Re: The emacs-31 branch during the next release cycle

> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:13:53 -0400
> Cc: [email protected]
> From: Stefan Monnier via "Emacs development discussions." <[email protected]>
> I can see some benefit to trying to install more bug-fixes on "the old
> release branch", but FWIW, here is my guess as to why this hasn't
> happened much in the past:
> 
> - After NN.1 is released, I expect much fewer people run the `emacs-NN`
>   branch, so any regression risks remaining undetected before the next
>   (minor) release.  If the regression is detected earlier, it'll likely
>   be detected by someone running `master` and there's a chance that the
>   fix will make it only to `master` if we don't notice the link to the
>   previous bug-fix or don't notice that that previous bug-fix was
>   installed in `emacs-NN`.

The problems for which we install fixes on the release branch after
NN.1 release come from 2 sources:

  . people who use Emacs NN.1, whether those who build the upstream
    tarballs or those who use downstream distros
  . people who use the master branch, when the reported bug exists
    also on the release branch

> - As changes accumulate on `master` and people work on it, it gets
>   gradually harder for people to figure it if a bug-fix is safe for the
>   `emacs-NN` branch.

They should ask the maintainers.  And maintainers need to be vigilant,
and cherry-pick fixes to the release branch when needed.