Re: Access to testing on multiple pkgsrc platforms

[Thomas Merkel <tm%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

* Jason Bacon <jtocino%gmx.com@localhost> [2024-05-02 15:29]:
> On 5/2/24 06:11, Greg Troxel wrote:
> > David Brownlee <abs%absd.org@localhost> writes:
> > 
> > > For those with limited access to multiple platforms it can be
> > > difficult to test package changes and updates.
> > > 
> > > There also appear to be quite a few people with machines (not under
> > > TNF control) with which they would like to assist pkgsrc. While these
> > > machines may not be usable for building official binaries, they can be
> > > used to help testing.
> > 
> > That's all true, but we also have a mechanism already, which is that
> > when changes have a high value of "odds of breaking * pain of breakage",
> > patches can be sent to tech-pkg for review, and proposed changes can be
> > staged in wip to ask people to test.  This happens a fair bit.
> > 
> > While your proposal for semi-automated CI might help, I think the real
> > issue is not realizing that changes are dangerous (in this case) and
> > people not accepting the group norm of the obligation of non-breakage
> > [q(in other cases).
> 
> I'd be happy to run bmake in any wip package on my Mac M1, which I
> suspect most pkgsrc developers don't have, and is prone to suffer
> breakage as macOS is somewhat esoteric.
> 
> A "call for testing" on tech-pkg or pkgsrc-users before committing to
> pkgsrc-proper would be a big help.  Not 100% reliable, as emails can be
> missed and responses not always quick, but an improvement nonetheless.
> 
> I personally test all my changes on NetBSD, Alma 8 (under VirtualBox),
> and macOS aarch64.

If someone need shell access to a SmartOS zone I'm happy to share
accounts for everybody who like to run tests. Feel free to drop me
a message.

All the best,
Thomas