Python pre-release announcements

[Terry Reedy]

Ben Finney wrote:
> "Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> writes:
> 
>> Within a few weeks, we will release Python 2.5.3.
> 
> I'm glad to see this. Thank you to all involved in the ongoing work of
> coordinating Python releases.
> 
> Can I request, in the interest of reducing confusion, that any
> announcements of pre-release versions of 2.5.3 (or any other Python
> release) be announced *without* saying “RELEASED: A not-really-release
> version of Python”.
> 
> It's very confusing to see a progression of announcements with subject
> fields like:
> 
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8.not-ready-yet
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8.alpha-1
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8.beta-1
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8.beta-2
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8 release candidate 1
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8 release candidate 2
>     RELEASED: Python 2.8 final

I disagree.  These say exactly what has happened and tell me what I want 
to know, which is that something new has been released, which is to say, 
made available for download.

>     [ANN] Python 2.8.not-ready-yet
>     [ANN] Python 2.8.alpha-1
>     [ANN] Python 2.8.beta-1
>     [ANN] Python 2.8.beta-2
>     [ANN] Python 2.8 release candidate 1
>     [ANN] Python 2.8 release candidate 2
>     [ANN] Python 2.8 final
> 
> That, to me at least, communicates what's actually happening far
> better and leads to less confusion about what the state of release is.

I disagree.  [ANN] could mean anything: planned? canceled? needs help? 
("Oh, 'released', why didn't you say so?")  It says nothing about what 
is happening or the state of a 'distribution' but merely states a topic. 
  Martin's post announced Python 2.5.3 as the topic, but then went on to 
request a specific type of help.  I presume you would not be happy 
either with "[ANN] Python x.y.whatever released".

If you want RELEASED replaced, suggest something short and not too ugly 
that communicates "posted at python.org and available to be downloaded, 
installed, tested, and used" at least as well.  (I am currently using 
3.rc1; the remaining problems do not currently affect me and I accept 
the risk, which I view as small, that further changes will affect code I 
write now.)

tjr