RE: Merging Finder into package mechanism

[Drew Adams]

> >> I'll add a placeholder NEWS entry as a reminder, but
> >> there will likely be more changes before Emacs 24 is released.
> >
> > Please keep NEWS updated correctly wrt this breakage.  NEWS is for
> > users.  If you can update change logs for developers then 
> > you can also update NEWS for users.  You don't use "placeholders"
> > in change logs, do you?
> 
> I'm not sure you understand how NEWS is supposed to work, or the fact
> that Emacs 24 is not yet released...

I'm not sure you understand it.

With your logic we should use placeholders for doc strings too, until just
before the release.  But then maybe I don't understand how doc strings are
supposed to work?

Nothing, including doc strings, the manuals, and even code behavior, _really_
matters for users until Emacs is released.  Of course.  But that is no reason to
wait until just before a release to add the doc strings, update the manual, or
correct the code.

Likewise, for NEWS.  Discussion, improvement, and completion of NEWS entries
before the release, even long before, is not unprecedented or useless.

The best time to write or update a NEWS entry is when making the code change.
That produces better quality entries (familiarity) and can also help developers
of 3rd-party code that is affected by the change.

That things can still change before the release is no excuse for not documenting
now what the behavior is now.  That applies to NEWS entries as much as it
applies to doc strings and the manuals.

(I, for one, miss Richard's attention to the doc and NEWS.)