The Language team is considering changes to the MLEB release process. Below are the key points and proposals for the new process.
Current Process:
- MLEB is released every quarter.
- Supports the two latest stable MediaWiki releases.
Motivation for Change:
- Discussion during the team's off-site on whether the current process needs revision.
- Extensions' development has stabilized significantly, with fewer changes and adequate language coverage.
- Backwards compatibility policy creates overhead, requiring conditional code that complicates extension maintenance and contributions.
- The value proposition of easy extension bundling with example configuration remains relevant.
Historical Context:
- MLEB releases were initiated in 2012.
- Transitioned from monthly to quarterly MLEB releases in 2015.
Proposals:
- Align MLEB Releases with MediaWiki: Release MLEB twice a year, coinciding with MediaWiki releases, and drop the backwards compatibility policy. This change impacts especially MediaWiki LTS users, who would need to update their MediaWiki to use newer MLEB versions.
- Integration into MediaWiki Tarball: Discontinue separate MLEB releases and work on including these extensions in the MediaWiki tarball, ensuring useful default settings. This approach aims for greater integration and simplicity.
Next Steps:
- Announce these proposals in the upcoming MLEB release announcement to solicit user feedback.
- Refine proposals based on feedback and decide on any changes.