diff --git a/RELEASE b/RELEASE index 3671070c5..a8d701609 100644 --- a/RELEASE +++ b/RELEASE @@ -52,75 +52,104 @@ Julian Satchell : dec-mips-ultrix -1) Check that the versions of aclocal, automake, autoconf, and autoheader - in your PATH match those given in README. Note that the `make - dist' process always invokes these tools, even when all the - generated files are up to date. -2) Verify that Guile builds and runs in your working directory. I - hope that we'll eventually have a test suite to make this more - concrete, but for the moment, just make sure things seem sane. -3) Make sure NEWS, INSTALL and the docs are up to date: - a) Scan the ChangeLogs for user-visible changes, marked with an asterisk - at the left margin. - b) Update NEWS and the Texinfo documentation as appropriate. - c) Remove the user-visible markers from the log entries once they're - documented. - d) Check for any [[incomplete]] sections of NEWS. - e) Fact-check INSTALL. -4) Scan output from `cvs diff' to find files that have changed a lot, but - do not have up-to-date copyright notices. -5) Update the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION, and README. The Guile - version number should be of the form N.M for a major release, and - N.M.L for snapshots and beta releases; L should be even for beta - releases, and odd for snapshots. -6) Make sure the downloading addressess and filenames are current. -7) Set up README appropriately for the release; check name spellings - in THANKS, and reformat. -8) Choose new interface numbers for shared libraries. -9) Do a `cvs update -A', to get rid of any sticky tags. -10) Rebuild all generated files in the source tree: - a) Install the .m4 files where aclocal will find them. - b) Run aclocal. - c) Run automake. - d) Run autoconf. - e) Run autoheader. -11) Commit all changes to the CVS repository. -12) Verify that the disty works, too: - a) BEFORE doing 'make dist', configure the source tree for build - in the same tree with configuration option --with-threads. - Make sure that readline was enabled correctly. - If this is not done, there will be missing dependencies in two - Makefile.in. - b) Make a disty, using 'make dist'. - c) Unpack it somewhere else. - d) Remove automake and autoconf from your path, or turn off their - execute bits, or something. (Users should be able to build disty - without installing those tools.) - e) Configure, make, and install. - f) Test the installed version; don't forget to unset GUILE_LOAD_PATH. - g) Test the example code in the doc directory. - h) Give the volunteer pre-release testers above a few days to run - the distribution on their systems (make the disty available to them - via ftp). - i) If you made any fixes, commit them, and start from a) again -13) Add "Guile N.M released." entry to ChangeLog, and commit it. -14) Tag the entire source tree with a tag of the form "release_N_M". -15) Copy the tar file over to the GNU machines, and send mail to - ftp-upload@gnu.org, asking them to put it on prep. -16) Send an announcement message to gnu-announce@gnu.org. Put - "Obtaining Guile" first, then a brief summary of the changes in - this release, then "Thanks," "About This Distribution," and - "Nightly Snapshots." If I remember correctly, the moderator will - delay it until the tar file appears on prep. The announcement - text should be mostly taken from Guile's README file. -17) Notify freshmeat.net, although they're probably watching anyway. - (They got the 1.3 release just fine.) I have no idea if - www.bowerbird.com.au will be something anyone refers to, but Guile - does have an entry there. -18) Tweak the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION, and README to indicate that - the sources are snapshot again. Snapshots should have version numbers - of the form "N.M.L", where L is odd. -19) Start a new section of the NEWS file. -20) Start a new THANKS file. -21) Send mail to majordomo-owner@cygnus.com updating the message you get - when you ask majordomo for "info guile". + +Release Checklists =================================================== + +There are basically two phases to doing a release: + +* "SPIFFING": Updating NEWS, README, INSTALL. Running tests. Getting + people to try builds on various machines. Getting everything + straightened up. + +* "PUNTING": Updating the version numbers. Tagging the sources. Asking + the FSF to put the disty on ftp.gnu.org. Posting announcements. + +The "Spiffing" phase you might go through several times as you +discover problems. The "Punting" phase you do only once. + + +Spiffing checklist: + +* Do a `cvs update -A', to get rid of any sticky tags in your working + directory. +* Check for files that have changed a lot, but do not have up-to-date + copyright notices. (It would be nice to have a script to do this...) +* Make sure NEWS, INSTALL and the docs are up to date: + + Scan the ChangeLogs for user-visible changes, marked with an asterisk + at the left margin. + + Update NEWS and the Texinfo documentation as appropriate. + + Remove the user-visible markers from the log entries once they're + documented. + + Check for any [[incomplete]] sections of NEWS. + + Fact-check INSTALL. +* Make sure the downloading addressess and filenames in README are + current. +* Check that the versions of aclocal, automake, autoconf, and autoheader + in your PATH match those given in README. Note that the `make + dist' process always invokes these tools, even when all the + generated files are up to date. +* Rebuild all generated files in the source tree: + + Install the .m4 files where aclocal will find them. + + Run aclocal. + + Run automake. + + Run autoconf. + + Run autoheader. +* Verify that Guile builds and runs in your working directory. +* Run the test suite, in guile-modules/test-suite. +* Commit all changes to the CVS repository. +* Build a test distribution. + + BEFORE doing 'make dist', configure the source tree for build + in the same tree with configuration option --with-threads. + Make sure that readline was enabled correctly. + If this is not done, there will be missing dependencies in two + Makefile.in. + + Then do 'make dist'. +* Give the test disty to various people to try. Here's what you should do: + + Unset GUILE_LOAD_PATH. + + Remove automake and autoconf from your path, or turn off their + execute bits, or something. (Users must be able to build the + disty without installing those tools.) + + Configure, make, and install. + + Make sure LD_LIBRARY_PATH doesn't include anything unnecessary. + + Run the test suite on the installed version. + + You might try the example code in the doc directory. + +Once you've got a disty that seems pretty solid: + +* Choose new interface numbers for shared libraries. +* Update the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION and README. (There are + many places in README that need updating!) The Guile version + number should have one of the following forms: + N.M - a major release + N.M.L, where L is even - a minor release + N.M.L, where L is odd - sources from CVS or nightly snapshot +* Reformat the names in THANKS. +* Do a `cvs update -A' of the whole tree, to look for any stray + uncommitted or accidental changes. +* Commit your changes. +* Make one last test distribution. + +Punting checklist: + +* Add "Guile N.M released." entry to the top-level ChangeLog, and commit it. +* Tag the entire source tree with a tag of the form "release_N_M" + or "release_N_M_L". +* Put the distribution up for FTP somewhere, and send mail to + ftp-upload@gnu.org, asking them to put it on prep. +* Send an announcement message to gnu-announce@gnu.org. Put a brief + summary of the changes in this release first, then "Obtaining + Guile", "Thanks", "About This Distribution," and "Nightly + Snapshots." If I remember correctly, the moderator will delay it + until the distribution appears on ftp.gnu.org. The announcement + text should be mostly taken from Guile's README file. +* Notify freshmeat.net, although they're probably watching anyway. + (They got the 1.3 release just fine.) I have no idea if + www.bowerbird.com.au will be something anyone refers to, but Guile + does have an entry there. +* Tweak the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION, and README to indicate + that the sources are a snapshot again. Snapshots should have + version numbers of the form "N.M.L", where L is odd. +* Start a new section of the NEWS file. +* Start a new THANKS file. +* Send mail to majordomo-owner@cygnus.com updating the message you + get when you ask majordomo for "info guile".