1 files changed, 31 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/debian/NEWS b/debian/NEWS
index c727770..4605f2d 100644
--- a/debian/NEWS
+++ b/debian/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,34 @@
+vmdebootstrap (1.9-1) unstable; urgency=medium
+
+   vmdebootstrap is not going to be included in the release of Debian
+   buster. Please switch to another tool for building Debian system
+   images automatically, such as vmdb2, debos, or FAI. You have until
+   September, 2018.
+
+   The reason for this is that vmdebootstrap has a software architecture
+   that makes it difficult to modify or test. Many desirable changes to
+   vmdebootstrap are so hard to make that its author doesn't even want to
+   contemplate them. Worse, fixing some of the known bugs are difficult.
+
+   Because of this, the vmdebootstrap upstream author and Debian package
+   maintainer will get vmdebootstrap removed from Debian before the
+   buster release. Bugs in vmdebootstrap are unlikely to be fixed, unless
+   they have no workaround and threaten user data or are a security
+   problem.
+
+   vmdb2 is the second attempt by the vmdebootstrap author to write a
+   tool for building Debian system images. It is much more flexible than
+   the first attempt, and much easier to modify. Unfortunately, the same
+   things that make vmdebootstrap hard to maintain make it hard to add
+   backwards compatibility to vmdb2 for command line and configuration
+   file syntax. vmdb2 is not a drop-in replacement. You'll have to re-do
+   all the image creation work with vmdb2.
+
+   There are many other tools for the same purpose. You may want to
+   compare several and pick the one you like best.
+
+ -- Lars Wirzenius <liw@liw.fi>  Sat, 24 Feb 2018 20:48:56 +0200
+
 vmdebootstrap (1.6-1) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   * extlinux support is now deprecated. Grub to become default.