Hi !
Requesting a new track 6.x for our Rocket.Chat server snap.
Reason: new major release.
Addtionally, is it possible to delete any existing track? What happens to the users that may be on that track?
Thanks in advance !
Hi, I’ve created the 6.x track for rocketchat.
It’s not. What we recommend is closing the track: snapcraft close rocketchat --channel=5.x/stable and so on for all open risks. That will make it unavailable and uninstallable for users.
They will stay on the track and won’t receive any further updates until they switch to another track with snapcraft refresh rocketchat --channel=6.x or something similar.
This is precisely why we recommend caution when using tracks; people who consciously jump on a track are basically “opting out” of following the latest and greatest, so it creates a conundrum for the publisher and user; ideally publisher would keep maintaining the track with at least security updates for a reasonable amount of time, and socialize/notify to users when the track becomes obsolete or superseded so they can plan a transition. On the other hand, users choosing a “previous version” track usually have a need to do so, so upgrading is not necessarily feasible for them.
Still, with server software such as Rocket.Chat, it’s definitely a good idea and the onus should be on users to plan to upgrade as their version goes into end-of-life - so this is certainly not only on the publisher (you :)).
If you’re not going to maintain the 5.x release/track going forward, the best pattern we can recommend is publishing a build to the track that somehow notifies users that the track is now unmaintained and to switch to something else. With desktop software this is usually done via a pop-up; I’m not sure what a reasonable mechanism would be for server-side software. And, of course, to mention this in your web page / forum / chat channel or other applicable medium.
- Daniel