[Live-devel] How to contribute code?

[Ross Finlayson]

When I say that I don't support old versions of the code, that also 
means that I don't provide any *links* to old versions of the code. 
So, while anyone is, of course, free to keep around any old versions 
of the code that they wish, I won't be providing or publicizing (on 
the "live555.com" web site or elsewhere) any links to these.

The reason is quite simple: When a new version of the code is 
released, it's usually to fix bugs.  I can't, with a clear 
conscience, endorse a copy of the code that I know is buggy.

However, there was recently a rare exception to this - a new version 
that did not fix bugs, but instead was a major reimplementation of 
existing functionality (the "RTSPClient" class).  Although this was 
intended to improve the code, it also introduced some new bugs (most 
of which now appear to have been fixed, although there remain some 
unverified reports of problems with RTP-over-TCP).

I gave serious thought to making an exception for that particular 
version, and releasing it as a separate, 'experimental' release, 
separate from the usual 'latest' release ("live555-latest.tar.gz"). 
In hindsight, perhaps I should have done that.  It would have allowed 
people to avoid encountering bugs in the new "RTSPClient" 
implementation, but it also would have meant that these bugs would 
not have been found as quickly (because few people would have ended 
up trying the 'experimental' release).  (Note that the new 
"RTSPClient" implementation has so far also exposed a bug in at least 
one other server (camera) implementation, as well as a bug in our own 
"openRTSP" application code - neither of which would not have been 
found nearly as quickly (if at all) had we not made people endure the 
temporary pain of dealing with this new implementation.)
-- 

Ross Finlayson
Live Networks, Inc.
http://www.live555.com/