[arch-dev-public] Core Issue in Multiple Architecture

[Paul Mattal]

So here's what I see as the most important counterfactor to Arch
growing comfortably into a multi-architecture distro: HOW do we make
it easy for OLD devs to TEST easily on MULTIPLE platforms?

Building we have covered, at least in the long term. But time has
shown that deploying packages without proper testing is not smart.
This means (I think) at LEAST installing the package and running at
least one program that is part of the package; for some packages, I
know I put them up on one of my servers and let them run for a few
days before pushing them to [extra].

So the next time I build the next release of dovecot, how can we
make it easy for me to test it? So far, I see no good solution.

What doesn't seem fair is to expect the devs who signed on with x
hours of time to give per week to maintaining i686 packages to
maintain packages on other architectures if it will require:

1) more hardware purchases
2) significantly more time

Remember, we're all here scratching our own itches. I agree that the
idea of multiple architectures is a nice one, but if I have to put
in 2x hours per week maintaining packages when I already can barely
find the x hours per week I need to maintain the ones I have, it's
just not possible for me to take this on.

So I see two solutions:

1) See if more developers come along for other architectures. This
isn't something we can "make" happen, unless someone's got a rich
uncle who's willing to pay them! We should make it clear we're
looking for help, and if people want to help, they'll come.

2) Reduce that 2x to something smaller. This *is* something within
our control.. we can try to solve the technical problems which
currently make it hard to develop for multiple architectures.

This is meant as a starting point for further discussion, and also a
means of conveying, for instance, why I haven't started building for
x86_64. I'm not even running an x86_64 box, even though most of my
computers are Athlon64s. Since I have to choose between developing
and testing on one or the other, the barrier is very high. Let's try
to make it lower.

- P