DOC #673 show versioning change, reformat

manual/source/history.rst

@@ -11,93 +11,95 @@ Two things to note about the development and history of NeXus:
 
 - The NIAC has already discussed many matters related to the format.
 
-:2018-05:
-    `release v2018.5 <https://github.com/nexusformat/definitions/wiki/releasenotes__v2018.5>`
-    of NeXus Definitions
+2018-05:
+    * `release v2018.5 <https://github.com/nexusformat/definitions/wiki/releasenotes__v2018.5>`
+      of NeXus Definitions
+    * `#597 <https://github.com/nexusformat/definitions/issues/597>`_
+       changed versioning scheme and procedures
 
-:2017-07:
+2017-07:
     `release 3.3 <https://github.com/nexusformat/definitions/wiki/releasenotes__v3.3>`
     of NeXus Definitions
 
 .. release_3_2: 
 
-:2016-10:
+2016-10:
     `release 3.2 <https://github.com/nexusformat/definitions/releases/tag/v3.2>`
     of NeXus Definitions
 
-:2014-12:
+2014-12:
     The NIAC approves a new method to identify the default data to be plotted,
     applying attributes at the group level to the root of the HDF5 tree,
     and the NXentry and NXdata groups. 
     See the description in :ref:`Design-FindPlottable-NIAC2014`
     and the proposal:
     http://www.nexusformat.org/2014_How_to_find_default_data.html
 
-:2012-05:
+2012-05:
     first release (3.1.0) of NXDL (NeXus Definition Language)
 
-:2010-01:
+2010-01:
     NXDL presented to ESRF HDF5 workshop on hyperspectral data
 
-:2009-09:
+2009-09:
     NXDL and draft :index:`NXsas` (base class) presented to canSAS at
     SAS2009 conference
 
-:2009-04:
+2009-04:
     NeXus API version 4.2.0 is released with additional
     C++, IDL, and python/numpy interfaces.
 
-:2008-10:
+2008-10:
     :ref:`NXDL` is defined.
     Until now, NeXus used another XML format, meta-DTD, for defining base
     classes and application definitions. There were several problems with meta-DTD,
     the biggest one being that it was not easy to validate against it. NXDL was
     designed to circumvent these problems.  All current base classes and
     application definitions were ported into the NXDL.
 
-:2007-10:
+2007-10:
     NeXus API version 4.1.0 is released with many bug-fixes.
 
-:2007-05:
+2007-05:
     NeXus API version 4.0.0 is released with broader support for scripting
     languages and the feature to link with external files.
 
-:2005-07:
+2005-07:
     The community asked the NeXus team to provide an ASCII based physical file
     format which allows them to edit their scientific results in emacs. This lead to
     the development of a :index:`XML` NeXus physical format. This was released with NeXus API
     version 3.0.0.
 
-:2003-10:
+2003-10:
     In 2003, NeXus had arrived at a stage where informal gatherings of a group of
     people were no longer good enough to oversee the development of NeXus. This lead
     to the formation of the NeXus International Advisory Committee (:index:`NIAC`) which
     strives to include representatives of all major stake holders in NeXus. A first
     meeting was held at CalTech. Since 2003, the NIAC meets every year to discuss
     all matters NeXus.
 
-:2003-06:
+2003-06:
     Przemek Klosowski, Ray Osborn, and :index:`Richard Riedel <single: Riedel, Richard>`
     received the only known
     grant explicitly for working on NeXus from  the Systems Integration for Manufacturing
     Applications (SIMA) program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
     (NIST). The grant funded a person for one year to work on community wide infrastructure
     in NeXus.
 
-:2002-09:
+2002-09:
     NeXus API version 2.0.0 is released. This version brought support for the new
     version of HDF, :index:`HDF5`, released by the HDF group. HDF4 imposed limits on file
     sizes and the number of objects in a file. These issues were resolved with
     HDF5. The NeXus API abstracted the difference between the two physical file
     formats away form the user.
 
-:2001-summer:
+2001-summer:
     MLNSC at LANL started writing NeXus files to store raw data
 
-:1997-07:
+1997-07:
     SINQ at PSI started writing NeXus files to store raw data.
 
-:1996-10:
+1996-10:
     At *SoftNeSS 1996* (at ANL),
     after reviewing the different scientific data formats discussed,
     it was decided to use :index:`HDF4`
@@ -109,12 +111,12 @@ Two things to note about the development and history of NeXus:
     coauthored the first proposal for the NeXus scientific data
     standard. [#NeXus_Proposal]_
 
-:1996-08:
+1996-08:
     The HDF-4 API is quite complex. Thus a NeXus Abstract Programmer Interface
     :index:`NAPI`
     was released which simplified reading and writing NeXus files.
 
-:1995-09:
+1995-09:
     At *SoftNeSS 1995* (at NIST),
     three individual data format proposals by
     :index:`Przemek Klosowski <single: Klosowski, Przemysław>` (NIST),
@@ -123,7 +125,7 @@ Two things to note about the development and history of NeXus:
     were joined to form the basis of the current NeXus format.
     At this workshop, the name *NeXus* was chosen.
 
-:1994-10:
+1994-10:
     :index:`Ray Osborn <single: Osborn, Raymond>` convened a series of three workshops called
     *SoftNeSS*. [#softness]_
     In the first meeting,
@@ -134,11 +136,11 @@ Two things to note about the development and history of NeXus:
     One of the main recommendations of *SoftNeSS'94*
     was that a common data format should be developed.
 
-:1994-08:
+1994-08:
     :index:`Jonathan Tischler <single: Tischler, Jonathan>` (ORNL) proposed an HDF-based format [#aps]_
     as a standard for data storage at APS
 
-:1994-06:
+1994-06:
     :index:`Mark Könnecke <single: Könnecke, Mark>` (then ISIS, now PSI) made a proposal using netCDF [#netCDF]_
     for the European neutron scattering community while working at ISIS