[mod_python] NEWS file contents

Martin MOKREJŠ wrote:
> Hi,
>   I has a look into the 3.2.5b/NEWS file and there's:
> 
> Nov 15 2005 -   3.2.5b is being tagged
> 
> Oct 28 2005 -   3.2.4b is being tagged
> 
> Oct 22 2005 -   3.2.3b is being tagged
> 
> Sep 13 2005 -   3.2.2b is being tagged
> 
> Sep  6 2005 -   3.2.1b is being tagged
> 
> Aug 16 2005 -   3.2.0b is being tagged
> 
> Feb 17 2004 -   3.1.3 is being tagged
> 
> Oct 14 2003 -   3.1.1b is tagged
> 
> Aug 29 2003 -   3.1.0a (Alpha) is out
> 
> Mar 17 2003 -   3.0.3 is released 
> 
>                 This file will no longer have details, since those
>                 are in CVS anyway.
> 
> [cut]
> 
> What's the point to have such a file? I'd suggest either to remove it
> or put the cvs comments into the file. I understand you have no time
> to summarize the cvs changes into a brief paragraph per released
> version, but something should happen with this.
> 
> Just put in the cvs comments. (Sorry for my ignorance, but I'm probably
> never going to check the cvs comments through cvs interface myself, so
> that's why I'd happily browse through the NEWS file. I think I'm not the
> only one.)

I get your point, but how may people are going to wade through the svn 
logs to dig out relevant information either? Just to give a bit a 
perspective I took a look at the svn logs from 2000-05 to the present.

Total log entries:       704
Total lines of text:    4022

For the period between 3.2.4b and 3.2.5b (21 days):
Number of log entries:    36
Lines of text:           196

Plus you get such useful bits of information such as:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
r329311 | jgallacher | 2005-10-28 17:44:16 -0400 (Fri, 28 Oct 2005) | 2 
lines
Fixed a bit of garbled text in the docs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

If people really do need that level of detail they *should* grab the svn 
log.

Personally, I think the NEWS file should be reserved for information 
about the mod_python project, and the information you want - about the 
mod_python code - should go in a separate CHANGES file. Currently this 
information is in the changes section of the html docs: 
doc-html/node97.html. I had proposed a CHANGES file on the python-dev 
list, but Grisha was not enthusiatic since it adds another file that 
would need to be maintained. I may sneak it in anyway when his back is 
turned. *Oh look, A BEAR!!* svn add CHANGES; svn ci CHANGES :)

Jim