which should be updated by hand whenever the GPL gets updated (which
shouldn't happen that often anyway :-)
- * Changes other than bug fixes must be mentioned in NEWS. Important
- bug fixes should be mentioned in NEWS, too.
+ * Changes other than *trivial* bug fixes must be mentioned in NEWS.
+* Changes which are potentially controversial, require a non-trivial
+ plan, or must be implemented gradually with a roadmap spanning several
+ releases (either minor or major) should be discussed on the list,
+ and have a proper entry in the PLANS directory. This entry should be
+ always committed in the "maint" branch, even if the change it deals
+ with is only for the master branch, or a topic branch. Usually, in
+ addition to this, it is useful to open a "wishlist" report on the
+ Automake debbugs tracker, to keep the idea more visible, and have the
+ discussions surrounding it easily archived in a central place.
+
============================================================================
= Naming
a later 'git log' gives an indication of which actual patches were
merged even when they don't appear early in the list.
- * The 'master' and 'maint' branches should not be rewound, i.e., should
- always fast-forward, except maybe for privacy issues. For 'next'
- (if that will ever be implemented), and for feature branches, the
- announcement for the branch should document rewinding policy. If a
- topic branch is expected to be rewound, it is good practice to put
+ * The 'master', 'maint' and 'micro' branches should not be rewound, i.e.,
+ should always fast-forward, except maybe for privacy issues. For
+ feature branches, the announcement for the branch should document
- the rewinding policy. It is usually a good idea to keep rewindable
- branches in the 'experimental/*' "namespace"; i.e., give them names
- like 'experimental/testsuite-work' or 'experimental/djgpp-for-WinNT'.
++ the rewinding policy.
++ If a topic branch is expected to be rewound, it is good practice to put
+ it in the 'experimental/*' namespace; for example, a rewindable branch
+ dealing with Vala support could be named like "experimental/vala-work".
============================================================================
= Writing a good commit message