Flare engine v0.19

[igorko]

We can release Flare engine v0.19 soon. But there is one thing that disturbs me: We have 12 open bugs. It would be cool to fix them (if not all but at least most of them) before 0.19 release.

[clintbellanger]

The main bugs we are able to deal with right now are done.

I propose we declare an engine String Freeze and begin asking for flare-engine translations, and set December 1st as the release date for Flare engine v0.19.

It looks like we want to start offering a stand-alone engine package. Some options:

• Offer flare-engine (with default mod) as a download

I think we need to do this. But what should we do with Flare game?

• Offer the flare-game as a standalone download mod
• Offer the flare-game + engine bundle as we have before
• Both?

Please share your thoughts. Are we ready to release v0.19? And how should we handle download packages?

[stefanbeller]

There are different canonical ways how to obtain the software for different operating systems.

• The Windows way certainly is to download an installer, click on ok three times and you're set. This way would profit from having everything in one package/installer.
• The Linux way however is to ask your package manager to set things up (apt-get /yum install flare-game or alike). Some distros however have the policy to be as close to upstream as possible, which reads: As close to the published tar.gz, which should not require to be split up or patched a lot. Therefore we'd need 2 different tar balls for those packagers.
• I don't know about the general way of MacOS to get new software though.
• The non-mainstream, such as Amiga, GCW Zero, Desura etc. want to have one source tar ball to compile and install themselves.

That said, I'd propose this way of publishing:

• 3 separate tar.gz (engine, game, and both included. The tar.gz containing both is for people to selfcompile on operating systems without or late package management, such as the handheld things. The game and engine separate for the distribution packagers. Not sure where to put default mod in those two, in both or just one?) Source only, no precompiled binaries.
• One Windows installer/zip (engine+game, precompiled exe, ready to play), I'd assume other flare based games will do the same (Such as a zip for polymorphable, everything included, they may even use the same binary as in this release). Although this would require to package the engine for each flare based game separately, this keeps in line with "the windows way" how to obtain Software, hence improving ease of use?
• And a third way for MacOS? No idea.

[clintbellanger]

The ideal OSX way is to create a dmg file that contains a .app folder and a shortcut to the Applications folder. I think I can package this.

You're right on, we should package for each OS the ideal/expected way.

[dorkster]

The game and engine separate for the distribution packagers. Not sure where to put default mod in those two, in both or just one?)

I'd imagine there would be issues with two packages providing the same files in some cases. So I'd say to only include the default mod with the engine tarball.

[clintbellanger]

Someone remind me: have we made any text changes in the engine since the last time we updated the .pot/.po files? I want to make sure we're up to date before I post an open invitation for translators to update for v0.19.

[dorkster]

I added some strings in 79f5b51, so I think we need to regenerate those files.

[igorko]

v0.19 was released