[Framework-Team] 3.2 Release Manager

[Spanky]

Greetings Framework Team:

I was following the thread re: Plone 3.2 release, and I volunteered to 
help manage this release.  After getting no replies, I asked in #plone 
and got the response (from limi) that this team choses the release 
manager, and that some kind of track record is expected.  This is 
understandable.

Before I make my case, the reason I didn't simply say "I'll do it!" is 
because I'd like to know a little bit more about the job.  This is what 
I was really asking for.  I certainly don't want to volunteer for 
something I cannot do :)  So, I asked what the job entails.  Is it very 
code-centric or more process-oriented?  To me, it seems this job is 
about making sure that the appropriate parties are providing the pieces 
required for the release (cutting releases/making eggs), compiling 
everything, running tests, communicating with everyone on this and other 
teams, tagging releases, managing changelogs, building consensus about 
versions/features/direction, etc.  Basically "managing" the "release". 
Maybe I'm totally off-base.  Either way, I'd like to learn.

Now to make my case, and explain why *I* of all people would volunteer 
for this.  First, it seems that this, of all releases, is the 'easiest' 
in a while if I read everyone's ideas correctly; that this would be only 
be a move to an egg & buildout-based install, some bugfixes and nothing 
more.  To me, this seems like a good opportunity for someone like myself 
to get involved and learn more about the process.  I have been using and 
learning more and more about eggs/buildouts/omelettes/etc lately, and 
will only continue to do more in the coming year.  Also, I think that 
this is a great opportunity to expand the pool of people available to do 
such work in the future.  I know from my experiences in the community 
over the years, that this is a challenging job, and it seems like some 
new blood might be a good investment.

Finally, I have the time and energy, and want to be more directly 
involved in Plone itself, rather than just a cheerleader/consumer.  I 
already work closely with the membership team, although is basically a 
quarterly commitment.  Sure, I don't have a proven track record working 
on this specifically, but I *do* have a proven track record of working 
with the Plone community, building consensus, prodding and driving folks 
to get things done, as well as attention to detail and good 
communication skills.

So, I'd like to talk about it with the team.  Sure, maybe I'm not the 
right person for the job, and if that's the consensus, so be it.  Why 
would I try to do a job I'm sure to fail at?  But maybe there is room 
for someone to mentor me, or for me to assist in the back-n-forth, 
communication, or grunt work?  I'm willing to learn and open to ideas 
and suggestions.  You gotta start somewhere, right...but you can't do it 
alone either.

~Spanky