Xen 4.23 release schedule proposal

[Oleksii Kurochko <oleksii.kurochko@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello everyone,

Following the 8-month release cycle, and taking into account that Xen 
4.22 was released on July 30, 2026, the next "good" month for a release
should be March, according to:
https://lists.xen.org/archives/html/xen-devel/2018-07/msg02240.html

I have two options in mind:

Option A:

Proposed release date: Wednesday, March 17, 2027
(~8 months after the Xen 4.22 release)

Last posting date: Friday, December 25, 2026
(~16 weeks from now)

Patches adding new features are expected to be posted to the mailing 
list by this date, although they do not necessarily need to be in their 
final version.
Feature freeze: Friday, January 15, 2027
(+3 weeks from the Last posting date)

Patches adding new features should be committed by this date.
Straightforward bug fixes may continue to be accepted by maintainers.

Code freeze: Friday, February 5, 2027
(+3 weeks from the Feature freeze)

Bug fixes only.

Hard code freeze: Friday, February 26, 2027
(+3 weeks from the Code freeze)

Only bug fixes for serious bugs (including regressions) and low-risk 
fixes should be accepted.
Final commits: Friday, March 12, 2027
(+2 weeks from the Hard code freeze)

Branch off staging-4.23.

Release: Wednesday, March 17, 2027

Considering that there are several holidays at the end of December and 
in January, I would also consider the following schedule:
Option B:

Proposed release date: Wednesday, March 24, 2027
(~8 months after the Xen 4.22 release)

Last posting date: Friday, January 8, 2027

Patches adding new features are expected to be posted to the mailing 
list by this date, although they do not necessarily need to be in their 
final version.
Feature freeze: Friday, January 22, 2027
(+2 weeks from the Last posting date)

Patches adding new features should be committed by this date.
Straightforward bug fixes may continue to be accepted by maintainers.

Code freeze: Friday, February 12, 2027
(+3 weeks from the Feature freeze)

Bug fixes only.

Hard code freeze: Friday, March 5, 2027
(+3 weeks from the Code freeze)

Only bug fixes for serious bugs (including regressions) and low-risk 
fixes should be accepted.
Final commits: Friday, March 19, 2027
(+2 weeks from the Hard code freeze)

Branch off staging-4.23.

Release: Wednesday, March 24, 2027

I slightly prefer Option B.

Please don't hesitate to provide your feedback.

If there are no objections to Option B, I plan to update the Wiki page
Xen_Project_X.YY_Release_Notes to make it easier to find our final schedule,
especially for people who are not following the xen-devel mailing list.

As an additional benefit, it will also be accessible via SUPPORT.md (in the
Wiki at https://xenbits.xen.org/docs/unstable-staging/support-matrix.html).

Thanks, and have a good weekend.

Best regards,
Oleksii