The next release branch appears likely to branch from main sometime this month. Ansuel has said that testing and merging of his mac80211 6.18 pull request is the last step remaining before branching can happen.
The 19.07, 21.02, and 23.05 branches all got "Release goals" articles posted about them in the Developer Guide section of the wiki, but the 24.10 series never did. Will the next major release branch get such an article, or did the developers decide they were unnecessary?
Well, the current upstream LTS kernel (6.12), not the next one (likely 6.18, which was just released but hasn't yet been officially declared an LTS).
Another goal would be to use apk-mbedtls 3.0.0, switching away from Opkg. The final version of that was also just released in upstream Alpine Linux. For the moment, OpenWrt's main branch is still on 3.0.0-rc8. I don't know if a package manager would be one of the components the developers would want to list in a release goals article or not, but that would be one of the major changes in the next release series.
I'm not a developer, so I could be wrong, but these are my best guesses on a "Core components" section for 25.12, from what I can tell.
GCC: 15.2
musl: 1.2.5
Linux: 6.12
Mbed TLS: 3.6.5
BusyBox: 1.37.0
mac80211: 6.18
APK: 3.0.0
I used the prior articles as a template for what to include, and then consulted the websites for these components, plus the git repo for OpenWrt's main branch.
You have to distinguish between release notes and release goals. While there is partial overlap, there are likewise distinct differences.
Release goals have certainly been kernel v6.12 and apk, but the various other version bumps haven't really been release goals, but 'just happened' to stay in sync with the various upstream projects. Then there's a lot of effort flowing into what doesn't directly map to the version updates above, creating basic wifi7 support (it won't be a release goal by itself, as it won't be done and dusted in time for the next major release either, just 'initial support', with more to come). Furthermore release goals are just that, wishes, but not requirements set in stone - while these goals are wanted, they don't necessarily become release blockers if they don't materialize in time <-- best example, apk, which was a release goal for 24.10.x already, but didn't make the cut).
The 25.12 branch has been created in git. Is there any update on whether or not there will at some point be a Release Goals article for that? From the lack of response from developers thus far, I'm assuming the answer is no, and that it probably won't happen for other future major releases either.
It's been branched, why would anyone retroactively invent goals (that have already been accomplished by now) anymore. Release goals are for future plans, soft release (non-) blockers.
You are still conflating "release goals" with "release notes", they are different and mixing them up won't help anyone.
Yes at this point there is no need for a planning of goals as the job has been (almost) done. You don't ask an architect for the design of your house when the house has been almost built.
Main goals are pretty obvious since the beginning a year ago for anyone reading infos: use of kernel 6.12, apk instead of opkg.
