docs: update maintainers guide (#2297)

docs/maintainers-guide.rst

@@ -14,7 +14,13 @@ Commit policy
 Release process
 ---------------
 
-Releases happen on a 6-week schedule. Currently due to a long break the date of the next release is not set.
+Releases (minor) typically happen on a 6-week schedule.
+
+For major/minor releases you'll be releasing from ``master``.  For patch releases you'll be releasing from a stable branch, such as ``9-16-stable``.  This allows ongoing development of new features to continue in isolation (in master) without those changes leaking into patch releases (which should focus only on fixing breaking changes).
+
+The goal being that minor version series always get more stable over time and that patch releases do not add features.
+
+* For patch releases: First switch to the associated stable branch (i.e., ``9-16-stable``)
 
 * Update CHANGES.md with everything interesting since the last update.
 
@@ -25,9 +31,12 @@ Releases happen on a 6-week schedule. Currently due to a long break the date of
   * ``"version"`` attribute in package-lock.json (run `npm install`)
   * Two places in docs/conf.py (``version`` and ``release``)
 
-* Commit the version changes and tag the commit with the plain version number (no "v." or anything like that)
+* Commit the version changes and tag the commit with the version number (``9.16.2``, no "v" prefix or anything like that)
+
+* For major/minor releases: Create a new ``[major]-[minor]-stable`` branch such as ``9-16-stable``
+
+* Push the commit and the tags (``git push && git push --tags``)
 
-* Push the commit and the tags to master (``git push && git push --tags``)
 
 Pushing the tag triggers the update process which can be monitored at http://highlightjs.org/api/release/