Prepare MesserLab/SLiM sources for general Flatpak release

[bryce-carson]

Hi Ben,

Flatpak

Here's a necessary update that will simplify the release of the Flatpak through Flathub.

When you're about to tag v4.0.1, stop, and please push a commit updating line 29 of org.messerlab.slimgui.metainfo.xml (see the code block below) to match the in-progress release/tag and the date.

<release version="v4.0" date="2022-08-27" type="stable"/>

It should read like below if you happen to tag v4.0.1 tomorrow.

<release version="v4.0.1" date="2022-09-10" type="stable"/>

RPM

This PR supplies some packaging maintenance (updating metadata, but since I don't know the date, as spoken of above, I can't update it all). Other maintenance that is best done when the release is about to be made is to the SLiM.spec file.

You can copy the header of a %changelog entry and update it as below, and recall to also update the version and release tags (where version is the version of SLiM/SLiMgui and release will be the first release of the RPM package for this version of SLiM/SLiMgui).

That makes the changes to be done like below.

... at the top of SLiM.spec

Name:           SLiM
Version:        4.0.1
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        an evolutionary simulation framework

... at the bottom of SLiM.spec

%changelog
* Sun Sep 10 2022 Ben Haller <bhaller@mac.com> - 4.0.1-1
- Final candidate 1 for 4.0.1 release

* Tue Aug 23 2022 Bryce Carson <bryce.a.carson@gmail.com> - 4.0-2
- Include new changelog entry to identify the date of the new release

* Wed Aug 10 2022 Bryce Carson <bryce.a.carson@gmail.com> - 4.0-1
- New release

* Sat Feb 12 2022 Bryce Carson <bryce.a.carson@gmail.com> - 3.7.1-1
- Increment version

* Wed Dec 15 2021 Ben Haller <bhaller@mac.com> - 3.7-1
- Final candidate 1 for 3.7 release
- Removed robinhood patch
- Removed --parallel for cmake since it was no longer working

Friendly note

If any of this is confusing, or I haven't explained something important, please respond in this PR. I would then append more commits to this PR, before it gets merged, making the changes spoken I've said are helpful/necessary for packaging; after that, you can finish tagging/releasing v4.0.1.

After you tag v4.0.1 I will make the PR to the Flathub/Flathub repository. After Flathub administrator review and approval of the PR, then a new repository which I will have write access to (I will request them to also give you write permissions, so you have control over the Flatpak as well, not I alone), then whenever a commit is made to that new repository the Flatpak will be rebuilt and immediately released. For more information about Flatpak submission, review, and approval, see this page.

For this release, there will likely be some delay between submitting the pull request to the Flathub repository and when it is approved, built, and released. If I've misunderstood or not seen something in the Flatpak and/or Flathub specifications, there may be more delay. I would recommend notifying interested parties of the v4.0.1 release, but include mention of the Flatpak release which is imminent. You might recommend people to regularly check Flathub.org or their software installation/update software on Linux (if they've enabled Flathub integration) to see if SLiMgui has been released that way yet.

I'll make edits to the installation instructions in the manual for Debian and Ubuntu users as soon as I have time. After the Flathub administrators have published the SLiMgui flatpak I'll submit the manual edits to you (otherwise there are no changes to be made to the manual till then).

[bhaller]

Hi @bryce-carson. This all seems clear. If I understand correctly, you do not want me to approve this PR now, because you might roll further changes into it, and in any case we can't start the Flatpak roll until 4.0.1 is ready to tag. So I'll sit on this PR for now, and touch base with you when the release is ready. (No target date set yet.) Thanks!

[bhaller]

Hi @bryce-carson. I have just committed the version increment to 4.0.1, and am ready to tag (but have not yet tagged). If I understand correctly, you'll now do any final changes to this PR, I'll merge it in, and then I'll tag and do the release. Please let me know if I've got the right end of the stick, and whether there will be any substantial delay on your end. Thanks!

[bryce-carson]

@bhaller The PR is ready to merge now! Happy release day!

I'll write updated installation instructions tonight and send them over to you promptly.

[bhaller]

Thanks!