From e03f51331ba0c53d040404f9ac7a06dd6cc643e9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: ram <ram> Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1991 17:38:26 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Added new alpha release notes. --- general-info/alpha-notes-thru-92.txt | 217 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 217 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-info/alpha-notes-thru-92.txt b/general-info/alpha-notes-thru-92.txt index 3476a72b2..7ab1b61e3 100644 --- a/general-info/alpha-notes-thru-92.txt +++ b/general-info/alpha-notes-thru-92.txt @@ -1,3 +1,220 @@ +10/14/91 to 11/19/91 + +CLX: updated to CLX R5. Please report any new X lossage. X applications +should probably be recompiled. + +PCL: merged with the lastest PCL version. PCL/CLOS applications must be +recompiled. + +Note: although some problems with the existing Alien code have been fixed, +many problems remain. In particular, interpreted Alien code doesn't work. +We are currently implementing a new Alien interface with much greater +functionality (as well as fewer bugs.) + +Cleanups: + -- The types BASE-CHARACTER and EXTENDED-CHARACTER have been renamed to + BASE-CHAR and EXTENDED-CHAR as per the CHARACTER-VS-CHAR cleanup. + -- Added syntax checking on the DEFSTRUCT :CONC-NAME option, and also, allow + it to be a string as well as a symbol. + +Enhancements: + -- Modified DESCRIBE-FUNCTION-COMPILED to better output function documentation + relative to displaying arguments. The format now is as follows: + + Function: + <printed representation of function object> + Function Arguments: + <printed representation of function object> + Function Documentation: + ... + -- Added EXT:*TOP-LEVEL-AUTO-DECLARE*. This variable allows control over how + the interpreter treats SETQ's of undeclared variables. + -- Modified EXT:COMPLETE-FILE to correctly complete files relative to the + defaults. This fixes a long standing Hemlock problem: you could find files + relative to the defaults with subdirectory specs, but you could not + complete them. + -- Added definition of SYSTEM:FOREIGN-SYMBOL-ADDRESS, which returns the SAP + corresponding to a loaded foreign symbol. + -- NTH-VALUE now no longer cones for it now doesn't cons for non-constant N + less than 3. + -- Added :UNIX to the features list. + +Bug fixes: + -- Changed inspector font specs to use point size instead of pixel size so + that they will work on 100dpi devices. + -- FDEFINITION should now signal undefined function errors when appropriate, + instead of returning a trap object. + -- EXPT now handles the SINGLE-FLOAT x SINGLE-FLOAT arg type combination. + -- TRUNCATE now handles the single-float/double-float case. + -- Bignum printing now works with base 36. + -- Fixed DIRECTORY to no longer signal errors. It's job is to return a list + of files matching its argument, and it should return nil when the spec is + inaccurate. + +Debug Internals interface: + Changed name of DI:DO-BLOCKS to DI:DO-DEBUG-FUNCTION-BLOCKS. + + Wrote DI:FUNCTION-END-COOKIE-VALID-P which takes a frame and a + function-end-cookie. It returns whether the cookie is still valid. This + provides a way for function-end breakpoint users to detect that the + function end breakpoint was never run due to a THROW (or other non-local + exit.) + + Wrote DEBUG-FUNCTION-START-LOCATION which takes a debug-function; it + returns a code-location before the body of a function and after all the + arguments are in place. If this cannot determine that location due to a + lack of debug information, it returns nil. + +Fdefinition.lisp is all new, and it contains the following interface routines: + EXT:ENCAPSULATED-DEFINITION + Returns whatever definition is stored for name, regardless of whether it + is encapsulated. This is SETF'able. + EXT:ENCAPSULATE + Replaces the definition of name with a function that binds name's + arguments a variable named argument-list, binds name's definition to a + variable named basic-definition, and EVAL's body in that context. Type + is whatever you would like to associate with this encapsulation for + identification in case you need multiple encapsuations of the same name. + EXT:UNENCAPSULATE + Removes name's most recent encapsulation of the specified type. + EXT:ENCAPSULATED-P + Returns t if name has an encapsulation of the given type, otherwise nil. + +The old encapsulation-based tracer has been replaced with a new one based on +breakpoints. The new traced is exported from DEBUG, using the same name and +interface as the old one. The old tracer is still exported from EXTENSIONS as: + ext:*old-trace-print-level* + ext:*old-trace-print-length* + ext:*old-traced-function-list* + ext:*max-old-trace-indentation* + EXT:OLD-TRACE + EXT:OLD-UNTRACE + +Miles's retargetable disassebler should now be available on the SPARC. + + +Compiler: + +The compiler now recognizes function calls that never return, and takes this +into consideration when determining the possible control flows. A function can +be declared not to return by declaring its result type to be NIL (not to be +confused with NULL). If a function declared NIL does return, and error will be +signalled. + +Optimizations: + -- Fixed some