<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE webpage
  PUBLIC "-//NetBSD//DTD Website-based NetBSD Extension//EN"
    "http://www.NetBSD.org/XML/htdocs/lang/share/xml/website-netbsd.dtd" [
]>

<webpage id="releases-current">
<config param="desc" value="About NetBSD current"/>
<config param="cvstag" value="$NetBSD: current.xml,v 1.11 2010/11/08 15:38:21 pooka Exp $"/>
<config param="rcsdate" value="$Date: 2010/11/08 15:38:21 $"/>
<head>
<title>Information about NetBSD-current</title>
</head>

<sect1 id="what-it-is">
<title>NetBSD-current</title>

<para>
<ulink url="../releases/release-map.html">NetBSD-current</ulink>
is a daily snapshot of the NetBSD development
source tree.  Because it is a work in progress, it may not be
particularly well tested, and it may not even compile.  People
developing drivers and other system-level software for NetBSD are
encouraged to run NetBSD-current, as are people who want to be on the
bleeding edge of NetBSD development.  If you're just using NetBSD for
day-to-day work, you should probably be running a
<ulink url="formal.html">formal release of NetBSD</ulink> instead.
</para>

<para>
The version of NetBSD-current is always in the form of 
<emphasis role="bold">N.99.M</emphasis> (eg: 
<emphasis type="strong">5.99.7</emphasis>).
</para>

<para>
The <ulink
url="http://releng.NetBSD.org/cgi-bin/builds.cgi">build clusters</ulink> 
run daily autobuilds for every <ulink url="../ports/">port</ulink> of -current.
A <ulink url="http://releng.NetBSD.org/cgi-bin/builds.cgi">summary</ulink> of
these builds is available.
Daily autobuilds can also be downloaded from a number of
<ulink url="../mirrors/#ftp-releng">mirror sites</ulink>.
</para>



<para>
When incompatible changes to the kernel/userland-interface
are made, the last component in the kernel's version number
is incremented (5.99.6, 5.99.7, etc.).
Hopefully, a carefully worked out upgrade path is published on
the current-users mailing list. (This is why you <emphasis>must</emphasis>
read this mailing list, if you are running NetBSD-current).
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="why-current">
<title>Why provide something like NetBSD-current?</title>

<para>
The developers of NetBSD have made the current development sources
available to the public for several reasons.  Overall, providing
NetBSD-current helps us to create a more stable, accessible system.
</para>

<para>
We want it to be easy for
people to become involved in the development of NetBSD.  Distributing
the current development sources makes it easier to get involved,
because it allows a greater number of people to see where the system
is going.
It also makes it easier to integrate changes from users; if changes are
made against the current development sources, then virtually no adjustment
is needed to get those changes into the master source tree.
</para>

<para>
We also want people to test the software as
we're developing it.  Users of NetBSD-current are encouraged to send
in <ulink url="../support/send-pr.html">bug reports</ulink> about the current
sources, and that helps us find and fix bugs.  Because people are
testing the software soon after it's written, more bugs can be found
and eliminated.
</para>

<para>
People who use NetBSD-current may also want to find out
the <ulink url="../support/query-pr.html">state of the bug reports</ulink>.
This allows a user to track the progress of a bug report they 
submitted or even look for bugs to fix.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="get-current">
<title>Get NetBSD-current</title>

<para>
  <itemizedlist>
    <listitem><ulink
    url="../docs/current/">Tracking NetBSD-current</ulink></listitem>
    <listitem><ulink url="../mirrors/#anoncvs">AnonCVS mirrors</ulink>,
      <ulink url="ftp://ftp.NetBSD.org/pub/NetBSD/README.sup">SUP</ulink>.</listitem>
    <listitem>Browse the repository via <ulink url="http://cvsweb.NetBSD.org/">CVSweb</ulink>.</listitem>
    <listitem>Search the source tree using <ulink url="http://nxr.NetBSD.org/">NetBSD Cross Reference (nxr)</ulink>.</listitem>
    <listitem><snapshot proto="ftp" branch="HEAD">Daily
        snapshot</snapshot>
        (<snapshot branch="HEAD">access via HTTP</snapshot>) on <ulink
        url="http://releng.NetBSD.org/cgi-bin/builds.cgi">autobuilds</ulink>.
        A list of
        <ulink url="../mirrors/#ftp-releng">mirror sites</ulink> is also
        available.</listitem>
  </itemizedlist>
</para>

</sect1>

</webpage>

