Maintenance roadmap: modern Python, CI, and releases

[waddell]

UDST has resumed active maintenance of Orca.

Completed:

• Restore CI on supported Python versions
• Remove Python 2 compatibility
• Modernize packaging metadata
• Establish main as the single integration branch
• Configure required CI and review protections
• Record the supported Python and dependency ranges in package metadata and CI

PR #62 completed the initial compatibility, packaging, and CI work. The
repository now tests Python 3.10 with minimum supported dependencies and Python
3.14 with current dependencies. The main branch is the default and protected
integration branch.

Remaining:

• Merge the project scope and status documentation in PR Document project scope and status #64
• Review and merge the Orca 1.9 release preparation in PR Prepare Orca 1.9 release #65
• Publish Orca 1.9
• Create the missing Git tag and GitHub release record for Orca 1.8
• Add automated release publishing

Orca 1.8 was published to PyPI in October 2022 but was not tagged or recorded as
a GitHub release. The source has used 1.9.dev0 since the maintenance work in
PR #62, so 1.9 is the next release.

This issue will remain open until the maintenance and release process is
operational.