Stable branch updates

Stable Branch Updates

After an Inkscape 0.XX.0 release, we sometimes later put out one or more Stable Releases (0.XX.1, 0.XX.2, ...) containing important bug fixes.

The Stable Branch is where we gather these changes to prepare for a Stable Release.

Acceptable Changes for Stable Releases

For the stable release branch, we are looking for fixes to highly important problems. In particular, bugs that result in crashes or data loss are excellent candidates.

Feature changes, minor fixes, and cosmetic changes generally are not appropriate for the stable branch, except in exceptional circumstances.

Marking a Bug Needing Fixed in a Stable Release

If you run across a serious bug that definitely meets the criteria for the stable release, please 'milestone' it in Launchpad for the next stable release. This can be done by clicking the down arrow under Affects, and select the appropriate milestone in the Milestone dropdown.

Milestoned bugs will be reviewed by the release manager. Some may be postponed to a later milestone if it is not fixable in time, or have its milestone dropped if it's not considered critical enough.

Nominating Patches for the Stable Branch

If you have a patch for a bug that meets the criteria for the stable release (even if it is not milestoned), you can mark it to be put in to the release via the 'Nominate for release' link (or 'Target to release' if you're an admin). The release manager will review these and accept or decline them. Once they are accepted, they will also be incorporated into the release branch.