Hi people!

No serious bug reports yet on the new SM Package Loader, perhaps noone
is using it. :)

Just wanted to mention that the "published" feature should be more
useful now so maintainers and users need to understand what it IS and
how to USE it. If you are just a user on SM you can skip down to the
Short version, maintainers should read this too:

- A release has a checkbox that says "published". If you check that
checkbox when you create or edit a package release you as a maintainer
are saying that:

	1. Ok, this release now works and I will NOT DELETE it in the future.
	2. I will also not modify the file that the URL points to, it can be
considered IMMUTABLE.

...so until you have checked that checkbox the release can be both
faulty (it may not even install properly and may hose your image, set
your house on fire and do other nasty things) and you can delete it
without notice and also change the file that it references.

This is very convenient for you as a package maintainer - you can make a
release and test it calmly without being afraid that someone else loads
it and gets into trouble (unless they are terribly stupid and they can
then blame themselves), because now the new Package Loader both:

	- Warns people if they are trying to install a non published release.
	- Has a filter to only show published releases.
	- Does not use non published releases when doing the "upgrade all
installed" packages.

Another nice side effect of this is that the cache suddenly can be
trusted in a whole different way. Published releases can happily be
cached, because they are immutable.

And yet another thing to know as a maintainer is that when you publish a
release it is also recorded that YOU did it. This is very good when
having co-maintainers. :)

Note: There is no enforcement here - as a maintainer you can break
against the above rules. But it will make people angry with you. :)


Short version
----------------

Ok, so you have read this far and would like to get the "short version".

If you are a user of SM:
	- Don't install releases that aren't published! If you do, you are on
*your own*.

	- If you still is foolish or bright enough to dare install or download
a non published release, remember that it may have changed tomorrow and
your cache may be invalid - SM doesn't know. So when it eventually *is*
published you probably want to force download to cache and then install
it again - which should work with for example Monticello - other formats
may very well get messed up.

If you are a maintainer:
	- You can now put up releases and test them through SM, that they
install properly and work properly. And when you are sure it works -
then you can go into SM and check that publish checkbox. This is also a
nice way to get other people to act as alpha-testers.

	- Do not publish until you are satisfied with the release because it
implies that you will NOT delete it in the future, nor will you modify
the file that it refers to. You may modify the URL though.


Now... is that CLEAR? :)

regards, Göran

PS. ...and I just got this report from Reuters that says:

"Over 200 people have signed up with accounts on SM! Yep, 200! Way
cool."