Early start to beta cycle: Plan to push DevEd builds a week before the first desktop Beta build

[Sylvestre Ledru]

Hello,

After the completion of Dawn project and the subsequent Firefox 55 and 56 train releases,
it became apparent that using the DevEd population to get a head start on beta quality assessment
would be beneficial. An early rollout to DevEd population can help us gauge quality and stability
before the final merge and support a faster rollout to 100% of Beta users to make the best use of
the limited Beta time we have each cycle.

During the 57 beta cycle, we pushed two DevEd builds of 57 to the DevEdition population a week
before the first desktop Beta build. In parallel, 56 RC builds were being pushed to the regular
Beta population. The main advantage of doing these initial DevEd-only builds was to get a head
start on the beta staged rollout.

With the 57 cycle, we noticed a positive impact as there were new bugs reported by DevEd users.
This head start to 57 beta did not negatively impact our ability to push 56 RC builds to beta
users. Because of this successful trial, we would like to continue this early start to the Beta
cycle for the 58 and 59 releases. It will help us gather data and support a faster beta staged rollout.

Julien Cristau will be sending a follow-up email shortly with the 58 nightly & beta milestone dates in light of this decision.
Please let us know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Ritu & Sylvestre