Re: continuous integrations pipeline frameworks

[Bruno Haible]

Simon Josefsson wrote:
> I forgot to mention: the pattern to provide re-usable GitLab CI/CD
> definitions that I'm inspired by is Debian's pipeline project:
> 
> https://salsa.debian.org/salsa-ci-team/pipeline/
> 
> It is easy to setup a new project to use their reusable pipeline -- just
> add the CI/CD configuration file setting pointing to their job file --
> and gives a broad configurable and tweakable pipeline.

Sorry if this sounds negative, but

  - So far, I've loved to adapt my CIs as needed. For example, one package
    has a number of --with options, so my CI first builds without these
    --with options, then installs the extra Debian packages and builds a
    second time with these --with options. I don't think that any
    pipeline framework can give me this possibility without causing
    massive hurdles.

  - With such frameworks, documentation is key.

> I'm thinking we could do the same but for any project using gnulib.
> Within some reasonable limit and assumptions, but the majority of
> projects mentioned already are similar enough for this to be possible
> relatively easily.
> 
> I'm thinking it should be sufficient to add gnu-ci.yml@gnulib/pipeline
> (or similar) as a CI/CD configuration file setting to achieve this.

It's quite possible that with this approach, you can bring more GNU packages
into the "we have CI" camp.

I wouldn't like to switch to such a framework, though, because I'm already
too much of an expert in GitLab CI.

Bruno