[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #53006] GUI Documentation Browser displays Index chapters of manual poorly

[Rik]

Follow-up Comment #62, bug #53006 (project octave):

One of the discussions we had at OctConf 2018 was when and how often to make
releases.  Previously, Octave has done releases based on features, i.e., when
we felt enough new code had accumulated we pushed out a release.  This was not
ideal for the downstream users and distribution maintainers.  An important
bug, such as one resolving a segfault, might be languishing for more than a
year while we waited for enough code to gather to make a release.  And it
definitely puts Octave out of step with the rest of the SW world which has
been moving to time-based releases.  Matlab, as the most relevant example,
always releases twice a year.  You can plan on it, and even if no new features
are present there are at least bug fix opportunities every 6 months.

Based on all of that reasoning, we decided to move to a time-based release
with code freeze Dec. 15th and the release around Jan. 15th of the next year. 
Many of the Octave volunteers have some time off around the holidays which we
hope can be dedicated to helping get the Octave release out the door.

Another final argument for the more frequent release schedule has been the
fact that because we do it so infrequently, the release process itself is
quite a chore.  If we are releasing more frequently then we not only get
better at it, but we don't feel so bad about simply leaving in some bugs that
we don't have time to fix right now, but will be addressed by the next
release.

With all of this in mind, I think we do need to get this next version of
Octave released.  The Variable Editor does have a lot of issues, but we could
always put a note in the NEWS that this is still experimental.  It didn't
exist in the GUI before, and Octave is highly functional without it.  If
someone never uses that feature in 4.4 they will still have benefited by
having access to all of the other improvements to the core of Octave that have
occurred over what is now close to two years.

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