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

[Adrian Bunk]

On Sun, Apr 01, 2012 at 10:22:57AM +0100, Javi Merino wrote:
> 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 ;-)

Well, it doesn't matter whether it's a fixed bug or a reverted feature.

Fact is that the versions in stable and unstable have the same bahavior, or?

> [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.

Everyone using unstable/testing anyway knows what he is doing and
that things break quite frequently...

NEWS.Debian is not the correct place for listing all the upstream 
behavior changes in 2.1 (including the pull change), and even less
when a change gets reverted.

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

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed