Given the constraints placed on the [term trunk] branch of the repository it is (strongly) recommended to perform any development going beyond trivial changes on a non-trunk branch. [para] Outside of the trunk developers are allowed to commit intermediate broken states of their work. Only at the end of a development cycle, when the relevant branch is considered ready for merging, will it be necessary to perform full the set of validations ensuring that the merge to come will create a good commit on trunk. [para] Note that while a review from a second developer is not a required condition for merging a branch it is recommended to seek out such an independent opinion as a means of cross-checking the work. [para] It also recommended to give any new branch a name which aids in determining additional details about it. Examples of good things to stick into a branch name would be [list_begin itemized] [item] Developer (nick)name [item] Ticket hash/reference [item] One or two keywords applicable to the work [item] ... [list_end] [para] Further, while most development branches are likely quite short-lived, no prohibitions exist against making longer-lived branches. Creators should however be mindful that the longer such a branch exists without merges the more divergent they will tend to be, with an associated increase in the effort which will have to be spent on either merging from and merging to trunk.