-Pre-release of LyX version 2.0.0 (alpha 3)
-==========================================
-
-We are pleased to announce the third alpha release of LyX 2.0.0.
-This release is for testing purposes only, users are encouraged
-to use current 1.6 stable release for any serious work.
-
-Tarballs and binaries can be found at ftp://ftp.lyx.org/pub/lyx/devel/
-
-LyX 2.0.0 will be culmination of more than 18 months of hard work
-and you can find an overview of the new features here:
-http://wiki.lyx.org/LyX/NewInLyX20
-
-Known issues with LyX 2.0 can be found at the following addresses:
-http://wiki.lyx.org/Devel/LyX20Road
-http://www.lyx.org/trac/wiki/BugTrackerHome
-
-
-If you think you found a bug in LyX 2.0.0, either e-mail the LyX
-developers' mailing list (lyx-devel at lists.lyx.org), or open a bug
-report at http://www.lyx.org/trac/wiki/BugTrackerHome
+Public release of LyX version 2.4.0 RC4
+=========================================
+
+We are proud to announce the first public release candidate of the new LyX 2.4
+series. This pre-release is meant for testing and should not be used for
+serious work. For curious users who would like to test in order to help catch
+bugs before the 2.4.0 release, please back up all of your documents and be
+prepared for the worst to happen. Most users (who desire a stable LyX version)
+should not use this pre-release.
+
+The 2.4 series has a rich set of new features compared to the current stable
+series. An overview of the new features can be found here:
+
+ https://wiki.lyx.org/LyX/NewInLyX24
+
+As this release ships with new features, we strongly recommend that packagers
+of LyX on various platforms and distributions read RELEASE-NOTES in order to
+get the new dependencies right.
+
+You can download LyX 2.4.0 RC4 from http://ftp.lyx.org/pub/lyx/devel/ or
+from a mirror listed at https://www.lyx.org/Download#toc11.
+
+We appreciate your help in testing this pre-release!
+
+If a file from an earlier version of LyX is opened *and saved* with
+any version of 2.4.x, then the original file will automatically be
+backed up. The backup file will be found in the backup directory, if one
+is set under Tools> Preferences> Paths, or else in the same folder as
+the original file, if no backup directory is set. The filename of the
+backup file will be:
+ ORIGNAME-lyxformat-NUM.lyx~
+where NUM is the LyX format number of the original file. In the case of
+2.3.x file, this will be 544, but in the case of older files it will be
+different.
+
+The file RELEASE-NOTES also lists some known issues and problems compared
+to the current stable releases (LyX 2.3.x).
+
+As with any major release, this one comes with a lot of new features but
+also some bugs. If you think you have found a bug in LyX 2.4.0 RC4, either
+email the LyX developers' mailing list (lyx-devel at lists.lyx.org),
+or open a bug report at https://www.lyx.org/trac/wiki/BugTrackerHome.
+Please specify if the behavior you are reporting is different from behavior
+in a previous LyX version.