Instructions to create pretest or release tarballs.
-- originally written by Eli Zaretskii, amended by Francesco Potort́

For each step, check for possible errors.

1.  cvs -q update -Pd

2.  Bootstrap to make 100% sure all elc files are up-to-date, and to
    make sure that the later tagged version will bootstrap, should it be
    necessary to check it out.

3.  Set the version number (M-x load-file RET admin/admin.el RET, then
    M-x set-version RET).  For a release, add released change log
    entries (M-x add-release-logs RET).

4.  rm configure; make bootstrap

5.  Commit configure, README, lisp/loaddefs.el, lisp/cus-load.el,
    lisp/finder-inf.el, lisp/version.el, man/emacs.texi.  For a release,
    also commit the ChangeLog files in all directories.

6.  make-dist --snapshot.  Check the contents of the new tar with
    admin/diff-tar-files against an older tar file.  Some old pretest
    tarballs are kept under fencepost.gnu.org:~pot/emacs-pretest/, while
    old emacs tarballs are at <ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/emacs/>.

7.  xdelta delta emacs-OLD.tar.gz emacs-NEW.tar.gz emacs-OLD-NEW.xdelta

8.  tar -zxf emacs-NEW.tar.gz; cd emacs-NEW
    configure && make && make -n install
    Use `script' or M-x compile to save the compilation log in
    compile-NEW.log and compare it against an old one.  The easiest way
    to do that is to visit the old log in Emacs, change the version
    number of the old Emacs to __, do the same with the new log and do
    M-x ediff. Especially check that Info files aren't built.

9.  cd EMACS_ROOT_DIR; cvs tag TAG
    TAG is EMACS_PRETEST_XX_YY_ZZZ for a pretest, EMACS_XX_YY for a
    release.

10. admin/make-announcement OLD NEW
    This creates an announcement for pretests.  OLD is the version used
    to make deltas with respect to NEW.  *release instructions missing*

11. For a pretest, do:
    rsync -aP emacs-NEW.tar.gz emacs-OLD-NEW.xdelta compile-NEW.log \
    emacs-NEW.announce alpha.gnu.org:/home/alpha/gnu/emacs/pretest/.
    *release instructions missing*

12. Verify that after five minutes at most the files appear on
    ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest/.
    *release instructions missing*

13. Let Richard Stallman know about the new pretest and tell him to
    announce it using the announcement you prepared.  Remind him to set
    a Reply-to header to <emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org>.
    *release instructions missing*