RELEASE

   1 This is a checklist for making Guile releases.
   2 It's specific to the FSF's development environment; please don't put
   3 it in the distribution.
   4
   5 Maybe we should name Guile releases after entertaining poisons.
   6 However, the first release containing the module system should be
   7 called Godot: "This is the one you've been waiting for."
   8
   9 In release 1.4:
  10 - Release is titled ``wormwood'' release.
  11 - remove #/ syntax
  12 - Remove SCHEME_LOAD_PATH.
  13 - remove hook support from boot-9.scm
  14   (only provided for backward compatibility)
  15
  16 In release 1.5:
  17 - remove names evalext.c: serial-map,
  18                ramap.c:   serial-array-copy!, serial-array-map!
  19
  20 Modules sort.c and random.c should be factored out into separate
  21 modules (but still be distributed with guile-core) when we get a new
  22 module system.
  23
  24 Platforms for test builds:
  25 SunOS (gcc and pcc) --- galapas.ai.mit.edu
  26 Solaris (gcc and SUN cc) --- saturn.ai.mit.edu
  27 NetBSD (gcc) --- repo-man.ai.mit.edu (use /home/repo/jimb)
  28 HP/UX (gcc, HP cc) --- nutrimat.gnu.ai.mit.edu
  29
  30
  31 1) Check that the versions of aclocal, automake, autoconf, and autoheader
  32    in your PATH match those given in README.  Note that the `make
  33    dist' process always invokes these tools, even when all the
  34    generated files are up to date.
  35 2) Verify that Guile builds and runs in your working directory.  I
  36    hope that we'll eventually have a test suite to make this more
  37    concrete, but for the moment, just make sure things seem sane.
  38 3) Make sure NEWS, INSTALL and the docs are up to date:
  39    a) Scan the ChangeLogs for user-visible changes, marked with an asterisk
  40       at the left margin.
  41    b) Update NEWS and the Texinfo documentation as appropriate.
  42    c) Remove the user-visible markers from the log entries once they're
  43       documented.
  44    d) Check for any [[incomplete]] sections of NEWS.
  45    e) Fact-check INSTALL.
  46 4) Scan output from `cvs diff' to find files that have changed a lot, but
  47    do not have up-to-date copyright notices.
  48 5) Update the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION, and README.  The Guile
  49    version number should be of the form N.M for a major release, and
  50    N.M.L for snapshots and beta releases; L should be even for beta
  51    releases, and odd for snapshots.
  52 6) Set up README appropriately for the release; check name spellings
  53    in THANKS, and reformat.
  54 7) Choose new interface numbers for shared libraries.
  55 8) Do a `cvs update -A', to get rid of any sticky tags.
  56 9) Rebuild all generated files in the source tree:
  57    a) Install the .m4 files where aclocal will find them.
  58    b) Run aclocal.
  59    c) Run automake.
  60    d) Run autoconf.
  61    e) Run autoheader.
  62 10) Commit all changes to the CVS repository.
  63 11) Verify that the disty works, too:
  64     a) Make a disty, using 'make dist'.
  65     b) Unpack it somewhere else.
  66     c) Remove automake and autoconf from your path, or turn off their
  67        execute bits, or something.  (Users should be able to build disty
  68        without installing those tools.)
  69     d) Configure, make, and install.
  70     e) Test the installed version; don't forget to unset GUILE_LOAD_PATH.
  71     f) Test the example code in the doc directory.
  72     g) If you made any fixes, commit them, and start from a) again
  73 11a) Add "Guile N.M released." entry to ChangeLog, and commit it.
  74 12) Tag the entire source tree with a tag of the form "release_N_M".
  75 13) Copy the tar file over to the GNU machines, and send mail to
  76     ftp-upload@gnu.org, asking them to put it on prep.
  77 14) Send an announcement message to gnu-announce@gnu.org.  Put
  78     "Obtaining Guile" first, then a brief summary of the changes in
  79     this release, then "Thanks," "About This Distribution," and
  80     "Nightly Snapshots."  If I remember correctly, the moderator will
  81     delay it until the tar file appears on prep.  The announcement
  82     text should be mostly taken from Guile's README file.
  83 15) Notify freshmeat.net, although they're probably watching anyway.
  84     (They got the 1.3 release just fine.)  I have no idea if
  85     www.bowerbird.com.au will be something anyone refers to, but Guile
  86     does have an entry there.
  87 16) Tweak the version numbers in GUILE-VERSION, and README to indicate that
  88     the sources are snapshot again.  Snapshots should have version numbers
  89     of the form "N.M.L", where L is odd.
  90 17) Start a new section of the NEWS file.
  91 18) Start a new THANKS file.
  92 19) Send mail to majordomo-owner@cygnus.com updating the message you get
  93     when you ask majordomo for "info guile".