Make default Hazelcast version, last released version (i.e. not SNAPSHOT).

[JackPGreen]

SNAPSHOT Hazelcast builds are no longer publicly accessible, which leads to build failures as code-samples relies on SNAPSHOTs since virtually the beginning.

It makes more sense for examples of how to use Hazelcast to be backed by production-quality dependencies, i.e. a released version.

As such, downgraded to the latest released version of Hazelcast - will be kept up-to-date via Dependabot.

Slack discussion

[nishaatr]

FYI...

I have made some changes under https://github.com/hazelcast/hazelcast-pipeline-library/pull/249 to support git --allow-empty for code-samples.

However, I just tested code-samples locally and it fails if <hazelcast.version> is set to a release like 5.4.0 in master and not SNAPSHOT. This happens when I try to create a MINOR release branch cut from master and the failed check is here

I am just highlighting here as the use of SNAPSHOT (in code-samples and deployment) is still an open question. If we decide to use last release in code-samples, then I will need to fix above

Then the questions arises whether we need this PR to auto-update <hazelcast.version> for code-samples? I will need to make changes to fix this in any case, and my thinking is, may be best we do this in the Release Pipeline to set required version in release-branch, z-branch and master so its in one place and makes release instructions little simpler. We can discuss this further once we have a way forward on the question where we should deploy SNAPSHOT or not

[olukas]

It makes more sense for examples of how to use Hazelcast to be backed by production-quality dependencies, i.e. a released version.

I disagree. If somebody wants to use some certain version of Hazelcast for code samples they should use related tag (for example https://github.com/hazelcast/hazelcast-code-samples/blob/v5.4.0/pom.xml#L19). If somebody decides to use master branch of code samples (which is latest version) they should use latest master (i.e. SNAPSHOT) of Hazelcast.

If we will use latest released Hazelcast version for code samples (instead of SNAPSHOT) it also means we cannot add a code samples for the new features from Hazelcast master branch since code samples doesn't use it.

I think that if latest SNAPSHOT is no longer publicly available then proper solution is to build Hazelcast locally (from master) before compiling code-samples.

[JackPGreen]

It makes more sense for examples of how to use Hazelcast to be backed by production-quality dependencies, i.e. a released version.

I disagree. If somebody wants to use some certain version of Hazelcast for code samples they should use related tag (for example https://github.com/hazelcast/hazelcast-code-samples/blob/v5.4.0/pom.xml#L19). If somebody decides to use master branch of code samples (which is latest version) they should use latest master (i.e. SNAPSHOT) of Hazelcast.

The problem (I think) is that the default branch is master, so out-of-the-box, it won't build.

While you can use a tag to specify your targeted version (e.g. as per the docs), I don't think that's how any references to code-samples have been communicated to date (rather contrived example).

If we will use latest released Hazelcast version for code samples (instead of SNAPSHOT) it also means we cannot add a code samples for the new features from Hazelcast master branch since code samples doesn't use it.

We can, for EE features (as there is still a SNAPSHOT for those versions) - I've updated jet/wordcount-compute-isolation to support that. But obviously not as ideal as it was.

I think that if latest SNAPSHOT is no longer publicly available then proper solution is to build Hazelcast locally (from master) before compiling code-samples.

That would work for the PR builder (at the expense of execution time), but it wouldn't help new users.

One of my personal bugbears is when you try to evaluate a product and the samples/tutorial etc doesn't work out-of-the-box. And the fact that I got my first ever application running with Hazelcast in minutes was very nice.