Changes Freeze Policy

Feature Freeze Policy

After feature freeze for a release, no new features or major version bumps are allowed for packages already in the Fedora collection (new packages can still be reviewed, added in CVS and built). The purpose of the feature freeze is to help ensure that changes have adequate time to be tested as well as to provide some focus on bug-fixing for the release.

Exception Process

If you think that you need to break the feature freeze, then you should ask for approval prior to breaking the freeze. To do so, file a ticket in our Trac Space with the following information: (Note, don't forget to login, or you will not get email notifications of ticket changes)

• A description of what you want to change
• Rationale for why the change is important enough to be allowed in after the feature freeze.
• Impact of not accepting the feature at this point of the schedule.
• Information on what testing you've already done on the feature to help reduce the risk.

The release team will evaluate the request and provide feedback. If the feature is rejected, then you'll have to wait for the next development cycle to begin to get the change into Fedora packages. Disputes over rejected changes can be escalated to FESCo

Approval will come in the form of +1's. Two +1's (without any negative feedback) are necessary to build. If there is negative feedback, conversation will ensue and a new vote will be issued.

Ignoring the freeze process and introducing new features anyway will lead to your package being reverted and a reduction of the chances of an exception being made.