KDE 4.0 Release Roadmap

Milestone: Subsystem Freeze

Date: 2 April 2007

Goals:

After this date forward, no major KDE subsystem can be committed to kdelibs.
The location of all classes are fixed within kdelibs.
Trunk is expected to contain KDE4 code only now. This effectively means that all scripts processing translations for KDE3 in trunk will cease.
Extragear applications that want to release based on KDE3 are expected to move to /branches/stable and work from there.
The buildsystem requirements are fixed; i.e, must not require a version of cmake greater than 2.4.5.
Qt 4.3 is required from here until release.

31 March - 2 April is Big Changes 3-Day Weekend to make the final set of big changes.

Milestone: kdelibs Hackathon Week

Start: 15 Apr 2007 (estimated) End: 21 Apr 2007 Duration: 1 week

Goals:

kdelibs polishing and fine-tuning.
Developer meeting (possible, planning TBD).
Full API review of Phonon and Solid (Oslo meeting)

Milestone: kdelibs Soft API Freeze

Date: 1 May 2007

Goals:

The kdelibs API is frozen. This means that the classes and interfaces are not allowed to change, except with permission of the core developers.
To make an API change, post a kdelibs API exception request to the kde-core-devel mailinglist with an explanation and the code. If there are no objections after a week, the change can be committed.

NOTE: all affected modules must continue to compile and work as expected.

Milestone: Alpha Release Tagged

Date: 3 May 2007

The Alpha will be source only -- without translations.

Milestone: New Application Freeze and Usability and Accessibility Review

Date: 8 May 2007

Goals:

All applications expected to be released with KDE 4.0 must:
- use the new cmake buildsystem
- compile with Qt4.3 and kdelibs 4.0. (Using Q3Support and/or kde3support is ok, though not desired)
- have a handbook (that at least describes what the application does)
New applications must be committed into kdereview for review
Resurrected applications must be committed back into their KDE main module
Start Application Usability and Accessibility Review continuing until the start of the Beta Cycle

Milestone: Module Freeze

Date: 1 June 2007

Goals:

Any new application from kdereview must be in place in its KDE main module.
The KDE main modules are frozen for new applications.
The main module maintainers must indicate if they will follow the release schedule or will divert and not be released together with KDE 4.0.

Milestone: Artwork Freeze

Start: 13 June 2007 (tentative)

Goals:

Last chance to commit a new (excluding oxygen) style or theme into kdeartwork.
The work does not need to be 100% complete at this time, but it must be nearing completion so it can be reviewed and beta-tested.

Milestone: Alpha2 Release

Date: 27 June 2007

Goals:

The Alpha2 Release will be source only -- without translations.
The tagging will occur on this date, with the actual release occurring soon after.

Milestone: Core Library API Freeze

Date: 24 July 2007

Goals:

The core library APIs are frozen solid. The core libraries include those in the kdesupport, kdelibs, and kdepimlibs modules.

Milestone: Beta Cycle

Start: 25 July 2007 End: 20 November 2007 Duration: 4 months (estimated)

Goals:

From this date forward, a Beta Release will be published every month until most grave bugs are resolved. The actual release of the Betas will occur soon after the tagging.
Starting after the second Beta (30 August):
- application feature freeze commences: focus shifts to stabilizing the applications, fixing bugs, and improving art and documentation.
The Beta Cycle will continue until these critical products are determined to be functional (the "minimum requirements"):
- The workspace
  - Plasma (aseigo)
  - color configuration (mwoehlke)
- Oxygen style (mwoehlke, boemann, #oxygen)
- Konqueror
- Dolphin (Peter Penz)
- KMail (till, tmg)
- Kate
- sound (Vir)

Milestone: Release Candidate Cycle

Start: 21 November 2007 End: 19 December 2007 Duration: 4 weeks (estimated)

Goals:

From this date forward, a Release Candidate will be released every two weeks until *all* grave bugs are resolved.
After the first Release Candidate there is a total release freeze. This means only regressions (breakage caused due to the KDE4 port) or grave bugs can be fixed, but nothing else.
With the first Release Candidate, a list of languages which will be included with the KDE 4.0 release will be made available, based on the usual rules.

Milestone: KDE 4.0 Released

Date: 20 December 2007

Goals:

This date is based on an estimated 4 Beta's and 2 Release Candidates.