problems where the compiler would unnecessarily number-cons + because it wasn't taking into consideration the advantages of keeping a + descriptor representation. + -- The CLOS FUNCALLABLE-INSTANCE-P is now a primitive predicate. + -- Loop rotation is now done, eliminating the unconditional branch at the + bottom of while loops. + -- Control flow determination now recognizes code that doesn't return (error + traps, throws, etc.) so as to minimize unconditional branches in code + containing error checks. + -- Added derive-type methods for ASIN, ACOS, ACOSH, ATANH and SQRT which figure + out whether the result type is real on the basis of the argument range. + Added inference methods on irrational functions whose result is real + when the args are. + -- Many previously defined optimizations are now being triggered more + consistently when they are applicable. + -- Improved inline expansion of the set functions by causing implicit MEMBER + calls to be inlined as well. + +Enhancements/big fixes: + -- Suppress argument assignment warning if the function type doesn't give us + any new information. + -- The compiler now recognizes that the second value of INTERN can be NIL. + -- Lambdas with &key but no specified keywords are now correctly parsed. + -- Fixed a block compilation / FTYPE declaration interaction. + -- Fixed TAGBODY not to consider NIL to be a tag. + -- PCL defmethods now have qualifiers and specializers in their names. + -- Fixed a number of problems with dead code deletion, now that more dead code + is being detected. + -- FTYPE proclamations on structure accessors are now quietly ignored, instead + of causing the structure to be undefined. + -- Added a RANDOM derive-type method. + -- Added multiplier recoding for ub-32 * ub-32 => ub-32. + +SPARC: + -- Fixed decode-float for long-floats (fixing long float printing, etc.) + -- CHECK-STRUCTURE now uses a conditional trap, reducing code size. + + +Hemlock: + +Modified CREATE-WINDOW-WITH-PROPERTIES to supply :input :on to allow silly +OpenLook pseudo-X11 Sun servers to do the right thing. + +Added termcap parsing for things like begin/end bold, underline, etc. + +Fixed a redisplay problem that often caused subprocess output to not be +displayed until some input event came along. + +There's a new "Buffer Modified Hook" function that raises the "Echo Area" +window when it becomes modified. You can control this with the Hemlock +variable: "Raise Echo Area When Modified". It isn't good enough to set "Set +Window Autoraise" to :echo-only because output appears in the echo area at +times when the echo area is not set as the current window. The only +malfunction of setting this new variable is sometimes Hemlock clears the echo +area, which modifies it, and then does not output any text; in this situation, +Hemlock would raise the echo area, but it doesn't need to do so. This cannot +be eliminated due to the nature of the "Buffer Modified Hook". + +Fixed the :file branch of "Help on Parse" to trim leading directory +components off the pathname if it wouldn't otherwise fit on the screen. + +Before doing directory translations, try a probe-file of the source file +first. This way, you don't have to have 400 different translations +for ever conceivable source path. + +Fixed "Load File" to correspond with the manual by making it regard "Remote +Compile File". It was always going through RFS when it should do so +conditionally. + +Generalized FLET-style indentation to reference the variable +"Lisp Indentation Local Definers", and also to recognize LABELS (as well as +MACROLET and FLET.) + +Added DEFINDENT's for the "WIRE" package. + +Fixed name of mail drop MH profile component from mail-drop to MailDrop + +"Insert Message Buffers" now handles multiple windows appropriately when +inserting text into a Netnews Post buffer. + +Changed Hemlock window flashing to be less spastic in the presence of net delays. + +Netnews: + +The binding #k"r" has changed to "Netnews Reply to Sender in Other Window" in +"News-Headers" and "News-Message modes. + +The binding #k"R" has changed to "Netnews Reply to Group in Other Window" in +"News-Headers" and "News-Message" modes. + +Changed NN-REPLY-CLEANUP-SPLIT-WINDOWS to delete the message-window instead of +the reply-window. + +Split CONNECT-TO-NNTP into two: RAW-CONNECT-TO-NNTP and CONNECT-TO-NNTP. The +first is the same as the original with the addition of specifying a timeout +value to MAKE-FD-STREAM. The second binds a handler for the IO-TIMEOUT +condition and gives the user an error message. + +Added Hemlock variable "Netnews NNTP Timeout Period" to control how long +Netnews will wait (while connecting to NNTP) before timing out. + +Changed *nntp-server* into Hemlock variable "Netnews NNTP Server". + +Added command "Netnews Reply to Sender in Other Window". + +Added functions NN-SETUP-FOR-REPLY-BY-MAIL and NN-REPLY-TO-SENDER to hold +common code for "Netnews Forward Message", "Netnews Reply to Sender", and +"Netnews Reply to Sender in Other Window". + +Changed default bindings to use "Netnews Reply to Group in Other Window" and +"Netnews Reply to Sender in Other Window" + + 10/8/91 to 10/14/91 This is version 15b (destined for beta release.) -- GitLab