1.0 beta 2 release notes

git-svn-id: http://code.djangoproject.com/svn/django/trunk@8622 bcc190cf-cafb-0310-a4f2-bffc1f526a37

docs/releases/1.0-beta-2.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+.. _releases-1.0-beta-2:
+
+=================================
+Django 1.0 beta 1 2 release notes
+=================================
+
+Welcome to Django 1.0 beta 2!
+
+This is the fourth in a series of preview/development releases leading
+up to the eventual release of Django 1.0, currently scheduled to take
+place in early September 2008. This releases is primarily targeted at
+developers who are interested in testing the Django codebase and
+helping to identify and resolve bugs prior to the final 1.0 release.
+
+As such, this release is *not* intended for production use, and any
+such use is discouraged.
+
+What's new in Django 1.0 beta 2
+===============================
+
+Django's development trunk has been the site of nearly constant
+activity over the past year, with several major new features landing
+since the 0.96 release.  For features which were new as of Django 1.0
+alpha 1, see :ref:`the 1.0 alpha 1 release notes
+<releases-1.0-alpha-1>`. For features which were new as of Django 1.0
+alpha 2, see :ref:`the 1.0 alpha 2 release notes
+<releases-1.0-alpha-2>`. For features which were new as of Django 1.0
+beta 1, see :ref:`the 1.0 beta 1 release notes <releases-1.0-beta>`.
+
+This beta release includes two major features:
+
+Refactored ``django.contrib.comments``
+    As part of a Google Summer of Code project, Thejaswi Puthraya
+    carried out a major rewrite and refactoring of Django's bundled
+    comment system, greatly increasing its flexibility and
+    customizability. :ref:`Full documentation
+    <ref-contrib-comments-index>` is available, as well as :ref:`an
+    upgrade guide <ref-contrib-comments-upgrade>` if you were using
+    the previous incarnation of the comments application..
+
+Refactored documentation
+    Django's bundled and online documentation has also been
+    significantly refactored; the new documentation system uses
+    `Sphinx`_ to build the docs and handle such niceties as topical
+    indexes, reference documentation and cross-references within the
+    docs. You can check out the new documentation `online`_ or, if you
+    have Sphinx installed, build the HTML yourself from the
+    documentation files bundled with Django.
+
+.. _Sphinx: http://sphinx.pocoo.org/
+.. _online: http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/
+
+Along with these new features, the Django team has also been hard at
+work polishing Django's codebase for the final 1.0 release; this beta
+release contains a large number of smaller improvements and bugfixes
+from the ongoing push to 1.0.
+
+Also, as part of its ongoing deprecation process, Django's old
+form-handling system has been removed; this means ``django.oldforms``
+no longer exists, and its various API hooks (such as automatic
+manipulators) are no longer present in Django. This system has been
+completely replaced by :ref:`the new form-handling system
+<topics-forms-index>` in ``django.forms``.
+
+
+The Django 1.0 roadmap
+======================
+
+One of the primary goals of this beta release is to focus attention on
+the remaining features to be implemented for Django 1.0, and on the
+bugs that need to be resolved before the final release. As of this
+beta release, Django is in its final "feature freeze" for 1.0; feature
+requests will be deferred to later releases, and the development
+effort will be focused solely on bug-fixing and stability. Django is
+also now in a "string freeze"; translatable strings (labels, error
+messages, etc.) in Django's codebase will not be changed prior to the
+release, in order to allow our translators to produce the final 1.0
+version of Django's translation files.
+
+Following this release, we'll be conducting a final development sprint
+on August 30, 2008, based in London and coordinated online; the goal
+of this sprint will be to squash as many bugs as possible in
+anticipation of the final 1.0 release, which is currently targeted for
+**September 2, 2008**. The official Django 1.0 release party will take
+place during the first-ever DjangoCon, to be held in Mountain View,
+California, USA, September 6-7.
+
+
+What you can do to help
+=======================
+
+In order to provide a high-quality 1.0 release, we need your
+help. Although this beta release is, again, *not* intended for
+production use, you can help the Django team by trying out the beta
+codebase in a safe test environment and reporting any bugs or issues
+you encounter. The Django ticket tracker is the central place to
+search for open issues:
+
+    http://code.djangoproject.com/timeline
+
+Please open new tickets if no existing ticket corresponds to a problem
+you're running into.
+
+Additionally, discussion of Django development, including progress
+toward the 1.0 release, takes place daily on the django-developers
+mailing list:
+
+    http://groups.google.com/group/django-developers
+
+...and in the ``#django-dev`` IRC channel on ``irc.freenode.net``. If
+you're interested in helping out with Django's development, feel free
+to join the discussions there.
+
+Django's online documentation also includes pointers on how to
+contribute to Django:
+
+    http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/contributing/
+
+Contributions on any level -- developing code, writing
+documentation or simply triaging tickets and helping to test proposed
+bugfixes -- are always welcome and appreciated.

docs/releases/index.txt

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ changes made in that version.
    1.0-alpha-1
    1.0-alpha-2
    1.0-beta
+   1.0-beta-2
 
 .. seealso::
 
@@ -23,4 +24,4 @@ changes made in that version.
     official release, you should keep track of new pieces pointed there. It's
     also fun reading if you're looking forward to new versions of Django.
     
-.. _backwards-incompatible changes: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/BackwardsIncompatibleChanges
+.. _backwards-incompatible changes: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/BackwardsIncompatibleChanges