[Deploying Sakai] Sakai CLE 2.9.0 release status

[Aaron Zeckoski]

Colleagues,
This is a status update for Sakai CLE on behalf of the TCC and the CLE
release teams. Unfortunately, 2.9.0 won't be released in the
March/April as initially projected. The release has struggled with a
number of issues including:

* Insufficient community participation in key areas of the release
process (e.g. perform testing/QA, fix bugs in certain areas like OSP,
etc.)
* Complications in the mechanics of the release process that are still
being worked through including use of the Sonatype OSS Nexus
repository, automated builds, and major changes in dependency
management
* Lack of dedicated, Foundation-led operational staff (e.g. full-time
QA director, full-time Release Coordinator)

We have no choice but to delay the 2.9.0 release until additional
contributors step forward to assist us. If your institution can
contribute QA testers for the 2.9 release, please join the QA working
group (sakai-qa at collab.sakaiproject.org).  If your institution
can contribute developers to fix and verify bugs in the release,
please join the volunteer CLE Team
(cle-release-team at collab.sakaiproject.org). Without additional
community or foundation involvement, 2.9.0 will not be officially
released.

TCC Chair
Aaron Zeckoski