tweaks to release_managers_guide.pod

(cherry picked from commit 636a19183afddcfee3e377f79668687caee21a8f)

1 files changed, 27 insertions, 5 deletions

diff --git a/Porting/release_managers_guide.pod b/Porting/release_managers_guide.pod
index 09b9e0773b..daf62e09ae 100644
--- a/Porting/release_managers_guide.pod
+++ b/Porting/release_managers_guide.pod
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@
 
 release_managers_guide - Releasing a new version of perl 5.x
 
-XXX as of Jul 2009, this file is still a work-in-progress - DAPM
+XXX as of Jul 2009, this file is still a work-in-progress. I think it
+contains all the actions needed to build a release, but things may have
+got skipped, and some things could do with polishing. Note that things
+change each release, there may be new things not covered here, or
+tools may need updating. DAPM
 
 =head1 SYNOPSIS
 
@@ -17,9 +21,9 @@ This document both helps as a check-list for the pumpking and is
 a base for ideas on how the various tasks could be automated or 
 distributed.
 
-The outline of a release cycle is as follows:
+The outline of a typical release cycle is as follows:
 
-    (5.10.1 is released, and post-release action have been done)
+    (5.10.1 is released, and post-release actions have been done)
 
     ...time passes...
 
@@ -30,6 +34,8 @@ The outline of a release cycle is as follows:
 
     a few weeks before the release, a number of steps are performed,
 	including bumping the version to 5.10.2
+
+    ...a few weeks passes...
     
     perl-5.10.2-RC1 is released
 
@@ -188,6 +194,12 @@ To see which core distro versions differ from the current CPAN versions:
 
     ./perl -Ilib Porting/core-cpan-diff -x -a
 
+if you are making a maint release, run C<core-cpan-diff> on both blead and
+maint, then diff the two outputs. Compare this with what you expect, and if
+necessary, fix things up. For example, you might think that both blead
+and maint are synchronised with a particular CPAN module, but one might
+have some extra changes. 
+
 =item *
 
 Ensure dual-life CPAN modules are stable, which comes down to:
@@ -216,6 +228,11 @@ Similarly, monitor the smoking of core tests, and try to fix.
 
 =item *
 
+Similarly, monitor the smoking of perl for compiler warnings, and try to
+fix.
+
+=item *
+
 Run F<Porting/cmpVERSION.pl> to compare the current source tree with the
 previous version to check for for modules that have identical version
 numbers but different contents, e.g.:
@@ -241,7 +258,9 @@ also sensible.
 =item *
 
 Get perldelta in a mostly finished state.
-XXX expand
+Peruse  F<Porting/how_to_write_a_perldelta.pod>, and try to make sure that
+every section it lists is, if necessary, populated and complete. Copy
+edit the whole document.
 
 =item *
 
@@ -346,7 +365,10 @@ any of those actions (such as consistency checks) need to be repeated.
 
 Re-read the perldelta to try to find any embarrassing typos and thinkos;
 remove any C<TODO> or C<XXX> flags; and run through pod and spell
-checkers.   [XXX show how]
+checkers, e.g.
+
+    podchecker -warnings -warnings pod/perl5101delta.pod
+    spell pod/perl5101delta.pod
 
 =item *