GNU Emacs NEWS -- history of user-visible changes.
-Copyright (C) 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright (C) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
See the end of the file for license conditions.
-Please send Emacs bug reports to emacs-pretest-bug@gnu.org.
+Please send Emacs bug reports to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
If possible, use M-x report-emacs-bug.
This file is about changes in Emacs version 23.
** New configure options for Emacs developers
These are not new features; only the configure flags are new.
-
+---
*** --enable-profiling builds Emacs with profiling enabled.
This might not work on all platforms.
-
+---
*** --enable-checking[=OPTIONS] builds emacs with extra runtime checks.
---
** `make install' now consistently ignores umask, creating a
world-readable install.
-** Emacs compiles with Gconf support by default, if it is detected.
+** Emacs compiles with Gconf support, if it is detected.
Use the configure option --without-gconf to disable this.
* Startup Changes in Emacs 23.2
-
++++
** The command-line option -Q (--quick) also inhibits loading X resources.
However, if Emacs is compiled with the Lucid or Motif toolkit, X
resource settings for the graphical widgets are still applied.
On Windows, the -Q option causes Emacs to ignore Registry settings,
but environment variables set on the Registry are still honored.
-
++++
*** The new variable `inhibit-x-resources' shows whether X resources
were loaded.
* Changes in Emacs 23.2
++++
** The maximum size of buffers (and the largest fixnum) is doubled.
On typical 32bit systems, buffers can now be up to 512MB.
+---
** The default value of `trash-directory' is now nil.
This means that `move-file-to-trash' trashes files according to
freedesktop.org specifications, the same method used by the Gnome,
KDE, and XFCE desktops. (This change has no effect on Windows, which
uses `system-move-file-to-trash' for trashing.)
++++
** The pointer now becomes invisible when typing.
Customize `make-pointer-invisible' to disable this feature.
** Font changes
-
++++
*** Emacs can use the system default monospaced font in Gnome.
To enable this feature, set `font-use-system-font' to non-nil (it is
nil by default). If the system default changes, Emacs changes also.
This feature requires Gconf support, which is automatically included
at compile-time if configure detects the gconf libraries (you can
disable this with the configure option --without-gconf).
-
+---
*** On X11, Emacs reacts to Xft changes made by configuration tools,
via the XSETTINGS mechanism. This includes antialias, hinting,
hintstyle, RGBA, DPI and lcdfilter changes.
++++
** Killing a buffer with a running process now asks for confirmation.
To remove this query, remove `process-kill-buffer-query-function' from
`kill-buffer-query-functions', or set the appropriate process flag
with `set-process-query-on-exit-flag'.
** File-local variable changes
-
++++
*** Specifying a minor mode as a local variables enables that mode,
unconditionally. The previous behavior, toggling the mode, was
neither reliable nor generally desirable.
`copy-file-locals-to-dir-locals'.
** Internationalization changes
-
++++
*** Unibyte sessions are now considered obsolete.
This refers to the EMACS_UNIBYTE environment variable as well as the
--unibyte, --multibyte, --no-multibyte, and --no-unibyte command line
arguments. Customizing enable-multibyte-characters and setting
default-enable-multibyte-characters are also deprecated.
-
+---
*** New coding system `utf-8-hfs'.
This is suitable for default-file-name-coding-system on Mac OS X; see
international/ucs-normalize.el.
+---
** Function arguments in *Help* buffers are now shown in upper-case.
Customize `help-downcase-arguments' to t to show them in lower-case.
becomes the primary selection (for interaction with other window
applications). If you enable this, you might want to bind
`mouse-yank-primary' to Mouse-2.
-
++++
*** When `save-interprogram-paste-before-kill' is non-nil, the kill
commands save the interprogram-paste selection into the kill ring
before doing anything else. This avoids losing the selection.
-
++++
*** When `kill-do-not-save-duplicates' is non-nil, identical
subsequent kills are not duplicated in the `kill-ring'.
** Completion changes
+*** The new command `completion-at-point' provides mode-sensitive completion.
++++
+*** tab-always-indent set to `complete' lets TAB do completion as well.
++++
*** The new completion-style `initials' is available.
For instance, this can complete M-x lch to list-command-history.
-
+---
*** The new variable `completions-format' determines how completions
are displayed in the *Completions* buffer. If you set it to
`vertical', completions are sorted vertically in columns.
