RFC: Django latest vs LTS maintenance plan

[Michel Lind]

Hi all,

With the recent EOL of the Django 3.2 LTS series[^1], and Django being a
key component of our mailing list infra for both Fedora and CentOS, I
would like to propose the following plan to maintain Django in both
Fedora and EPEL:

- Fedora: `python-django` maintained as currently, not tracking any LTS
  series
  - **but** also fork off `python-django` each time it hits an LTS
    series to make a new `python-djangoX.Y` (e.g.
    https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2274198)
- LTS packages are introduced in Fedora first, until they either reach
  EOL or no longer build, at which point they are retired in Rawhide.
  See below for the EOL case.
- EPEL: we will only branch LTS packages (as is the case now, with
  `python-django3` - though under the new naming scheme it should have
  been `python-django3.2`)
- Handling EOL
    - not an issue for `python-django` - we just keep rebasing it
    - for LTS releases in Fedora, retire in Rawhide if the series will
      EOL before the EOL of the upcoming Fedora release
    - for LTS releases in EPEL, once it is EOL (like `python-django3`)
      we mark it as `Provides: deprecated()` and retire it if there is a
      replacement that works with add-on packages, *and* there is a CVE
      that is not fixed
- Package ACL: cc-ing the current maintainers of python-django here.
  Please let me know if
  - you want to be added to the LTS packages as well
  - you want to be removed from python-django
  - you're not currently involved but want to help out
  - I'll also add infra-sig to the ACL for the LTS packages, as in
    practice they might need access to fix any issue affecting Mailman

The different Django stacks are in the process of being updated so they
can be swapped without affecting dependents, by providing and
conflicting with the virtual `python-django-impl`; not only will this
allow us to swap one Django LTS for another in EPEL when the older one
EOLs, but it also allows those with dependencies that are not qualified
for the latest Django to swap to the LTS in Fedora

Let me know if this makes sense, or if you have ideas of how to handle
some of these better.

[^1]: https://www.djangoproject.com/weblog/2024/apr/03/bugfix-release/

Best regards,

-- 
 _o) Michel Lind (né Salim)
_( ) identities: https://keyoxide.org/5dce2e7e9c3b1cffd335c1d78b229d2f7ccc04f2