Node-mssql: Formalise and publish release guidance and remove "@next" release tag

[willmorgan]

We should aim to release bugfixes fairly quickly and batch the semver-minor changes every month (stick in the air estimate based on the amount of contributions this project receives).

We can make use of the prerelease release tagging system to easily take advantage of discrete releases, rather than using the custom @next tag.

This is primarily a documentation updating exercise in the first instance; we need to:

• remove the @next documentation from the README
• deprecate and then remove any @next tags from npm
• probably add something about how we release stuff in the future

On making releases automatically:

In the short term - @patriksimek I currently don't have publish rights but @dhensby does - could you fix that, please?

In the longer term - we can auto release using something like this: https://github.com/semantic-release/semantic-release

[patriksimek]

@willmorgan Fixed.

[dhensby]

• deprecate and then remove any @next tags from npm

How does one do this?

[dhensby]

When I try to use npm dist-tag to remove or add tags I just get 401s :(

[willmorgan]

@patriksimek Thanks!

@dhensby I wonder if there's a way to add an npm notice when people install via a tag. Otherwise we'll just have to warn manually, I guess.

[davidbayo10]

Hi,

why is npm install mssql installing 5.0.0-alpha.1 version? I think It should install last stable version instead of an alpha version

Thank you all in advance!

[willmorgan]

@davidbayo10 That's one for npm, I'm afraid - if you use https://semver.npmjs.com/ and enter mssql then without a range, none of the prerelease tags should be getting installed.

edit: I just checked myself and it seems that 4.3.0 is installed. I'm running npm 6.4.1 locally:

[willmorgan@mbp ~/Projects/node-mssql-repro (master)]$ npm install --save mssql
+ [email protected]

[dhensby]

I've gone and update the npm tags now. next is deleted, latest is updated to 4.3.0 and 5.0.0-alpha.1 is tagged as @alhpa

[davidbayo10]

I installed again and it seems to work correctly! Thank you all!

[willmorgan]

@davidbayo10 Great. I think it was due to some confusion with dist-tagging. Thanks for bearing with us while we're still getting to grips with how this is released...

[dhensby]

TBH - I think we've done all we are going to with this. closing as done