Merge branch '2.18' into 2.19

Author: cowtowncoder

release-notes/VERSION-2.x

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ Active maintainers:
 #547: (all) JSTEP-10: Unify testing structure/tools
  (contributed by Joo-Hyuk K)
 
-2.18.3 (not yet released)
+2.18.3 (28-Feb-2025)
 
 #541: (cbor, protobuf, smile) `SmileParser.getValueAsString()` FIELD_NAME bug
  (fix contributed by John H)