Update to 0.4.0, provided by Anders Nor Berle in PR 32448.

New in 0.4.0
- New lexical handling and closure support including better
  introspection for caller and outer
- PGE (Parrot Grammar Engine) provides now compilers for P6Rule,
  P6Grammar, P5Regexp, and Glob
- ca. 1000 new tests including 800 for Perl5 regexp
- Improved unicode charset and encoding support
- Calling conventions for exception handlers
- Punie (Perl 1) uses TGE (Tree Grammar Engine) to convert from
  PGE match objects to AST via two steps of tree transformation grammars
- New languages: amber and lua
- The usual code fixes, cleanup, and improvements, including an overhaul
  of the config and test framework

New in 0.3.1

- Variable sized register frames are finished. Each subroutine gets
  the amount of registers that it actually needs. No more spilling.
- Vastly improved PGE (Parrot Grammar Engine) including shift-reduce,
  precedence-based expression parser and support for matching of
  bracketed text delimited by e.g. ()[]{}'"
- uniccode character classification (is_upper ...)
- support for heredoc syntax in assembler
- improved examples, basic JSON support
- debian packaging support
- the usual improvements, bug fixes, and cleanup
- test count exceeds 3000

New in 0.3.0

- New calling conventions implemented: see PDD03 for details
- Merge multiple Parrot bytecode (PBC) files into a singe PBC file
- 'make smoke' target going beta
- bc now supports if statements, comparison ops, prefix inc/dec
- ParTcl adds [lassign], [switch] (partially); [expr] converted to a compiler
- Many exciting doc updates, tests, and bugfixes, too numerous to mention

New in 0.2.3

- Dynamic classes now compile on Windows (including ParTcl)
- New Super PMC allows easy access to superclass methods
- Implement C3 method resolution order (just like Perl6 & Python)
- ParTcl has new PIR-based parser and passes more Tcl tests
- added character class support in Globs to PGE
- added language implementations of unlambda, Lazy-k
- many bugfixes, including GC and memory leaks
- the new calling scheme continued to evolve in branches/leo-ctx5

New in 0.2.2

- new call scheme: docs/pdds/pdd03_calling_conventions.pod
- partial implementation of the new calling conventions
  PASM only, don't mix PIR foo() call syntax with the new scheme
- grammar and rule support in PGE - the Parrot Grammar Engine
- TCL passes >10% of the tcl test suite
- the usual bugfixes and improvements

New in 0.2.1

- better HLL support (short names for object attributes, and
  .HLL and n_operators pragmas)
- string encoding and charset can now be set independently
- experimental mmap IO layer for slurping files
- distinct debug and trace flag settings
- glob support in PGE
- new character classification opcodes and interfaces

New in 0.2.0

- parrot repository is now under subversion
- MMD (Multi Method Dispatch) enhanced
- new unary and infix opcodes that return new result PMCs
- dynamic scalar PMCs inherit now almost all from Parrot core PMCs
- more unification of PMCs and ParrotObjects
- tailcalls for functions and methods
- PGE (Parrot Grammar Engine) reworked
- Pugs creates Parrot code and Pugs is a registered compiler now
- new languages/lisp
- the usual bug fixes and improvements

New in 0.1.2

- New string handling code. Strings now have charset and encoding
- Parts of a generation garbage collector
- Better Python code, separated in dynclasses
- Parrot Grammar Engine
- Improved test coverage and documentation

New in 0.1.1

Parrot 0.1.1 is an intermediate release with tons of updates and fixes.
 - Python support: Parrot runs 4/7 of the pie-thon test suite
 - Better OS support: more platforms, compiler, OS functions
 - Improved PIR syntax for method calls and <op>= assignment
 - Dynamic loading reworked including a "make install" target
 - MMD - multi method dispatch for binary vtable methods
 - Library improvement and cleanup
 - BigInt, Complex, *Array, Slice, Enumerate, None PMC classes
 - IA64 and hppa JIT support
 - Tons of fixes, improvements, new tests, and documentation updates.
A lot is unfinished and keeps changing. Nethertheless Parrot is stable
and usable at the surface, while internals are moving.

