[Biopython-dev] biopython on github

[Chris Lasher]

2009/3/16 Tiago Antão <tiagoantao at gmail.com>

> I've been reading this thread and mainly staying silent but there is
> one question that is not clear in my mind but I believe it is
> important:
>
> How is the "official" biopython trunk controlled? Currently what is on
> CVS is the gospel and Peter and Michiel essencially have control of
> what is there and what is labelled as a "biopython distribution". How
> will this work now?


In a distributed workflow, there is no technical official repository. The
"official repository" is socially enforced. Technically, there is no
official repository of the Linux kernel anymore. However, there is an
"official" version, which is Linus Torvald's repository. It is socially
enforced. I think Michiel and Peter still head the Biopython project--at
least they have the most clout, I would say. Therefore, we will probably
look to one of their branches as the "official" branch of Biopython. When
one of them wants to step down in duty, we will socially pass the torch on
to the next taker.

See "6.3 Using gatekeepers" at
http://doc.bazaar-vcs.org/latest/en/user-guide/index.html#team-collaboration-distributed-style
See also
http://betterexplained.com/articles/intro-to-distributed-version-control-illustrated/


> The second question, related to the first is how will different
> branches (of different persons) be managed? I am seeing people
> starting working on the same code in different directions and then
> having problems merging everything together.


People are supposed to work in different directions; this is the point of
distributed workflows. Merging tends not to be so difficult, and compared to
centralized models like CVS and SVN, it's a cinch. We will help provide
documentation for proper merging habits (e.g., merge early, merge often, and
no rebasing after pushing, etc.). There are also screencasts popping up (in
particular Scott Chacon's re-make of his Gitcasts, now at learn.github) that
we will link to for educational purposes. And of course, other developers
will be around to help out in tricky merges.

Chris