Proposal for alpha releases

(Current: Alpha release process -- This page is just the proposal for historical reference.)

Idea: make regular formal releases during the development cycle, for easier testing and earlier feedback

Process:

1. Commit fest declared closed
2. Verify that build farm is green
3. Copy commit fest applied patches info to temporary release notes
4. Tag
5. Run script to build tarball (make distcheck)
6. Double-check (by second person)
7. Upload
8. Announce

Naming:

• proposal: sth. like postgresql-8.5.alpha.200907
• exact punctuation needs further thought, to make readability, sorting, and packageability sane
• the date reflects the closed commit fest, even if the release is made in the following month

Announcing:

• Would like announcements in the technical online press, but don't overdo it.

TBD:

• Complete automation of tarball build (esp. docs, man pages)
• Commit fest release note extraction
• Press contacts and announcement template