refrain from using beta versions.

Best regards,

Martin


===================
PD Dr. Martin G. Schultz
IEK-8, Forschungszentrum J?lich
D-52425 J?lich
Ph: +49 2461 61 2831





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Received on Tue Mar 18 2014 - 08:02:44 GMT