+++
** The default value of `blink-matching-paren-distance' is increased.
+---
** M-n provides more default values in the minibuffer for commands
that read file names. These include the file name at point (when ffap
is loaded without ffap-bindings), the file name on the current line
(for Dired commands that operate on several directories, such as copy,
rename, or diff).
++++
** M-r is bound to the new `move-to-window-line-top-bottom'.
This moves point to the window center, top and bottom on successive
invocations, in the same spirit as the C-l (recenter-top-bottom)
command.
++++
** The new variable `recenter-positions' determines the default
cycling order of C-l (`recenter-top-bottom').
++++
+** The abbrevs file is now a file named abbrev_defs in
+user-emacs-directory; but the old location, ~/.abbrev_defs, is used if
+that file exists.
\f
* Changes in Specialized Modes and Packages in Emacs 23.2
** The bookmark menu has a narrowing search via bookmark-bmenu-search.
-** LaTeX mode now provides completion via latex-complete and
-latex-indent-or-complete.
+** LaTeX mode now provides completion (via completion-at-point).
+
+---
+** sym-comp.el is now declared obsolete, superceded by completion-at-point.
** lucid.el and levents.el are now declared obsolete.
** pcomplete provides a new command `pcomplete-std-completion' which
is similar to `pcomplete' but using the standard completion UI code.
-** .calc.el and .abbrev_defs obey user-emacs-directory.
-
-** Calc graphing commands (`g f' etc.) now work on MS-Windows,
-if you have the native Windows port of Gnuplot version 3.8 or later
-installed.
+** Calc
++++
+*** The Calc settings file is now a file named calc.el in
+user-emacs-directory; but the old location, ~/.calc.el, is used if
+that file exists.
+---
+*** Graphing commands (`g f' etc.) now work on MS-Windows, if you have
+the native Windows port of Gnuplot version 3.8 or later installed.
** Calendar and diary
-
+++
*** Fancy diary display is now the default.
If you prefer the simple display, customize `diary-display-function'.
-
+++
*** The diary's fancy display now enables view-mode.
-
---
*** The command `calendar-current-date' accepts an optional argument
giving an offset from today.
`desktop-files-not-to-save' instead.
** Dired
-
-*** The new variable `dired-auto-revert-buffer' allows to revert
-dired buffers automatically on revisiting.
++++
+*** The new variable `dired-auto-revert-buffer', if non-nil, causes
+Dired buffers to be reverted automatically on revisiting them.
** DocView
-
++++
*** When `doc-view-continuous' is non-nil, scrolling a line
on the page edge advances to the next/previous page.
-** FIXME mail-user-agent change
-This probably affects a lot of documentation.
+** GDB-UI
-** FIXME gdb-mi
+*** Toolbar functionality for reverse debugging. Display of STL
+collections as watch expressions. These features require GDB 7.0
+or later.
** Grep
-
-A new command `zrgrep' searches recursively in gzipped files.
++++
+*** A new command `zrgrep' searches recursively in gzipped files.
** Info
manual that generates an Info file which gives the same information
through a menu structure.
-** nXML mode is now the default for editing XML files.
+** Message mode is now the default mode for composing mail.
+
+The default for `mail-user-agent' is now message-user-agent, so the
+C-x m (`compose-mail') command uses Message mode instead of Mail mode.
+
+Message mode has been included in Emacs, as part of the Gnus package,
+for several years. It provides several features that are absent in
+Mail mode, such as MIME handling.
+
+*** If the user has not customized mail-user-agent, `compose-mail'
+checks for Mail mode customizations, and issues a warning if these
+customizations are found. This alerts users who may otherwise be
+unaware that their mail configuration has changed.
+
+To disable this check, set compose-mail-user-agent-warnings to nil.
-** Shell
+** The default value of mail-interactive is t, since Emacs 23.1.
+(This was not announced at the time.) It means that when sending mail,
+Emacs will wait for the process sending mail to return. If you
+experience delays when sending mail, you may wish to set this to nil.
-*** ansi-color is now enabled by default.
++++
+** nXML mode is now the default for editing XML files.
+
+** Shell (and other comint modes)
++++
+*** M-s is no longer bound to `comint-next-matching-input'.
++++
+*** M-r is now bound to `comint-history-isearch-backward-regexp'.
+This starts an incremental search of the comint/shell input history.
++++
+*** ansi-color is now enabled by default in Shell mode.
To disable it, set ansi-color-for-comint-mode to nil.
+++
connection methods "dav", "davs", "obex" and "synce".
