[haskell-platform] #131: Public release timetable suitable for users

[haskell-platform]

#131: Public release timetable suitable for users
----------------------+-----------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  dons      |        Owner:  dons
     Type:  defect    |       Status:  new 
 Priority:  major     |    Milestone:      
Component:  Platform  |   Resolution:      
 Keywords:            |  
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Old description:

> Claus Reinke has proposed:
>
> > The idea is  simply to have a single dated news item that lists current
> and next  release versions, either with date or with reasons for delays,
> and  to add a link to the release timetable for more detailed information
> (since the platform logo is used elsewhere, it might be good to provide a
> variant with automatically overlaid version number).
>
>  * http://projects.haskell.org/pipermail/haskell-
> platform/2010-May/000972.html

New description:

 Claus Reinke has proposed:

 > The idea is  simply to have a single dated news item that lists current
 and next  release versions, either with date or with reasons for delays,
 and  to add a link to the release timetable for more detailed information
 (since the platform logo is used elsewhere, it might be good to provide a
 variant with automatically overlaid version number).

  * http://projects.haskell.org/pipermail/haskell-
 platform/2010-May/000972.html

 In particular,


 More generally, could the current status of the platform please
 be made *obvious early* on its webpages? Currently, a visit
 looking for such info might go like this:

 1.  http://hackage.haskell.org/platform/
     doesn't say anything about versions or timelines

 2.  http://hackage.haskell.org/platform/contents.html
     gives GHC versions, without linking them to HP versions
     or timelines

 3.  http://hackage.haskell.org/platform/windows.html
     lists current version and timeline of older versions (good),
     but does not state that the current version is a beta, nor
     does it indicate that there is a stable version due, or what
     problems are keeping the beta from becoming stable

 4.  http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_Platform
     does not offer much info, but seems to be the only page
     linking to

 5.  http://trac.haskell.org/haskell-platform/
     no current version info, release time table is only for package
     maintainers, none of the "open bug reports" has a 2010.x
     milestone

 6.  http://trac.haskell.org/haskell-platform/wiki/ReleaseTimetable
     THERE!-) This is the information I was looking for, at least part
     of it! But where is the rest?


 I suggest the following changes as a minimum improvement:

 - link to 6 directly from 1 (even better: insert cute calendar with
     highlighted release timelines on 1!-)
 - add current version overview for each OS to 1 (in case the
     per-OS versions are out of sync)

 - add trac links to 6 that list the showstopper tickets for
     the current release (this assumes that the showstoppers
     have trac tickets and, preferably, milestone and severity
     information)

 - add info about next release and blocking issues to 3 (and to
     the other OS-specific pages) - downloaders should not have
     to guess that the current version is a beta, or what problems
     have been found with it

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://trac.haskell.org/haskell-platform/ticket/131#comment:1>
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