* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.6.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.5.2

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.5.1

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* Metadata updates for release 8.5.1

* Update release_notes.txt

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.5.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* Metadata updates for release 8.5.0

* Corrected release notes as US geocding update is mentioned as new addition.

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.4.3

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

Alternate metadata and test metadata for C++ was regenerated not due to changes in this commit, but due to PR #1726 and that they should have been updated then.

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.4.1

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* Metadata updates for release 8.4.1

* Update release_notes.txt

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.4.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

Update doc references to refer to CLDR and the page of CLDR codes where
appropriate - it used to say ISO country codes were used, but they aren't.

Also updated to refer to two *or three* letter language codes since they may be three letters (we use the shortest defined one for a language)

Updating comments about leadingDigits field at territory level as well.

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.3.3

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

- make them more consistent with each other
- explain why the empty string is sometimes returned when geocoding

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.3.2

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.3.1

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.3.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.2.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* Metadata updates for release 8.2.0

* Update release_notes.txt

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.1.0

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v8.0.1

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

* Support semicolon as extension character while parsing

* Add notes to pending_code_changes.txt

* JS port: Support semicolon as extension character while parsing

* Update comments in phonenumberutil.js

This excludes editing the proto file itself, or the auto-generated or hand-crafted fields that are derived from it.

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release v7.7.4

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration

Metadata changes:
-- Drops the "-1" that was erroneously included in possible lengths before (didn't break anything, but was wrong) - it was a possibleLength of a sub-component so got added to the generalDesc possibleLengths
-- possibleNumberPattern no longer inherited: we don't use this anyway, we will do another CL soon to stop including it at all in the generated metadata
-- exampleNumber is no longer set on fixed-line and mobile elements from the generalDesc

XML file changes:
-- Stopped specifying "NA" and "-1" specifically for fixed-line and mobile blocks; now they are treated as every other type of phone number: if missing, don't fill them in from generalDesc, but leave them missing.

Code changes:
-- Stop using the exampleNumber on generalDesc for non-geo entities, but look at their phonenumber descs - the exampleNumber won't be stored on the generalDesc anymore. This affects porters if they either copied our build logic or used our built metadata in some way; they should update this method in their port too.

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare release libphonenumber-7.7.2

* [maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration