Release notes are documents that are distributed with

software product Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

s or hardware products, sometimes when the product is still in the development or test state (e.g., a

beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...

release). For products that have already been in use by clients, the release note is delivered to the customer when an update is released. Another abbreviation for Release notes is ''Changelog'' or ''Release logs'' or ''Software changes'' or ''Revision history'' ''Updates or README file''. However, in some cases, the release notes and changelog are published separately. This split is for clarity and differentiation of feature-highlights from bugs, change requests ( CRs) or improvements on the other side.

Purpose

Release notes are documents that are shared with end users, customers and clients of an organization. The definition of the terms 'End Users', 'Clients' and 'Customers' are very relative in nature and might have various interpretations based on the specific context. For instance, the Quality Assurance group within a software development organization can be interpreted as an internal customer.

Content

Release notes detail the corrections, changes or enhancements (

functional Functional may refer to: * Movements in architecture: ** Functionalism (architecture) ** Form follows function * Functional group, combination of atoms within molecules * Medical conditions without currently visible organic basis: ** Functional sy ...

or non-functional) made to the service or product the company provides. They might also be provided as an artifact accompanying the deliverables for

System Testing System testing is testing conducted on a complete integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirements. System testing takes, as its input, all of the integrated components that have passed integration testing. ...

and

System Integration Testing System integration testing (SIT) involves the overall testing of a complete system of many subsystem components or elements. The system under test may be composed of hardware, or software, or hardware with embedded software, or hardware/soft ...

and other managed environments especially with reference to an

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

organization. Release notes can also contain test results and information about the

test procedure Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

. This kind of information gives readers of the release note more confidence in the fix/change done; this information also enables implementer of the change to conduct rudimentary acceptance tests. They differ from

End-user license agreement An end-user license agreement or EULA () is a legal contract between a software supplier and a customer or end-user, generally made available to the customer via a retailer acting as an intermediary. A EULA specifies in detail the rights and restr ...

, since they do not (should not) contain any legal terms of the software product or service. The focus should be on the software release itself, not for example legal conditions. Release notes can also be interpreted as describing how to install or build the software, instead of highlighting new features or resolved bugs. Another term often used in this context is ''System Requirements'', meaning the required hardware and software for installing or building the software.

Format style

There is no standard format for release notes that is followed throughout different organizations. Organizations normally adopt their own formatting styles based on the requirement and type of the information to be circulated. The content of release notes also vary according to the release type. For products that are at testing stage and that are newly released, the content is usually more descriptive compared to release notes for bug fixes and feature enhancements, which are usually brief. Release notes may include the following sections: * Header – Document Name (i.e. Release Notes), product name, release number, release date, note date, note version, etc. * Overview - A brief overview of the product and changes, in the absence of other formal documentation. * Purpose - A brief overview of the purpose of the release note with a listing of what is new in this release, including

bug fix A patch is a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, with such patches usually being called bugfixes or bug fixes. Patches ...

es and new features. * Issue summary - A short description of the bug or the enhancement in the release. * Steps to reproduce - The steps that were followed when the bug was encountered. * Resolution - A short description of the modification/enhancement that was made to fix the bug. * End-User impact - What different actions are needed by the end-users of the application. This should include whether other functionality is impacted by these changes. * Support impacts - Changes required in the daily process of administering the software. * Notes - Notes about software or hardware

installation Installation may refer to: * Installation (computer programs) * Installation, work of installation art * Installation, military base * Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian li ...

, upgrades and product documentation (including documentation updates) * Disclaimers - Company and standard product related messages. e.g.;

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...

anti-piracy Anti-piracy may refer to: * Anti-piracy, protection against copying of computer software. * Piracy#Anti-piracy measures anti-piracy measures, measures to counter maritime pirates. See also * Pirate (disambiguation) A pirate is a person who com ...

, duplication etc.. See also

Disclaimer A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative langua ...

. * Contact - Support contact information. A release note is usually a terse summary of recent changes, enhancements and bug fixes in a particular software release. It is not a substitute for

user guide A user guide, also commonly known as a user manual, is intended to assist users in using a particular product, service or application. It's usually written by a technician, product developer, or a company's customer service staff. Most user guid ...

s. Release notes are frequently written in the present tense and provide information that is clear, correct, and complete. A proposal for an open-specification exists and is called Release Notes Schema Specification.

Prominent examples (mainly software)

The following list is a selection of major software from different branches, such as software games, operating systems, automotive,

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

design, etc.
Apache Maven Project Release Notes
*Appl
iOS 14 Updates
*Appl
macOS Release Notes
*Apple

Xcode Xcode is Apple's integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS, used to develop software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It was initially released in late 2003; the latest stable release is version 14.2, released on December 13, ...

br>Release NotesFreeBSD ReleasesFXhome's Hitfilm ExpressGNOME Release NotesGitlab Releasesi.MX Linux® Release Notes
(PDF by

NXP Semiconductors NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXP) is a Dutch semiconductor designer and manufacturer with headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company employs approximately 31,000 people in more than 30 countries. NXP reported revenue of $11.06 billion in 2 ...

)
Atlassian Jira Software release notesLinux (Ubuntu)Microsoft Visual Studio Release Notes

Minecraft Release ChangelogsTesla Software UpdatesUnity3d 2020.1.0
* Wikipedia MediaWiki software
Windows 10
(see als
Windows Release Health

(e.g. Vivado Design Suite)

References

External links

How to write release notes

How should release notes be written?
(Stackoverflow)
The Strange Art of Writing App Release NotesRelease Notes Hub
(also https://www.release-notes.com) ''open-source'' on GitHub
Release Notes Schema Specification
Technical communication Software Configuration management Change management