** VC and related modes
-
++++
*** When using C-x v v or C-x v i on a unregistered file that is in a
directory not controlled by any VCS, ask the user what VC backend to
use to create a repository, create a new repository and register the
file.
++++
+*** New command `vc-root-print-log', bound to `C-x v L'.
+This displays a `*vc-change-log*' buffer showing the history of the
+version-controlled directory tree as a whole.
-*** FIXME: add info about the new VC functions: vc-root-diff and
-vc-root-print-log once they stabilize.
-
-*** The log functions (C-x v l and C-x v L) do not show the full log
-by default anymore. The number of entries shown can be chosen
-interactively with a prefix argument, by customizing
-vc-log-show-limit. The log buffer display buttons that can be used
-to change the number of entries shown.
-RCS, SCCS, CVS do not support this feature.
+*** FIXME: vc-root-diff.
++++
+*** `C-x v l' and `C-x v L' do not show the full log by default.
+The number of entries shown can be chosen interactively with a prefix
+argument, or by customizing vc-log-show-limit. The `*vc-change-log*'
+buffer now contains buttons at the end of the buffer, which can be
+used to increase the number of entries shown. RCS, SCCS, and CVS do
+not support this feature.
*** vc-annotate supports annotations through file copies and renames,
it displays the old names for the files and it can show logs/diffs for
the corresponding lines. Currently only Git and Mercurial take
advantage of this feature.
+*** The log command in vc-annotate can display a single log entry
+instead of redisplaying the full log. The RCS, CVS and SCCS VC
+backends do not support this.
+
*** When a file is not found, VC will not try to check it out of RCS anymore.
-*** Diff and log operations can be used from dired buffers.
+*** Diff and log operations can be used from Dired buffers.
*** vc-git changes
**** The short log format for git makes use of the graph display, so
it's not supported on git versions earlier than 1.5.
-**** The new variable vc-git-add-signoff can be used to add a
-Signed-off-by line when committing.
-
**** Support for operating with stashes has been added to vc-dir: the stash list is
displayed in the *vc-dir* header, stashes can be created, removed, applied and
their content displayed.
**** vc-dir displays the stash status
+**** vc-dir requires at least git-1.5.5.
+
*** vc-bzr supports operating with shelves: the shelve list is
displayed in the *vc-dir* header, shelves can be created, removed and applied.
are stripped when copying text from the ChangeLog to the *VC-Log* buffer.
** Elint
-
---
*** Elint now uses compilation-mode.
-
---
*** Elint can now scan individual files and whole directories,
and can be run in batch mode.
-
---
*** Elint does a more thorough initialization, and recognizes more built-in
functions and variables. Customize `elint-scan-preloaded' if you want
to sacrifice some accuracy for a faster startup.
-
---
*** Elint attempts some basic understanding of featurep and (f)boundp tests.
-
---
*** Customize `elint-ignored-warnings' to suppress some warnings.
** Miscellaneous
-
++++
*** The new command `async-shell-command' bound globally to `M-&' executes
the command asynchronously without the need to manually add ampersand to
the end of the command. Its output appears in the buffer `*Async Shell
Command*'.
-
-*** Isearch searches in the comint/shell input history when the new variable
-`comint-history-isearch' is non-nil. New commands `comint-history-isearch-backward'
-and `comint-history-isearch-backward-regexp' (bound to M-r) start Isearch
-in the input history regardless of the value of `comint-history-isearch'.
-
++++
*** Interactively `multi-isearch-buffers' and `multi-isearch-buffers-regexp'
read buffer names to search, one by one, ended with RET. With a prefix
argument, they ask for a regexp, and search in buffers whose names match
`multi-isearch-files-regexp' read file names to search, one by one,
ended with RET. With a prefix argument, they ask for a wildcard, and
search in file buffers whose file names match the specified wildcard.
-
+++
*** Autorevert Tail mode now works also for remote files.
-
-*** The new commands `eshell/su' and `eshell/sudo' support Tramp.
++++
+*** The new built-in commands `su' and `sudo' support Tramp.
That means, they change `default-directory' to the new users value,
and let commands run under that user permissions. It works even when
-`default-directory' is already remote.
+`default-directory' is already remote. Calling the external commands
+is possible by `*su' or `*sudo', repectively.
+---
+*** When running in a new enough xterm (newer than version 242), Emacs
+asks xterm what the background color is and it sets up faces
+accordingly for a dark background if needed (the current default is to
+consider the background light).
