Software schedule for B2 build and call for activities and content.

[Jim Gettys]

Reminder: please enter any requests for new activities or content into
trac today (per the previously published schedule).  This also goes for
major new versions of existing activities (rather than bug fixing).
                              Thanks for everyone's hard work!
                                    Best Regards,
                      			Jim Gettys




On Wed, 2006-12-20 at 16:37 -0500, Jim Gettys wrote:
> It looks like the BTest-2 build will be near the end of January. I'll
> probably have better information sometime next week and details below
> are subject to change.
> 
> Remember there will be a BTest-3 build, and a CTest build; the trains
> will be leaving the station regularly, so don't try to push too much
> into the software too soon: we'd like better performance, fewer bugs and
> higher stability for BTest-2, rather than more functionality. We got
> much more into BTest-1 than we had any hope for.
> 
> Having a release target helps focus the mind, and having software for
> preload done properly in advance helps shake down the overall process,
> which includes installation of software in the factory.  Debugging the
> factory process is also a major goal of the BTest builds. And while we
> expect/hope software will be updated on arrival in country, there is
> never any guarantee that this actually takes place, so we'd like
> everyone to put their best feet forward for the builds that get loaded
> into flash at the factory.
> 
> First: If you have a new component: e.g. an activity, need packages in
> the base system, or have content of  whatever sort added to the base
> system, we'd like to know about that *now*.  "New" in this sense means
> also substantially revised activities: a good example might be the full
> TamTam2, rather than a bug fixed version of what we have now.
> 
> Deadline for requests for BTest-2 additions of new components is
> Tuesday, January 2. I do not want last minute addition requests this
> time around.  Please enter new components into the trac system, using
> the component "new component".  Size estimates and dependency
> information is also required.
> 
> For BTest-1 we had too many balls in the air, and through the good
> graces of Mark Foster and Quanta, were able to sneak in a late build
> days after the gate should have closed. This came at a cost I do not
> want to see happen again: the manual updating of each and every board by
> hand.  Here lies madness, and we can and should improve our processes
> with each build.
> 
> Here's my current strawman, subject to correction again next week as we
> get better data from all the detailed schedule work currently underway.
> 
> Week of January 1: CaFE ASIC and first boards are built for BTest2. Any
> driver changes or fixes will have to be shaken down, both for the
> firmware and for Linux.
> January 2: Requests for new activities/content due.
> January 4: Decisions on new content requests.
> January 4: All packages/bundles for initial base level due.
> January 5: Initial base level starts integration
> January 8: Integrated build available
> January 12: All updated packages/bundles for initial base level due.
> January 14: Final firmware for BTest-2 to Quanta for testing.
> January 14: second base level of integrated build for testing.  Only 
>     serious bug fixes after this date. Testing at OLPC and Quanta
>     during the week of January 15.
> January 21: final system image to Quanta for production.
> 
> 				Best Regards,
>                                       - Jim
> 
-- 
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child