New in 0.1.0
 - "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... objects!"
 - Huge documentation overhaul
 - More supported platforms, s. PLATFORMS
 - Basic thread support for pthread based architectures
 - Basic event handling for timers and signals including:
 - PASM callbacks for NCI (native C) functions.
 - Improved platform configuration
 - COW stacks now working, stacks code redone
 - Structure handling vastly improved
 - Random PMC and rand primitives
 - Better subroutine call syntax in PIR
 - Make PIR subroutines compliant with pdd03
 - Improved profiling (DOD, GC timings)
 - Hash code improvements, incl. random key order support
 - Experimental freeze/thaw code for some PMC types
 - IO improvements for buffered layer and Win32
 - String iterators
 - String bitwise vtables
 - Many new opcodes
 - Support for JIT, where malloced memory isn't executable
 - Priority DOD scheme for objects that need timely destruction
 - Improved byte code loading (e.g. onLoad functions)
 - Language updates: forth, Perl6/P6C, m4
 - Libraries: Getopt_Long, SDL, Dumper, Sort
 - new JAPH examples
 - Unified imcc and parrot test handling
 - Many new tests (make test reports 1386 tests)
 - Numerous bug fixes

New in 0.0.13
 - The Big Move: Parrot source and build files rearranged into sub dirs
 - Build imcc as parrot
 - Objects more finished
 - Delegate vtable methods to byte code
 - Binary multi-method dispatching
 - Isa and does methods for PMCs
 - Call byte code from C
 - Start of extension interface
 - Experimental struct handling
 - Catch access to NULL PMCs
 - Experimental network socket interface code and opcodes
 - IO fixes and improvements
 - Dynamic opcode libraries
 - Fix-assigned opcode numbers
 - Argument flattening for function calls
 - More native call interface (NCI) signatures
 - Ncurses, postgres, and pcre interface libraries
 - Forth language is vastly improved
 - BSD and Win32 build improvements
 - Many new tests and fixes

New in 0.0.12
 - This number intentionally left blank

New in 0.0.11
 - Executable output
 - Dynamic PMC registration
 - Trial exception system
 - Beginnings of object system
 - Iterators
 - Ordered hashes
 - I/O system improvements
 - References
 - Documentation for basic PMC types
 - IMCC support of Parrot Calling Conventions
 - Runtime loading of chartypes (and other string improvements)
 - Conditional breakpoints
 - Dramatically accelerated sweeps for finalizable objects
 - Small PMCs (PMCs split into core and extensions)
 - Loadable bytecode packfiles
 - Constant PMCs
 - Sub variants that deal with the stack correctly
 - Switched runops core
 - Line numbers in warnings
 - Environment access
 - Many documentation cleanups
 - Conversion to CPS style!
 - BASIC debugger and many other wacky features
 - Filename, line number parsing support in IMCC

New in 0.0.10
 - IMCC integration
 - eval
 - some more benchmarking
 - cgp core
 - optimized math ops
 - intersegment branches
 - more complete use of PObjs
 - beefed up packfiles
 - sub/continuation/coroutine fixes
 - better NCI (native calling interface)
 - many imcc improvements
 - jako improvements

New in 0.0.9

- Native function calling interface (Dan)
- Stack/list aggregate rewrite (Leo)
- Scratchpads (Jonathan Sillito)
- Preliminary DotGNU support -- type conversion ops (Gopal V + Leo)
- Buffer/PMC unification (Leo)
- stabs debugging support for JIT (Leo)
- Jako overhaul (Gregor)
- Optional Lea allocator (Leo)
- Parrot sprintf (Brent)
- Miniparrot (Josh)
- PMC Properties (Dan)
- Various JIT improvements (D. Grunblatt + Leo)
- Extensible packfiles (Juergen)
- Restructured PMC hierarchy (Leo)
- Real Scheme (Juergen)

New in 0.0.8

- Several new grammars and a BNF -> perl5 and perl6 converter (Jeff)
- Working Perl6 REs (Sean)
- Keyed Access (Tom Hughes et al)
- New PMCs (Alberto et al)
- Better Documentation
- New COW semantics
- GC acceleration (Mike Lambert)
- Lexical scope (Jonathan Sillito)
- IMCC patches
- JIT for the ARM

New in 0.0.7

- Perl 6 Grammar and Compiler (Sean)
- Subroutines, coroutines, and continuations (Melvin)
- GC improvements (Peter Gibbs, Mike Lambert)
- Global variables (Melvin)
- Intermediate bytecode compiler (Melvin, Angel)
- And much, much more.

