RELEASING: Add a step to upgrade the version in the "version" file.

It is annoying to have an extra step here, but it does at least mean
that we are back to just "make release" rather than "make VERSION=X.Y
release".

1 files changed, 25 insertions, 8 deletions

diff --git a/RELEASING b/RELEASING
index 99c6d79..e438a1d 100644
--- a/RELEASING
+++ b/RELEASING
@@ -35,7 +35,27 @@ repository. From here, there are just a few steps to release:
 
 	Commit this change, if any.
 
-3) Create an entry for the new release in debian/changelog
+3) Upgrade the version in the file "version"
+
+	The scheme for the release number is as follows:
+
+	A major milestone in usability causes an increase in the major
+	number, yielding a two-component version with a minor number
+	of 0, (such as "1.0" or "2.0").
+
+	Otherwise, releases with changes in features cause an increase
+	in the minor number, yielding a two-component version, (such
+	as "1.1" or "1.2").
+
+	Finally, releases that do not change "features" but are merely
+	bug fixes either add increase the micro number or add it
+	(starting at ".1" if not present). So a bug-fix release from
+	"1.0" would be "1.0.1" and a subsequent bug-fix release would
+	be "1.0.2" etc.
+
+	Commit this change.
+
+4) Create an entry for the new release in debian/changelog
 
 	The syntax of this file is tightly restricted, but the
 	available emacs mode (see the dpkg-dev-el package helps).  The
@@ -47,14 +67,11 @@ repository. From here, there are just a few steps to release:
 
 	XXX: It would be great if this step were automated as part of
 	release, (taking entries from NEWS and the version from the
-	VERSION, and creating a new commit).
-
-4) Run "make VERSION=X.Y release" which will perform the following steps:
+	version file, and creating a new commit, etc.)
 
-   For the X.Y version, we'll generally just increment Y. But for
-   major milestones of usability we're increment X as well.
+5) Run "make release" which will perform the following steps:
 
-	* Ensure that the caller passed VERSION=X.Y
+	* Ensure that the version consists only of digits and periods
 	* Verify that the source tree is clean
 	* Compile the current notmuch code (aborting release if it fails)
 	* Run the notmuch test suite (aborting release if it fails)
@@ -72,7 +89,7 @@ repository. From here, there are just a few steps to release:
 	* Push that tag
 	* Provide some text for the release announcement (see below).
 
-5) Send a message to notmuch@notmuchmail.org to announce the release.
+6) Send a message to notmuch@notmuchmail.org to announce the release.
 
 	Use the text provided from "make release" above, (if for some
 	reason you lose this message, "make release-message" prints