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diff --git a/doc/relnotes.htm b/doc/relnotes.htm index ae6bf1f..9466806 100644 --- a/doc/relnotes.htm +++ b/doc/relnotes.htm @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ <!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> - <TITLE>Release Notes for Version 9.4.3 of Icon</TITLE> + <TITLE>Release Notes for Version 9.5 of Icon</TITLE> <LINK REL="STYLESHEET" TYPE="text/css" HREF="istyle.css"> <LINK REL="SHORTCUT ICON" HREF="shortcut.gif"> </HEAD> @@ -10,78 +10,118 @@ <P><A HREF="http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/"> <IMG SRC="wwwcube.gif" ALT="[Icon home]" WIDTH=128 HEIGHT=144 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT> </A> -<H1> Release Notes for Version 9.4.3 of Icon </H1> +<H1> Release Notes for Version 9.5 of Icon </H1> <P> Gregg M. Townsend <BR> <SMALL> Department of Computer Science </SMALL> <BR> <SMALL> The University of Arizona </SMALL> -<P> <SMALL> www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/v943/relnotes.htm -<BR> Last updated November 10, 2005 </SMALL> -<!-- $Id: relnotes.htm,v 1.49 2005/11/10 23:02:06 gmt Exp $ --> +<P> <SMALL> www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/v950/relnotes.htm +<BR> Last updated April 12, 2010</SMALL> +<!-- $Id: relnotes.htm,v 1.74 2010/04/12 20:39:24 gmt Exp $ --> <H2> Introduction </H2> -<P> Version 9.4.3 of Icon is a minor update to version 9.4.2 of Icon. -It incorporates configuration, documentation, and library updates. +<P> Version 9.5.0 of Icon is an update of version 9.4.3 of Icon. +It incorporates configuration, documentation, and library changes. Some minor bugs have been fixed. +Support has been added for "external values" created by +user C functions. -<P> The Icon language is unchanged, and this Unix implementation -remains compatible at the source level with Icon 9.3 for Windows. - -<H2> Changes in version 9.4.3 </H2> +<H2> Changes in version 9.5 </H2> <P> Notable changes in this latest version are listed here. Some code cleanup work and documentation editing has also been done. -<H3> Configurations </H3> +<H3> External Values </H3> + +<P> External code incorporated by <CODE>loadfunc()</CODE> can now create +and return to Icon code opaque values that can be stored and passed +on subsequent calls. +This is similar to a feature of the early Macintosh ProIcon implementation. +See <A HREF=extlvals.htm>External Values</A> for more information. + +<H3> Build Environment </H3> + +<P> This version of Icon is the first to deliberately move beyond the +1989 C standard and make use of features of the 1999 C standard, +specifically the "struct hack". +Consequently, a C99 (or newer) compiler is now required to build Icon. + +<H3> Cygwin Configuration </H3> + +<P> The <CODE>cygwin</CODE> configuration has improved, partially through +removal of unneeded special cases now that Cygwin better approximates Unix. +External functions can now be loaded using <CODE>loadfunc()</CODE>. + +<P> In addition to the <CODE>cygwin</CODE> configuration, which uses +Windows graphics, there is now a new <CODE>xcygwin</CODE> configuration +that uses the X window system. -<P> The system-specific Icon configurations have been reorganized and renamed; -new names focus on operating systems rather than CPU architectures. -The several BSD configurations have been merged into one. +<H3> Implementation Cleanup</H3> -<P> The <CODE>macintosh</CODE> configuration now supports the -<CODE>loadfunc</CODE> function. This configuration has also been -revised to anticipate Apple's announced migration to the x86 architecture. +<P> Large amounts of conditionalized dead code, including the old Icon +compiler, have been removed from the source code. -<P> A new <A HREF=port.htm>porting guide</A> has been written, and a new -<CODE>posix</CODE> configuration has been added -as a starting point in constructing new ports. +<P> All platforms now use POSIX threads for context switching instead of +system- and processor-dependent assembly language code. + +<H3> Minor Fixes </H3> + +<P> The <CODE>loadfunc()</CODE> implementation now specifies to the system +that C globals are to be shared with and among loaded functions. + +<P> The command <CODE>icon nonexistent.icn</CODE> no longer leaves debris +in the /tmp directory. + +<P> The maximum length of a file name has been increased from 256 to 512 +characters. + +<P> Table copying in the Sparc (Solaris) configuration was fixed by +coding a workaround to avoid a GCC 4.2.2 struct assignment bug. <H3> Library changes </H3> -<P> As usual, several files in the Icon program library have been -added or edited. The core library files, however, remain stable. +<P> As usual, some files in the Icon program library have been +added or edited, but the core library files remain stable. Notable changes include: <PRE> -procs/dijkstra new procedures implement Dijkstra's control structures -procs/html add procedure for canonicalization of paths -procs/matrix2 new procedures for matrix manipulation -procs/nestlist new procedures for representing nested lists as strings -procs/printf add %e format and fix a rounding problem - -progs/noise new program for producing a random bitstream -progs/unclog improve logic for combining adjacent entries - -gprogs/dlgvu improve coverage map; allow altitude in GPS data -gprogs/gallery faster thumbnail loading for JPEG images -gprogs/img many new features -gprogs/sier better color choices -gprogs/trkvu accept GPS track logs with altitude as the last field +procs/echo New procedure for interpolating variables in strings. +procs/printf Rewrite parts to fix several bugs, and add test. +procs/random Improve thoroughness of randomize(). + +progs/diffsum Handle output of "cvs diff". +progs/unclog Handle CVS branches; fix indentation. +progs/weblinks Add option to sort output by referencing page. + +gprogs/breakout Make the ball large enough to see. +gprogs/gallery Treat -wnnn and -hnnn options as *minimums*. +gprogs/gallery Handle spaces embedded in JPEG filenames. +gprogs/kaleid Add delay to prevent runaway on fast CPUs. +gprogs/spider Add shortcuts, opt-in logging, congratulatory display. +gprogs/trkvu Limit file legend to onscreen files. +gprogs/tron New video game inspired by Tron. + +packs/loadfuncpp Add C++ interface package. +packs/icondb Add MySQL interface package. + +gpacks/weaving Add "halftone" weaving program htweav.icn. </PRE> -The undocumented <CODE>save</CODE> function, which only worked -on a few platforms, has been removed. +<H3> Documentation Additions </H3> + +<P> Two new documentation pages, <A HREF="cfuncs.htm">Loading C functions</A> +and <A HREF="extlvals.htm">External Values</A>, have been added. <H2> Earlier feature additions </H2> -<P> These features appeared in earlier releases of Icon that followed -publication of the Icon books. +<P> These features appeared in earlier releases of Icon +but subsequent to publication of the Icon books. <H3> Millions of colors </H3> <SMALL> (new with version 9.4.2 of Icon) </SMALL> @@ -102,7 +142,7 @@ which in another form allows a small Icon program to be embedded within a shell script. See the <A HREF="icon.txt">man page</A> for details. The traditional <A HREF="icont.txt"><CODE>icont</CODE></A> command -remains available for less specialized purposes. +remains available when more flexibility is needed. <H3> Path searching </H3> <SMALL> (new with version 9.4.0 of Icon) </SMALL> @@ -116,7 +156,7 @@ The Icon translator and linker search these paths when looking for <P> The Icon program library is now searched automatically, but <CODE>LPATH</CODE> and <CODE>IPATH</CODE> can still be set to control the search order. -For version 9.4, the effective path in each case is: +The effective path in each case is: <OL> <LI> The current directory <LI> Any directories named by the environment variable @@ -201,13 +241,15 @@ for an overview of the available Icon documentation. <H2> Acknowledgments </H2> -<P> -Arthur Eschenlauer contributed the <CODE>matrix2</CODE> -and <CODE>nestlist</CODE> libraries. -Frank Lhota contributed the <CODE>dijkstra</CODE> library. -Nolan Clayton contributed revisions to the <CODE>img</CODE> program. -Michael Glass contributed revisions to the <CODE>printf</CODE> procedure. -Chris Tenaglia and Andreas Almroth contributed configuration files. +<P> Carl Sturtivant inspired and participated in the development +of external values. He also contributed the <CODE>loadfuncpp</CODE> +and <CODE>icondb</CODE> packages. +Eduardo Ochs contributed the <CODE>tron</CODE> game. +Charles L. Hethcoat III contributed the <CODE>echo</CODE> procedure. +Carl Sturtivant and Steve Waldo supplied numerous Cygwin improvements. +Cheyenne Wills improved the flexibility of the configuration process. +Clint Jeffery fixed an ancient linking bug. +Robert Shiplett and Jonathan Kaye helped with testing. <P> <HR> |