New in 0.0.6

- New assembler that support keyed types (Jeff)
- New macro layer, allowing constants (Jeff)
- New Configure.pl (Brent)
- Changes to bytecode format, endian issues resolved (Melvin)
- GC improvements and bug fixes (Peter Gibbs, Mike Lambert)
- JIT compiler rewrite (Jason and Daniel)
- Parrot assembler in Parrot (Daniel)
- Parrot debugger (Daniel)
- BASIC polished, Eliza.bas is new (Clint)
- Cola compiler committed and working, with limited OOP (Melvin)
- Keyed aggregates (Steve Fink)
- Global ops (Melvin)
- Compile-time speedup (Melvin)
- Much documentation
- New PDDs (Dan)
- Contributed tetris and lzw files
- And many more, from the cast of thousands

New in 0.0.5

- Full GC
- Perl Scalar support in PMCs
- Array and Hash types almost ready for prime-time
- Internal support for keyed types
- EMACS editing mode
- New PDDs
- New Language - BASIC
- Regular expression compiler
- More tests
- Many, many bug fixes, enhancements, and speedups

New in 0.0.4

- Arena-based memory allocation system
- Copying GC
- New IO subsystem
- "Predereferencing" mode - ./parrot -P - 22% speedup
- JIT compiler - ./parrot -j
- Parrot now builds warnings-clean on many platforms
- Many more PMC methods implemented
- Regular expression operations
- Added a FAQ
- Basic support for embedding Parrot in other programs
- Warnings support
- Added PDDs to distribution
- Bignum library

- PMC inheritance
- Added an assembly optimizer
- Improved string encoding/type support
- Many more tests
- Source reformatting
- Major refactoring in packfile library
- More Miniperl functionality
- New PMC "clone" operator
- Beginnings of key-based access to PMCs - arrays and hashes
- MOPS comparisons in examples/mops/

New in 0.0.3

- PMCs!
- Perl base scalar types implemented
- A new minilanguage, Scheme
- Much improved documentation
- Register stacks pushing and popping
- User stack pushing, popping and rotating
- Jako updates: subroutines, more example programs, optimizations
- test_prog renamed to 'parrot'

- Added features to the assembler: @ for current location, and global
  labels
- Build tweaks for VMS
- Bytecode typing clean-ups
- More platforms: OS X, HPUX, OS/2
- The proliferation of runops cores reduced to one fast and one slow one
- Opcode tracing, bounds checking, profiling
- Vastly improved string support, with separation of encoding and
  charset
- Lots more tests
- Multiple interpreter creation support - the beginnings of threading
- Much better resource handling - the beginnings of GC

New in 0.0.2

- Parrot now works on all core platforms
- A large number of tests, in the standard Perl testing framework
- A new minilanguage (Jako) which compiles to Parrot assembly
- Documentation about the assembly language (docs/parrot_assembly.pod)

- Separate modules for assembly (Parrot::Assemble) and bytecode
  manipulation (Parrot::PackFile::*, packfile.c)
- Assembler completely rewritten
- Better operand-type guessing in the assembler
- Assembler support for '\n' etc. in string constants
- Code reformatted to match the coding standards
- New ops for register-constant INTEGER comparisons
- Macro expansion in the assembler
- IVs and NVs renamed to more friendly INTVAL and NUMVAL
- Hard-coded pack("") formats removed
- Better handling of floating-point numbers in assembler
- Moved floats to constant table (fixing many alignment issues)

1 files changed, 5 insertions, 10 deletions

diff --git a/lang/parrot/DESCR b/lang/parrot/DESCR
index 3944f43721c..14c8e22cf72 100644
--- a/lang/parrot/DESCR
+++ b/lang/parrot/DESCR
@@ -1,10 +1,5 @@
-PARROT: A bytecode language possible to be used in the future by
-Perl 6 and a Python.
-
-The idea was originally an April fool's joke...
-
-"What we're releasing today is a very, very early alpha of the Parrot
-interpreter.  At the moment, we have support for some simple
-operations on integer, floating point and string registers, and the
-ability to read in and execute bytecode.  We also have an assembler
-which can generate bytecode output from Parrot assembly."
+Parrot is the new interpreter being designed from scratch to support the
+upcoming Perl6 language.  It is being designed as a standalone virtual
+machine that can be used to execute bytecode compiled dynamic languages
+such as Perl6, but also Perl5.  Ideally, Parrot can be used to support
+other dynamic, bytecode-compiled languages such as Python, Ruby and Tcl.