\f
* New Modes and Packages in Emacs 23.2
+** CEDET (the Collection of Emacs Development Tools) is now in Emacs.
+This is a collection of packages to aid with using Emacs as an IDE
+(integrated development environment):
+
+*** The Semantic package allows the use of parsers to intelligently
+edit and navigate source code. Parsers for C/C++, Java, Javascript,
+and several other languages are included by default, and Semantic can
+also interface with external tools such as GNU Global and GNU Idutils.
+
+To enable Semantic, use the global minor mode `semantic-mode'.
+See the Semantic manual for details.
+
+*** EDE (Emacs Development Environment) is a package for managing code
+projects, including features such as automatic Makefile generation.
+
+To enable EDE, use the minor mode `global-ede-mode'.
+See the EDE manual for details.
+
+*** SRecode is a library for recoding Semantic tags back into source
+code. It is currently used by some parts of Semantic and EDE; in the
+future, it may be used for code generation features.
+
+*** The EIEIO library implements a subset of the Common Lisp Object
+System (CLOS). It is used by the other CEDET packages.
+
** mpc.el is a front end for the Music Player Daemon. Run it with M-x mpc.
** htmlfontify.el turns a fontified Emacs buffer into an HTML page.
-** FIXME CEDET
-
++++
** js.el is a new major mode for JavaScript files.
** imap-hash.el is a new library to address IMAP mailboxes as hashtables.
\f
* Incompatible Lisp Changes in Emacs 23.2
++++
+** The Lisp reader turns integers that are too large/small into floats.
+For instance, on machines where `536870911' is the largest integer,
+reading `536870912' gives the floating-point object `536870912.0'.
+
+This change only concerns the Lisp reader; it does not affect how
+actual integer objects overflow.
+
+---
** Several obsolete functions removed.
The functions have been obsolete since Emacs 19, and are unlikely to
be in use:
\f
* Lisp changes in Emacs 23.2
-** make-network-socket can now also create `seqpacket' Unix sockets.
-
-** New function `completion-in-region' to use the standard completion
-facilities on a particular region of text.
-
-** The 4th arg to all-completions (aka hide-spaces) is declared obsolete.
+** All the default-FOO variables that hold the default value of the FOO
+variable, are now declared obsolete.
-** read-file-name-predicate is obsolete. It was used to pass the predicate
-to read-file-name-internal because read-file-name-internal abused its `pred'
-argument to pass the current directory, but this hack is not needed
-any more.
+** read-key is a function halfway between read-event and read-key-sequence.
+It reads a single key, but obeys input and escape sequence decoding.
** Frame parameter changes
-
++++
*** You can give the `fullscreen' frame parameter the value `maximized'.
This maximizes the frame.
-
+++
*** The new frame parameter `sticky' makes Emacs frames sticky in
virtual desktops.
-** completion-base-size is obsoleted by completion-base-position.
+** Completion changes
+
+*** completion-base-size is obsoleted by completion-base-position.
This change causes a few backward incompatibilities, mostly with
choose-completion-string-functions where the `mini-p' argument has
been replaced by a `base-position' argument, and where the `base-size'
argument is now always nil.
+*** New function `completion-in-region' to use the standard completion
+facilities on a particular region of text.
++++
+*** The 4th arg to all-completions (aka hide-spaces) is declared obsolete.
+
+*** completion-annotate-function specifies how to compute annotations
+for completions displayed in *Completions*.
+
+** Minibuffer changes
+---
+*** read-file-name-predicate is obsolete. It was used to pass the predicate
+to read-file-name-internal because read-file-name-internal abused its `pred'
+argument to pass the current directory, but this hack is not needed
+any more.
+
+** Changes to file-manipulation functions
++++
+*** `delete-directory' has an optional parameter RECURSIVE.
++++
+*** New function `copy-directory', which copies a directory recursively.
+
** called-interactively-p now takes one argument and replaces interactive-p
which is now marked obsolete.
+
** New function set-advertised-calling-convention makes it possible
to obsolete arguments as well as make some arguments mandatory.
-** eval-next-after-load is obsolete.
-** New hook `after-load-functions' run after loading an Elisp file.
** You can control which binding is preferentially shown in menus and
docstrings by adding a `:advertised-binding' property to the corresponding
command's symbol. That property can hold a single binding or a list
of bindings.
-** New macro with-silent-modifications to tweak text properties without
-affecting the buffer's modification state.
-** All the default-FOO variables that hold the default value of the FOO
-variable, are now declared obsolete.
