The snapshot and the new text layout code.

[Inge Wallin]

Today is officially the tagging for 2.4 or 3.0 snapshot 1.  And I hear people 
expressing the opinion that the new text layout code should not be merged 
before the snapshot. This worries me.

We do the snapshots for two reasons:

1. To get feedback on what we have now.

2. To show some activity and let people know that the project is very active.

I would say that the most important development that we have going right now 
is the new text layout engine. It is crucially important for both Words and 
Stage.  Casper says it is ready, there has been a full-time tester (Swathi) 
testing it for over a week and she says that it is better than the old code.

Yet, if we continue on the set track, the new layout code will not be part of 
the snapshot.  In fact, Casper says that if this happens he doesn't want Words 
to be part of the snapshot at all. This means that reason 1 will be completely 
failed.

So I suggest that we delay the tagging of the snapshot a few days and let 
Casper merge the branch. It only touches two parts of the engine: kotext and 
the text shape.  In addition to that, there are changes in Words and Stage.  
Things may be a little bit unstable, but since Swathi says it is already 
better than before, I think we can live with that.

Most importantly, if we *don't* merge it, we will not have words in the 
snapshot, which to me is failure, *or* we will have lots of feedback on things 
that will be thrown away, maybe even in the time between the tagging and the 
actual release day.

So please, let's agree to merge the text layout code, and if that means 
delaying the snapshot a couple of days, then it's a very cheap price to pay.

	-Inge