Release notes
Release notes are documents that are distributed with software products or hardware products, sometimes when the product is still in the development or test state (e.g., a beta 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 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 and System Integration Testing and other managed environments especially with reference to an information technology organization. Release notes can also contain test results and information about the test procedure. 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, 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: 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 guides. 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 design, etc.