RELEASE.NOTES

Date: Friday, 16-Oct-87 11:32 am  -*- Mode: Text -*-
From: Brian
To:   amacs-inform
Su:   Version 3.0, Release 2.2
---- Text of message follows this line ----

Okay, this is it.

As of yesterday, AMACS has been made bullet-proof. (16-Oct-87)

Bug reports should only be made for Version 3.0, Releases 2.2 and greater. 
The concept here is, any bug in an earlier version no longer exists.

All requests, bug-reports, and non-consistency problems have been made to go
away.  These include:

	* Indication of Auto File Extension when active.

	* MERLIN Library enhanced to handle special cases.

	* MAIL Library enhanced.

	* Filename completion parsing!  Works when reading
	  filenames.  This is great!  Spacebar or ESC complete
	  the name.

	* Fill Region always works perfectly now, regardless of
	  what the region looks like.  It used to have trouble
	  with carriage return characters that weren't part of
	  the paragraph being filled.

	* Fill commands take a numeric argument, which is the
	  temporary value to use for Fill Column.  For example,
	  you can type C-U 4 0 M-Q, and the current paragraph
	  will be filled to 40 columns.  The value of Fill
	  Column won't change.

	* FILLPREFIX library flushed.  I managed to fit the
	  code that performs the functionality into AMACS
	  proper.  The function itself has changed to more
	  closely match the original EMACS.  There is a string
	  variable Fill Prefix which contains the current
	  prefix for filling.  You set this variable with C-X .
	  (Control-X Period).  It takes the contents of the line
	  from the beginning up to Point and makes that the
	  prefix.  Then fill commands will prepend the prefix
	  on lines that wrap.  This is how this text is being
	  typed in.

	* Numeric arguments to keyboard macros.  Macro can be up
	  to 512 characters in length.

	* HISTORY library which helps you keep track of what
	  files have been modified when, and for what reason.

	* Obscure but deadly bug fix:

	  If you filled up buffer space, and then visited a file
	  which caused buffer space to be overflowed, and then
	  switched buffers, and then typed text, AMACS let you
	  insert characters.  Since there wasn't any buffer
	  space left, you would lose very rapidly, and the
	  entire contents of the buffer space could be lost.

	  This is no longer possible.

	* You can give Control-Meta-L (Flush Libraries) a
	  numeric argument to bypass the prompt: Flush Libraries
	  (Y/N)?.

	  You can unload libararies from within an init file.
	  Why is this important?  Because some libraries are
	  designed specifically to give you access to internal
	  variables of AMACS, and you can now "patch" your
	  version on the fly.  Here is an example:

;... init file commands...

$setxor			[load the setxor library]
XOR File Data Value:0	[load files the old way]
$-			[get rid of this library]
$history		[and load this winning one instead]

;---

	* HC Top Line is no longer a "switch" variable.  It is a
	  numeric one, and can take the following meaningful
	  values:

		0-127: No, don't print the top line.
		128 or greater: Yes, print the top line.
			128:   Page numbers on right side only.
			129:   Page numbers on left side only.
			255:   Even page numbers on left, odd on right.

	* Obscure bug fix to printing:  The first line printed
	  was affected incorrectly by the value in HC Left
	  Margin.  This is no longer the case.

	* Someone said that if you killed the "Main" buffer, and
	  then continued to edit, eventually your AMACS would
	  wedge on you.  If this could happen, it cannot happen
	  now.

	* If you were reading in the contents of a library file,
	  and you were typing at the same time, the library
	  could wedge on you.  This is no longer possible.

	* Glen Bredon now allows the use of Tab characters in
	  source files, in the soon to be released version of
	  Merlin 16.  There will *very* soon be available a
	  conversion program that converts APW Orca/M files to
	  Merlin.

	* Support has been added for libraries to implement
	  their own modes.  This means that DIRED could have
	  its own mode, and run in several buffers permanantly.
	  This has not yet been implemented since you would
	  have to have the library permenantly loaded.

