Release models make a huge difference in the properties of the software delivered. I believe there is no single "ideal" model; what to choose depends on the code base, the group/community creating the code, the users/customers, the technology available (languages, CI tools, others)... What works for Hudson does not work for GlassFish nor for Solaris.

MySQL is changing its release model to improve agility, quality, predictability and facilitate contributions. Giuseppe just posted an Overview; in a nutshell, the trunk tree is always in beta quality, new features are first developed in stage branches, then integrated into the trunk, which is then brought to RC quality and another cycle starts (see Diagram). Full details at the MySQL Forge and in Tomas's Presentation at MySQL University (slides; recording is NYA).

The basic model seems feasible; now we need a few release cycles to adjust the model and we will see how it works in real-life. As Don Quijote said... the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

The OpenSSO Project is soliciting feedback on their Early Access Build -- OpenSSO Express Build 5. With the release of this build, community members now have the opportunity to participate in the Early Access (EA) program for Sun's next commercial offering. Review the Early Access documentation and hammer away at Express Build 5! Send your EA feedback to opensso.eafeedback@dev.java.net so we can make the product perfect. Thanks in advance!

The "rubber chicken" is sometimes used as a way to encourage developers to avoid "breaking builds" (search for "rubber" in Martin Fowler's CI Article). The rubber chicken creates some social pressure but its silliness removes the sting. Last fall, Clint Shark wrote a note on a CI Game that works from the other direction and socially rewards good putbacks, and last week Redsolo posted a Hudson plugin to do this. Check out the Continuous Integration Game or go directly to the Plugin. PS. The GFv3 transition has gone through its fair share of "Broken Builds" recently. I hope that Kohsuke et al will write about the approaches they have been taking there.

Simon has announced the release of Pebble 2.0. The announcement explicitly mentions Tomcat 5.5 and GlassFish as the supported platforms. Pebble is a lightweight blogging software that does not require a database for operation. Download it from here.