Status

 

Possible values:

* "PROPOSED" in Grey specifies that discussion is underway. 

* "READY FOR VOTE" in Blue specifies that the proposal has been finalized and is ready for the TSC to vote.

* "RESOLVED" in Green specifies that the decision was made by the TSC.

BlockingLinks to pages for projects or initiatives that are blocked by this decision
OutcomeApproved
Minutes Link2020 09 17 TSC Minutes


Overview of Proposal

Allow projects to switch from SemVer (Semantic Versioning) for their versioning to CalVer (Calender Versioning) for their versioning.

Besu is different from a lot of the Hyperledger project in that it is beholden to a standard (Ethereum Mainnet compatibility) that it does not control. While it participates in co-ordination of that standard Besu does not have simple control over it like the other DLT projects do.

When working with public networks such as Mainnet there is a critical need to use the most current version of Besu, no matter what the semantic compatibility is.  Not dealing with a breaking change is the same as dropping the service.  Mainnet is fairly good about maintaining backwards compatibility, but there are other smaller changes such as P2P network protocol upgrades and RPC APIs that update at an infrequent cadence.

Besu feels  that a CalVer versioning for the main DLT release itself would better signal how aligned we are to the continually moving target of mainnet compatibility. We think it will also more clearly communicate multiple release streams should not be expected.

Formal Proposal(s)

Update the Release Taxonomy to allow project to opt into using Calendar Versioning (CalVer) instead of Semantic Versioning MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH versioning.

Projects that opt in must meet these criteria:

For example, Besu's policy would be:

Action Items

Include any tasks here that need to be completed once the decision has been approved by the TSC

Reviewed By