Release checklist for 3.14.0.0

[Kleidukos]

This is the checklist of the 3.14.0.0 release, whose main highlight is Building profiled, dynamically-linked cabal projects #9900. The previous issue like this is for 3.12.

This lib:Cabal release is to help with the release of GHC 9.12, not to support its users. We are not releasing cabal-install for this release.

The 3.16 release will be the one to support GHC users using GHC 9.12.

We will not do backports of user-facing features, unless they are blocking. CI fixes may be backported in order to facilitate the release process of GHC (especially on the Windows platform).

Considering the workload required, we aim for the 17th of September for full Hackage releases.

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If an item is actionable, please create a sub-list of the PRs that relate to it.
It is not actionable, please write “not applicable” in parentheses on the same line.

Regressions we need to fix

• Regression in HEAD leading to build path leaking into object files (preprocessors) #10242 (unreleased yet, only exists on master)

• [3.12.0.0] Failed to find the installed unit #10046

  • Fix in hpc: Don't cover non-dependency libraries #10250

• Change in behaviour in HEAD w.r.t copying and installation of executables in packages with Custom setups #9777

  • conclusion: it's feature, not a bug (albeit released too early in 3.12 while it should have waited until 3.14)
  • documentation patch: Custom-build: Document breaking change on built comps. #10311
  • dup for Agda specifically Regression in cabal-3.12.1.0: cabal install --lib Adga no longer works. #10235 should be fixed downstream:
    • setup: Don't assume exe is built on --lib agda/agda#7471

• Regression: cabal-3.12.1.0 install ignores --program-suffix when checking whether exe is already installed #10290

GHC concerns

We are releasing cabal-install after the GHC release, but for matters of PVP compliance, we'll integrate GHC-specific changes

• New extensions since Cabal 3.12 (@ffaf1)
  • -XMultilineStrings (Add MultilineStrings extension #10245)
  • -XNamedDefaults Registered the NamedDefaults language extension #9740
  • -XOrPatterns Add OrPatterns extensions #10339
  • then backport OrPatterns manually Add OrPatterns extensions #10339
• New flags since Cabal 3.12
  • @alt-romes and @geekosaur have established that no new GHC flags need to be added manually to the Cabal's codebase.

Cabal concerns

Tasks

• ❌ Additions to the cabal format v3.14 have been included in the documentation with a release year
• Preflight Checks (@ulysses4ever)
  • 3.14 pre-flight checks: bump dependencies #10244
• Update the SPDX license data (@ffaf1)
  • Update SPDX license list to version 3.25 #10341
  • then backport Add changelogs for 3.14 (backport #10336 #10338) #10357
• cut the release branch for 3.14
• hackage-security release or revision with updated bounds
  • Bump Cabal and Cabal-syntax to allow 3.14 hackage-security#319
• Cut the 3.14 Branch (@fgaz)
• Generate the changelogs (@ulysses4ever)
  • Changelogs 3.14 #10336
  • Changelogs 3.14 #10338
  • manually add changelogs from the extension PR and the SPDX pr (remove changeloglets from master)
  • forward port both to master.
• Bump version numbers of the libraries in the release branch (@fgaz)
  1. Bump Cabal and Cabal-syntax to allow 3.14 hackage-security#319
  2. [3.14] Bump version numbers to 3.14 #10310
• Bump the versions again, this time on master, to the next odd version (3.13 -> 3.15) (@ffaf1)
  1. Bump Cabal and Cabal-syntax to allow 3.14 hackage-security#319
  2. Bump version numbers to 3.15 #10309
• Upload the release candidates of the libraries on Hackage

cabal-install

• Publish artifacts: See Publishing the artifacts
• Tweak things as needed, look for new issues labelled "regression in ...", merge patches that fix regressions
• Re-upload the candidates on Hackage based on the latest tag, and publish them
• party!

Backports

• Fix Windows tests depending on scripts (backport #10236) #10319
• Prefer ErrorCall to ErrorCallWithLocation (backport #10404) #10411
• Cabal: Take into account compilerBuildWay when computing final library ways (backport #10419) #10422
• Fix ./setup install comand (backport #10417) #10435

Side quests

• Create the following labels on GitHub (@Kleidukos)
  • regression in 3.14
  • attention: needs-backport 3.14

[Kleidukos]

@ulysses4ever May I ask you to run the Pre-flight checks and report your findings?

[ulysses4ever]

I'm happy to. My turnaround time these days is not great though. I'll try to shoot for evening today but worst case it's Monday...

[ulysses4ever]

Actually, #10244

[ulysses4ever]

I updated the description with the list of regressions that may need to be fixed before the release. There are two so far...

[ulysses4ever]

A third regression, sadly: #10046

[mpickering]

Would it be possible to get a date when this release is going to be ready?

[Mikolaj]

Some more regressions I've found. Are they fixed/invalid/duplicate?

#10290 [edit: added to the ticket description]

#10235

#9777 [edit: added to the ticket description]

[mpickering]

@Mikolaj Not all regressions can be fixed for every release, it doesn't seem like there has been progress on #9777 nor #10290 so they could be bumped to the next release.

[Mikolaj]

@Mikolaj Not all regressions can be fixed for every release, it doesn't seem like there has been progress on #9777 nor #10290 so they could be bumped to the next release.

Makes sense, especially if this is an interim release, between GHCs, with stress on Cabal the library not the tool. Still, this needs to be an informed decision.

[Kleidukos]

After today's meeting with @Mikolaj and @ulysses4ever, we have decided to reasonably aim for September 17. @mpickering does this suit the GHC release agenda?

[ulysses4ever]

By the way, the timeline that works for the GHC team was discussed in #10193

And same for releasing the library only versus with the tool.