Merge pull request #1269 from jim-parry/admin/prep4

Release notes & process

Author: jim-parry

admin/previous-gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+CodeIgniter-4.0.0-alpha.1 launches today, after a lengthy build-up :)
+
+Huge shoutout to Lonnie Ezell for all of his hard work getting the vision
+and the core implementation in place!
+
+This is an early pre-release of 4.0.0. It is not suitable for production!
+
+The release has all the major features in place, but there are still gaps
+and issues. See ...
+
+- [Bugs in the 4.0.0-alpha.1](https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter4/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+milestone%3A4.0.0-alpha)
+- [Things that we definitely want to see fixed before first proper release](https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter4/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+milestone%3A4.0.0)
+- [Features we would like to see in the initial proper release](), if possible, else the next update to it
+- [Features that we are consciously deferring to later](https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter4/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+milestone%3A4.1.0)
+
+What we need now is feedback from the community ...
+
+- What doesn't work well (raise a post in [CodeIgniter 4 Development](https://forum.codeigniter.com/forum-27.html))  
+If you have found a bug, then by all means create a new issue on the repo.
+- What you think is missing (raise a post in [CodeIgniter 4 Feature Requests](https://forum.codeigniter.com/forum-29.html))  
+We will soon start the [candidate new feature](https://forum.codeigniter.com/forum-33.html) posts, 
+for those items in the feature requests forum that appear to have traction
+- Problems that you are having using the release (raise a post in [CodeIgniter 4 Support](https://forum.codeigniter.com/forum-30.html))  
+Do NOT create repo issues with support questions - we are using github for bug and work package tracking
+
+Do NOT post support questions or feature requests in response to this thread - those
+will be deleted. We are trying to make the best of the
+limited resousrces that we have!
+
+Thank you, and ENJOY!

admin/release-notes.md

@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ The `release` bash script does the first six workflow steps,
 and the `post-release` script does the other three between
 the manual steps.
 
+For now, everything past the release branch build will be done
+nanually, until the condidence level is high enough to
+automate some/all of those steps.
+
 ## Assumptions
 
 You (a maintainer) have forked the main CodeIgniter4 repo,
@@ -92,3 +96,9 @@ Once the release branch has been vetted, and you have
 completed the manual steps, clean up with:
 
     `admin/post_release version [qualifier]`
+
+## Release notes
+
+On launch of a new release, a release notes post should be made in the
+announcements subforum. The planned text for it (so it can be previewed
+by admins) is in `admin/release_notes`.