+
+Steps to take before starting on the first pretest in any release sequence:
+
+0. The release branch (e.g. emacs-24) should already have been made
+ and you should use it for all that follows. Diffs from this
+ branch should be going to the emacs-diffs mailing list (see
+ admin/notes/bzr section on bzr-email plugin).
+
+1. Decide on versions of automake and autoconf, and ensure you will
+ have them available for the duration of the release process.
+
+2. Consider increasing the value of the variable
+ `customize-changed-options-previous-release' in cus-edit.el to
+ refer to a newer version of Emacs. (This is probably needed only
+ when preparing the first pretest for a major Emacs release.)
+ Commit cus-edit.el if changed.
+
+3. Remove any old pretests from ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/pretest.
+ You can use `gnupload --delete' (see below for more gnupload details).
+
+General steps (for each step, check for possible errors):