[Rivet] Rivet release plan

[Andy Buckley]

Hi all,

Given the embarrassing issue with the abspid() function that wasn't abs,
as well as the CMS fixes, another CMS analysis to add, a fix to some
HepData-produced ref data, and a few other tweaks... I think it's about
time to release another Rivet update, 2.1.2. I'll try to get the
necessary things done for that in the next week.

I'm keen to get several new features into YODA at the same time, notably
2D histogram/profile I/O, but there are already quite a few YODA
improvements such as a working yodamerge script and a new yodahist
script that allows you to do command-line histogramming from ASCII
files/streams.

After that, after talking with David G last week, we plan to head for
Rivet 2.2.0 with the Cuts system finally going live. There are a few
interface tweaks left to be done re. that, but the trunk looks good and
it would be silly to delay this excellent feature further by demanding
that we release unrelated multi-weight functionality at the same time:
that can appear in 2.3.0.

The open issue that David pointed out to me is James M's "gzip" branch,
and the jet stuff that James had also started working on. Can we merge
those into the trunk now, James? I am happy to finish off the Jet
reworking that I started in Copenhagen in December, if I can remember
exactly what was planned... hopefully I have it buried somewhere on my
huge Rivet TODO list ;-)

Lastly, I'll just mention that we will have a new postdoc starting in
Glasgow in August, a substantial part of whose time will be working on
Rivet. So maybe we can organise a "sprint" shortly after he arrives.
Having one before that would also be good, though... anyone want to host?

Andy

-- 
Dr Andy Buckley, Royal Society University Research Fellow
Particle Physics Expt Group, University of Glasgow / PH Dept, CERN