Subject: bug#41497: 28.0.50; Flawed text formatting of files like etc/TODO, etc/NEWS, etc.

From: Bastien <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Jun 2020 08:29:38 +0200

Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]> writes:

> I fixed etc/TODO on the emacs-27 branch.  

Thanks a lot!  etc/TODO can be read with org-mode and that's a nice
improvement to me.

> As for etc/NEWS, we usually
> fix it shortly before the release, so please look at NEWS on the
> emacs-27 branch, and if you see problems there, please point them
> out.

I have seen some problems, like sentences that start as the headline 
and continue as the paragraph below.

Shall I fix these in emacs-27 directly?

Also, I don't really understand the use (and need) for the +++/---
convention.

The file says:

  Temporary note:
  +++ indicates that all relevant manuals in doc/ have been updated.
  --- means no change in the manuals is needed.
  When you add a new item, use the appropriate mark if you are sure it
  applies, and please also update docstrings as needed.

So, +++ both mean that no action is needed, either because the manuals
have been updated already or because they don't need any update.  If
this is meant as a call to action for Emacs maintainers, what is it
(since both say that things are okay)?  If this is meant to the users,
what info is conveyed here?  What means "Temporary note": is it
because --- and +++ are removed right before the release?

What about getting rid of --- and +++ in these files and moving the
message is conveys (about the need for an update of the manuals) in 
the etc/TODO file, or in a dedicated etc/PRERELEASE file?

-- 
 Bastien