Re: 2.10 release notes

[Claus Schwarm <c schwarm gmx net>]

On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 18:56:18 +0100
Murray Cumming <murrayc murrayc com> wrote:

> On Sun, 2005-02-06 at 14:48 +0100, Claus Schwarm wrote: 
> >  * I'm not used to bugzilla: Is there any way to generate numbers
> >  from
> > it? Such as "234 feature requests, 5685 bugs, as well
> > as 23 potential security issues have been fixed"?
>
> Yes. We usually try to do that, but the relevant people did not have
> time for 2.8.

The distinction of feature requests, bugs, and security issues would be
valuable.

> >  * Concerning "Installation of GNOME 2.8": If we want people to use
> > GARNOME, we should present the information earlier. Too much to
> > scroll to get there.
>
> We don't want people to build stable stuff from source at all, and we
> don't pretend that there is any easy way for people to do it, and I
> think we make that clear. The placement of Garnome on that page is not
> ideal, but I fear that we'd be encouraging people to use it if we put
> it at the top. I'd prefer not to mention it at all, and add a link to
> our "testing" pages for unstable GNOME for people who really want to
> get into all that. 

Yes, I know. I suggest to drop it nearly completely, and add a list of
distributions that we expect to ship 2.10. Maybe we could add notes
about when we expect them to ship the release, based on previous
experience.

This might enforce competition, but it may also mean bad relationships
to distris that were not mentioned. I'm not sure if that's a good move
but it might be worth to be discussed.

For distris with a good national standing (i.e. Mandrake in France),
journalists may like to tell their readers when they can expect the
update. It's also an opportunity for those distros to make a short
interview.

> >  * I missed version numbers on the dependency list.
>
> We should link to the release directories with the tarballs themselves
> here as well as from the first page.

I'm not sure what this means but you'll probably take care of it. :-)

> Personally, I think we are aiming at users, not developers, and I
> think that users will stop reading quite soon after they read one or
> two words that they don't understand, or that they don't find
> interesting. 
>
> This is meant to be targeted at the silent majority of people who
> don't read gnomedesktop or planet.gnome.org. The people who do will
> know what's happening anyway.

I wouldn't underestimate these people. A *real* newbie will not read any
release note. IT Journalists earn their money by explaining new stuff to
them. But if you treat a 20 years old Windows users with 5 or more years
of experience like a complete fool, you won't make them your friends.


> Yes, we couldn't get approval for real quotes in time, so we had to
> make up some generic quotes that the individuals could not possible
> disagree with.

Who's doing these approvals? They hopefully know that there's nothing
like a small "social conflict". Look at the zdnet.uk article: The
headline was not "GNOME 2.8 released", it was "GNOME claims feature
parity with Windows". Journalists know that their readers like such
stuff. ;-)


> >  * Concentrate on a short list of exciting topics, not a boring list
> >  of
> > stuff that's new.
>
> But this is all about what's new.
>
> >  Example: "The ability to develop GNOME software in
> > C++, Java, Perl, and Python, as well as C." This reads as if it's
> > usual to be able to use all these languages. AFAIK,  this is not the
> > case. I miss the news factor in such sentences.
>
> I don't quite understand. Maybe you could suggest a rewording. 

Yes, sure. But it's too much news. The GNOME 2.8 release had three
exciting points: Evolution, the platform bindings package, and this
remote tool (forgot its name). These points should have been made clear
to all readers. An example for the bindings:

 * The most common language bindings for C++, Java,
Perl, and Python have now been made part of GNOME's development
platform. The package follows GNOME's time-based release circle, making
the bindings always up to date with the latest improvements of the base
libraries. Developers can now choose the right tool for their job
without sacrificing a consistent look'n'feel for the user. 
  
  Murray Cumming, maintainer of the bindings package, said: "From the
beginning, we designed our architecture for this. It took some time to
get all these bindings in place, but now - combined with our stable
release circle -, it's an amazing feature for developers and independent
software vendors."

  <Sombody else> continues: "UNIX and Linux both suffered from a too
strong diversity in its 'Look and feel'. With the ongoing adoption of
the bindings package by other developers, Linux will be even more easier
to use. This is part of our long-time vision: Making Linux just work.
For everybody."


Please note this is just a draft, partially written at 3 o'clock in the
morning.


> >  * Do we translate press releases?
>
> No, but that's a very good suggestion. If we finish it early enough
> this time then I'll ask the internationalization team to provide
> translations.
>
> >  Does the Novell wire includes
> > national press?
>
> You mean non-US press? I'll ask Leslie Proctor.

Yes, non-US press. I believe, the IT press for system admins will cover
the news not matter what we do. But I'd *really* like to get into the
PC/Windows mainstream press. Hopefully, the Novell wire includes them.


Cheers,

Claus