	* Giving C-X C-S (Save File) a numeric argument always
	  makes it save the current buffer.  If the buffer
	  hasn't been modified, the message: "No changes needed
	  to be written." is displayed, but the buffer contents
	  are written anyway.  If you don't give a numeric
	  argument, and the buffer is unmodified, the original
	  message "No changes need to be written." is displayed,
	  and the buffer is not written.  C-X C-W as always can
	  be used to write the buffer to a filename that you
	  specify.

	* Giving a numeric argument to the directory commands:
	  M-X List Directory, C-X C-D (List Files) makes them
	  prompt you for the directory to list.  You may use
	  completion parsing on the directory name.

	* You can unbind a key from any function within an
	  init file.  You do this with the syntax:

	  #Control-D::

	  The secondary colon says to bind Control-D to do
	  nothing, i.e. unbind it from its normal value.

	* Giving a numeric argument to Load Library says to
	  unload libraries first, a negative argument says not
	  to prompt when you do it.


   *********       *********       *********       *********       *********

			If you are using an Apple IIgs:

	* AMACS slows down the cursor by default to match the
	  default blinker speed under a standard //e.  This
	  translates to a value of 180.  This happens before
	  your init file is read, so you can still set the
	  blinker speed to something else in your init file.

	* The arrow keys are read specially, allowing their use
	  on the IIgs.  This means that you can type Control-U
	  and get a numeric argument, and then type Right-Arrow
	  and move right 4 characters.  Up-Arrow doesn't delete
	  lines.

	* Some internal names have changed:

	  Altmode is echoed as Escape.
	  The arrow keys echo as Left-Arrow, Right-Arrow, etc.

	* Network support for the Corvus network (Const II) has
	  been simplified.  There is a different system file.

	  Network support for Apple's new network with file
	  server is almost ready.  Awaiting name info from Apple.

   *********       *********       *********       *********       *********

	    	    Tasty Tidbits From Obscure Users (TTFOU)

	* The above acronym is pronounced titty-foo, and
	  reflects what happens to your screen when you use
	  AMACS.

Gordon Riggs:

	"I placed Load Library on Meta-O (that is the letter
	"O", not a zero) as kind of mnemonic for 'Oad Library.
	I find that I am loading and flushing libraries with
	increasing frequency now, and need to have Load Library
	on a keystroke."

(Gordon is a head programmer at the Bank Street Group (BSG), in
Cambridge, MA.  This group is responsible for the Bank Street
Writer, as well as other software.  The BSG has a site license
for the use of AMACS.)

Darach Foskett:

	"While working on large projects, I need to keep close
	track of the various revisions I make.  I use the
	Insert Date and Time function to do so.  Since I use it
	so often, I placed it on Control-Meta-T."

(Darach is the head programmer at UNICOM's Software Development
Group (SDG) in Providence, RI.  The SDG is responsible for
netWORKS, The Network Manager's Toolkit, and most recently,
//Write, a complete WYSIWYG word processor for the IIgs, and
//e computers.  Darach has been using AMACS for over 2 years.) 

Brian Fox:

	When using AMACS for editing program text, I like to place
	Backward Kill Line on C-X Delete.  Naturally, I do this
	in my init file.  I find that it provides a simple way
	to delete the line of source that I had started to type,
	without changing my mode of thought from "delete back to
	line start" to "move to start of line and then delete".

	I also place List Directory on C-X C-D, instead of the
	default function: List Files.  I like seeing more
	detailed information about the files rather than seeing
	more files.  To each his own; this is why we have init
	files.

(Brian Fox is the author of AMACS.  He is responsible for
Terrapin Logo, version 3.0, is completing a version of Logo for
the IBM, and also a ProDOS version for the Apple //e and IIgs.
He currently works with Richard Stallman at MIT, under the
auspices of the Free Software Foundation.  He is part of a team
hacking GNU (please pronounce the "G") which stands for "GNU's
Not UNIX", a version of UNIX software to be distributed free.