MLS 3.3.0 Release Notes

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RossEvans
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MLS 3.3.0 Release Notes

#1

Post by RossEvans »

Alan_Brown wrote:All release notes from the last few years are compiled in the wiki article Timeline of MLS.
Does anyone have the release notes for 3.3.0 to append to the wiki? I have been curious about that version, which is released and temporarily optional, although my unit hasn't installed it.
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aebrown
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#2

Post by aebrown »

boomerbubba wrote:Does anyone have the release notes for 3.3.0 to append to the wiki? I have been curious about that version, which is released and temporarily optional, although my unit hasn't installed it.
MLS 3.3 is not yet released -- it's still in beta. We don't post release notes to the wiki until an MLS version is actually released. We were notified through an MLS message that it would be released in the next couple of weeks, and that it would then be available for download from mls.lds.org. But only a beta installer is available at this point.

However, someone posted the release notes from an earlier beta of MLS 3.3 in this post; I haven't checked to see if they have changed significantly since then, but I'm guessing they're still pretty close.
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RossEvans
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#3

Post by RossEvans »

Alan_Brown wrote:MLS 3.3 is not yet released -- it's still in beta. We don't post release notes to the wiki until an MLS version is actually released. We were notified through an MLS message that it would be released in the next couple of weeks, and that it would then be available for download from mls.lds.org. But only a beta installer is available at this point.

However, someone posted the release notes from an earlier beta of MLS 3.3 in this post; I haven't checked to see if they have changed significantly since then, but I'm guessing they're still pretty close.
Thanks. I thought I saw a message in MLS during the past week or so announcing that 3.3.0 was now available for optional download. I may be mistaken.

Looking at those earlier release notes, I see that the particular change I was most interested in -- the dropping of the MRN from the export files -- was not mentioned anyway.
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#4

Post by mkmurray »

boomerbubba wrote:Looking at those earlier release notes, I see that the particular change I was most interested in -- the dropping of the MRN from the export files -- was not mentioned anyway.
http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/18.1-8?lang=eng#1

Moral of the story: stay persistent. Church developers will say you "troubleth" them, possibly granting your desire "lest by [your] continual coming [you] weary [them]." ;)
RossEvans
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#5

Post by RossEvans »

boomerbubba wrote:Thanks. I thought I saw a message in MLS during the past week or so announcing that 3.3.0 was now available for optional download. I may be mistaken.
I see on the download site that it is still called a beta, as Alan said. But unlike limited-distribution betas, this one apparently is available for download by any unit.

So it's sort of a case of if-it-works-it's-not-a-test.

As far as the release notes go, I guess I don't understand the rationale for keeping them unpublished when the software is effectively released, just not yet mandatory. In fact, since installing the software is optional for now, reading the release notes might help inform that local decision.

Of course, the value of release notes is diminished when details are omitted. And given the comment elsewhere that the MRN change was "meant to be a low key part of the release" even though MLS developers knew it would break some tools downstream, it sure seems like a deliberate tactic to surprise users of the export files.
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#6

Post by russellhltn »

boomerbubba wrote:I see on the download site that it is still called a beta, as Alan said. But unlike limited-distribution betas, this one apparently is available for download by any unit.
The page still says:
1. The stake president must approve of the stake's participation.
2. Every unit in the stake, including the stake, must have the pre-release version installed.
So while it may not be "locked away" as the others have been, I still see verbiage that would suggest it's not wise to install at this point unless one is a beta stake.
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#7

Post by RossEvans »

boomerbubba wrote:Thanks. I thought I saw a message in MLS during the past week or so announcing that 3.3.0 was now available for optional download. I may be mistaken.

Looking at those earlier release notes, I see that the particular change I was most interested in -- the dropping of the MRN from the export files -- was not mentioned anyway.
RussellHltn wrote:The page still says:

...

So while it may not be "locked away" as the others have been, I still see verbiage that would suggest it's not wise to install at this point unless one is a beta stake.

My ward has not installed it. (If we had, I could see the release notes myself!) But the option to install is still local -- made at the stake level rather than the ward level, but not yet pushed out from CHQ. I should think stakes might also be interested in reading the notes to inform their choice.
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#8

Post by aebrown »

boomerbubba wrote:I should think stakes might also be interested in reading the notes to inform their choice.
The decision not to post release notes until release has never been a matter of policy so much as a desire not to have to constantly update the release notes. But for 3.3, I think you have a good argument, so I posted the Beta 6 release notes to the wiki. I see that the export MRN item you are concerned about is indeed listed.
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#9

Post by RossEvans »

Alan_Brown wrote:The decision not to post release notes until release has never been a matter of policy so much as a desire not to have to constantly update the release notes. But for 3.3, I think you have a good argument, so I posted the Beta 6 release notes to the wiki. I see that the export MRN item you are concerned about is indeed listed.

Thanks!

I can certainly understand the rationale for hard-pressed volunteers not updating the wiki with ephemeral information, since it is more of a cumulative reference. This forum, where there typically is some active thread discussing betas, might be a more appropriate venue.

That could be done by volunteers ad hoc. Or in a more organized and professional way it could be initiated by the MLS team. There is value in announcing upcoming releases with such detail, with appropriate disclaimers, even if the beta test itself is controlled. That way feedback from the general user base can occur before a release gets set into stone, and interested users can at least plan their own actions to accommodate changes that are coming at them.

I know that would be a cultural change, but I think it would be a positive one.
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#10

Post by crislapi »

In case anyone is interested, the official 3.3.0 executable was made available for download this week. Previously 3.2.4 and 3.3.0 b7 were posted. 3.2.4 hsa been removed and the beta has been upgraded to an official release. It is dated Dec 15. This appears to contain some upgrades even from b7. I noticed some patching (several command windows popping up briefly) when I did a send/receive from the beta. When I checked the version number, it had automatically upgraded to the official (non-beta) version.
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