Is it just me or do the instructions (https://zulip.readthedocs.io/en/latest/prod-install.html) for running the server "in production" make people's skin crawl??

I suspect that this is common with corporate tools and services since business priorities usually dictate that resources are focused on revenue generating systems / services. Comes with it's own risks...

FTR: will see if I have some cycles to contribute improved release process documentation in the coming months.