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Schedule for and Status of the Xfce 4.18 Development Cycle

Schedule

Read the Xfce Release Model to understand why this cycle is the way it is.

Dates Phase/Deadline Everyone's Tasks Release Team Tasks Maintainer Tasks
03-2021 Planning Phase Elect the release team, discuss dependencies
Extended Planning Phase May request dependency changes
Dependency Freeze Update dependency info, inform community about the decisions made (dependencies, unguaranteed feature preview)
Development Phase Support Xfce Supervise development, remind people of deadlines
Release Phase Wait patiently Perform releases, remind people of deadlines Perform releases of own components if desired
01.11.22 Xfce 4.18pre1 (Feature + String Freeze) Install + Test pre1 when available Prepare release announcements, release Xfce 4.18pre1 Make sure the latest development release is in good shape and uploaded. Please no new features or string changes.
01.12.22 Xfce 4.18pre2 (Code Freeze) Install + Test pre2 when available Prepare release announcements, release Xfce 4.18pre2 Please only bugfixes or release blockers
(15.12.22) Xfce 4.18pre3 (Final Freeze) Install + Test pre3 when available This is an optional release (release team decides whether we need or skip it in favor of the final release)
15.12.22 (~29.12.22 with pre3) Xfce 4.18 (Final Release) Celebrate Prepare release announcements, release Xfce 4.18, branch for stable release, merge ELS branches into master Make sure to upload a new release of own components before this deadline

Features that Affect the Entire Xfce Core

Modules

Please don't take the issues listed on the milestone pages as obligatory. Keep in mind that they may or may not make it into the 4.18 release, depending on the time the individual developers have.

Sumup GitLab Milestone for 4.18

For quick access, open 4.18 issues by component:

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Dependencies

Changes in Dependencies

  • glib-2.0 >= 2.66
    • Same version for gmodule-2.0, gobject-2.0, gthread-2.0, gio-2.0 and gdbus
  • gtk >= 3.24
  • libcairo >= 1.16
  • gdk-pixbuf-2.0 >= 2.40
  • gobject-introspection >= 1.66

Other planned changes

  • Migrate more applications to CSD

Changes postponed to Xfce 4.20

  • Port as many plugins as possible to xfconf
  • Create new icons for panel plugins and switch to rDNS naming
  • Migrate to libgtop where it makes sense (e.g. xfce4-taskmanager)

Release TODO List

  • [x] Start wallpaper contest (Best together with the pre1 announce blogpost). Done: link to contest (Next time only two weeks, only :thumbsup:, no :heart:!)
  • [x] Write mail to core devs and ask them to bump the copyright-year and do dev releases
  • [x] Release Manager: Enable Gitlab email-notify on all core components in order to don't miss some critical report
  • [x] Pre1 Release
  • [x] Draft final release blog post (Content to be used as well for online tour) and preview to other core-devs / ask for input.
  • [x] 20. November - submission deadline for wallpaper contest … one week of voting –> write blog post
  • [x] Write mail to core devs: reminder dev releases for pre2 if required
  • [x] Pre2 Release
  • [x] Prepare new website on 4.18 branch of www and cdn, reuse pictures and text from the blog (Skunnyk will create www-new.xfce.org + 4.18 branches for testing). Hint: update this date in order to force a cache update for cdn + don't forget to clear your browser cache.
  • [x] Update xfce4-about/contributors (Skunnyk will do so)
  • [x] Add screenshots using the new wallpaper to https://gitlab.xfce.org/www/www.xfce.org/-/tree/xfce-4.18
  • [x] Bump minim glib/gtk versions on all core components, if required (Gael took care of it … next time we should do that already before pre1)
  • [x] Update docs.xfce.org (new features, new screenshots where it is required)
  • [x] Write mail to core devs: reminder final release / any blockers ?
  • [x] Final Release
    • [x] Do releases with new platform version for all core-components (bump as well the overall version in util)
    • [x] docs.xfce.org - Create 4.18 doc structure and copy all files over there (Kevin will take care of that)
    • [x] Publish new website https://gitlab.xfce.org/www/www.xfce.org/-/tree/xfce-4.18 (Romain will take care of that)
    • [x] Provide Xfce 4.18 Wiki page, write Xfce4.18 release mail via release manager
    • [ ] Transifex: Create 4.18 branch and remove 4.14 branch (Romain?)
    • [x] Publish final blog post (similar to online tour), use the new wallpaper,
    • [x] Publish Twitter tweet (ochosi and/or knome)
  • [x] Check as well all Xfce apps, panel plugins and thunar plugin if it makes sense to release some of them
    • [x] taskman - (removed GtkHeaderBar)
    • [x] ristretto - (Can use X-large thumbnails after 4.18) (Gael)
    • [x] xfce4-notifyd (fix for crash pending)
  • [x] Celebrate

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