gPodder release process

This page lists all tasks that have to be done for a gPodder release.

How long will it take?

  • The 0.10.4 release process took about two hours.
  • The 0.11.0 release process also took about two hours.
  • The 0.11.1 release process took a bit less than two hours.
  • The 0.11.2 release process took about one hour and 45 minutes.

Two weeks before the release

  • Update translation templates from source (before branching!)
  • Copy trunk to branches/gpodder-x.y.z in the repository
  • Only commit bug fixes and translation updates to branch
  • Announce stabilization period on mailing list (+call for translations)

Last changes before release/Testing

  • Test if gPodder works (also with removed ~/.config/gpodder/ i.e. first-time use case)
  • Run make releasetest to check for problems and do automatic sanity checks
  • Review ChangeLog to see if any dependencies have changed (update README then)
  • Update README file and bin/gpodder with new version number and release date
  • Run make messages and make generators for translations and manpage
  • Make sure manpage has the correct version in its heading
  • Update translations
  • make cl, do the release commit (be sure to merge all changes that affect trunk to into it now)
  • SVN tag: Do a svn cp of /branches/gpodder-x.y.z to /tags/gpodder-x.y.z
  • Remove SVN branch after successful SVN tagging

Release notes/website work

  • Draft release notes from ChangeLog entries
  • Compile release notes for website, add to news page
  • based on the release notes, do screenshots and add to website
  • Make release tarball: make release (tarball is then in dist/gpodder-version.tar.gz)
  • Upload release tarball to ftp.berlios.de
  • BerliOS file release system (developer.berlios.de)
  • Add new download link to website; update "Current version:" in page template, update "Released" date on download page
  • Commit changes to gPodder website (add screenshots); make sync
  • Copy release notes from website and post to the Mailing list
  • Update FAQs in the Wiki (if answers changed because of the release)
  • Update Roadmap in Wiki

Release notifications

  • Update entry on freshmeat.net
  • Update entry on gnomefiles.org
  • Update entry on podcatchermatrix.org

Debian package

  • Roll new Debian package (new dependencies/suggests?; distro is unstable?); mark fixed bugs from Debian BTS
  • Send new Debian package to sponsor
changed April 26, 2008