[Python-apps-team] Bug#666549: mercurial: Please remove the latest NEWS.Debian entry

[Javi Merino]

On Sat, Mar 31, 2012 at 07:52:02PM +0300, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> Package: mercurial
> Version: 2.1.1-2
> Severity: normal
> 
> Please remove the latest entry from NEWS.Debian since it
> doesn't belong there:
> 
> <--  snip  -->
> 
> mercurial (2.1.1-1) unstable; urgency=low
> 
>   - pull return code now matches its pre-2.1 behavior
> 
>  -- Javi Merino <vicho at debian.org>  Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:56:45 +0000
> 
> <--  snip  -->
> 
> OK, so there was a bug in 2.1 that was fixed in 2.1.1.

No, it's not a bug, it's a significant change in behaviour.
 
> It would have made sense to put that into changelog.Debian
> for people running testing/unstable and using apt-listchanges.
> 
> NEWS.Debian is for the rare cases of serious incompatible
> changes in a package.

Well, it is for less serious cases, quoting the developer's reference
"This is the preferred means to let the user know about significant
changes in a package."

> NEWS.Debian is not for listing all bugs that were present
> for a month in unstable and then fixed - that is what
> changelog.Debian is for.

Upstream already makes that distinction: bugs are listed here [0] and
unusual changes in behaviour are listed here [1].  As I said, this is
not a bug.  Of course, the differences between what constitutes a bug
and a feature are very personal ;-)

[0] http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/WhatsNew#Mercurial_2.1.1_.282012-03-01.29
[1] http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/UpgradeNotes
 
> It is completely pointless that people upgrading from 1.6.4-1
> in squeeze will see this entry.

On the other hand, people upgrading from 2.1 wheezy will see it and
they may want to know about it.

Cheers,
Javi

> Please remove this entry from NEWS.Debian.
> 
> Thanks in advance
> 
> 
> 
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