+** Network and process changes
++++
+*** start-process-shell-command and start-file-process-shell-command
+now only take a single `command' argument.
++++
+*** The new variable `process-file-side-effects' should be set to nil
+if a `process-file' call does not change a remote file. This allows
+file name handlers such as Tramp to optimizations.
++++
+*** make-network-process can now also create `seqpacket' Unix sockets.
-** read-key is a function halfway between read-event and read-key-sequence.
-It reads a single key, but obeys input and escape sequence decoding.
+** Loading changes
-** start-process-shell-command and start-file-process-shell-command
-now only take a single `command' argument.
+*** eval-next-after-load is obsolete.
+
+*** New hook `after-load-functions' run after loading an Elisp file.
-** The variable `process-file-side-effects' shall be bound to nil, if
-a `process-file' call does not change a remote file. By this, file
-name handlers like Tramp can apply optimizations.
+** Byte compilation changes
+---
+*** Changing the file-names generated by byte-compilation by redefining
+the function `byte-compile-dest-file' before loading bytecomp.el is obsolete.
+Instead, customize byte-compile-dest-file-function.
+---
+*** `byte-compile-warnings' has new members, `constants' and `suspicious'.
+
+** New macro with-silent-modifications to tweak text properties without
+affecting the buffer's modification state.
++++
** Hash tables have a new printed representation that is readable.
The feature `hashtable-print-readable' identifies this new
functionality.
-** Functions performing Unicode normalization are added. They are:
+** New functions for performing Unicode normalization:
ucs-normalize-NFD-region, ucs-normalize-NFD-string,
ucs-normalize-NFC-region, ucs-normalize-NFC-string,
ucs-normalize-NFKD-region, ucs-normalize-NFKD-string,
ucs-normalize-HFS-NFD-region, ucs-normalize-HFS-NFD-string,
ucs-normalize-HFS-NFC-region, ucs-normalize-HFS-NFC-string.
-** completion-annotate-function specifies how to compute annotations
-for completions displayed in *Completions*.
-
+++
** Face aliases can now be marked as obsolete, using the macro
`define-obsolete-face-alias'.
----
-** Changing the file-names generated by byte-compilation by redefining
-the function `byte-compile-dest-file' before loading bytecomp.el is obsolete.
-Instead, customize byte-compile-dest-file-function.
-
----
-** `byte-compile-warnings' has new members, `constants' and `suspicious'.
-
-** `delete-directory' has an optional parameter RECURSIVE.
-
-** New function `copy-directory', which copies a directory recursively.
-
+++
** New function `window-full-height-p', analogous to the full-width version.
*** Emacs now supports multi-page TIFF images.
-** New NeXTSTEP-based port
+** New NeXTSTEP-based port.
This provides support for GNUstep (via the GNUstep libraries) and Mac
OS X (via the Cocoa libraries).
*** Old GNU/Linux systems based on libc version 5.
*** Old FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD systems based on the COFF
- executable format.
+executable format.
*** Solaris versions 2.6 and below.
** Abbrev has been rewritten in Elisp and extended with more flexibility.
*** New functions: abbrev-get, abbrev-put, abbrev-table-get, abbrev-table-put,
- abbrev-table-p, abbrev-insert, abbrev-table-menu.
+abbrev-table-p, abbrev-insert, abbrev-table-menu.
*** Special hook `abbrev-expand-functions' obsoletes `pre-abbrev-expand-hook'.
*** `make-abbrev-table', `define-abbrev', `define-abbrev-table' all take
- extra arguments for arbitrary properties.
+extra arguments for arbitrary properties.
*** New variable `abbrev-minor-mode-table-alist'.
*** `local-abbrev-table' can hold a list of abbrev-tables.
*** Abbrevs have now the following special properties:
- `:count', `:system', `:enable-function', `:case-fixed'.
+`:count', `:system', `:enable-function', `:case-fixed'.
*** Abbrev-tables have now the following special properties:
- `:parents', `:case-fixed', `:enable-function', `:regexp',
- `abbrev-table-modiff'.
+`:parents', `:case-fixed', `:enable-function', `:regexp',
+`abbrev-table-modiff'.
** Apropos
**** `coding-system-from-name' returns a coding system matching with
the argument name.
-
** There is a new input method, Robin, different from Quail.
It has three functionalities:
i) a simple input method (converts an ASCII sequence into a string).
HCoop / bpt / emacs.git / blobdiff