Added plans for #/ depreciation.

[bpt/guile.git] / NEWS

diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
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+++ b/NEWS
@@ -4,8 +4,73 @@ See the end for copying conditions.
 
 Please send Guile bug reports to bug-guile@prep.ai.mit.edu.
 \f
-Changes since Guile 1.1:
+Changes in Guile 1.2:
 
+[[trim out any sections we don't need]]
+
+* Changes to the distribution
+
+* Changes to the procedure for linking libguile with your programs
+
+* Changes to Scheme functions and syntax
+
+** Guile now supports a new R4RS-compliant syntax for keywords.  A
+token of the form #:NAME, where NAME has the same syntax as a Scheme
+symbol, is the external representation of the keyword named NAME.
+Keyword objects print using this syntax as well, so values containing
+keyword objects can be read back into Guile.  When used in an
+expression, keywords are self-quoting objects.
+
+Guile suports this read syntax, and uses this print syntax, regardless
+of the current setting of the `keyword' read option.  The `keyword'
+read option only controls whether Guile recognizes the `:NAME' syntax,
+which is incompatible with R4RS.  (R4RS says such token represent
+symbols.)
+
+** Guile has regular expression support again.  Guile 1.0 included
+functions for matching regular expressions, based on the Rx library.
+In Guile 1.1, the Guile/Rx interface was removed to simplify the
+distribution, and thus Guile had no regular expression support.  Guile
+1.2 now adds back the most commonly used functions, and supports all
+of SCSH's regular expression functions.  They are:
+
+*** [[get docs from Tim?]]
+
+* Changes to the gh_ interface
+
+* Changes to the scm_ interface
+
+* Changes to system call interfaces:
+
+** The value returned by `raise' is now unspecified.  It throws an exception
+if an error occurs.
+
+** A new procedure `sigaction' can be used to install signal handlers
+
+(sigaction signum [action] [flags])
+
+signum is the signal number, which can be specified using the value
+of SIGINT etc.
+
+If action is omitted, sigaction returns a pair: the CAR is the current
+signal hander, which will be either an integer with the value SIG_DFL
+(default action) or SIG_IGN (ignore), or the Scheme procedure which
+handles the signal, or #f if a non-Scheme procedure handles the
+signal.  The CDR contains the current sigaction flags for the handler.
+
+If action is provided, it is installed as the new handler for signum.
+action can be a Scheme procedure taking one argument, or the value of
+SIG_DFL (default action) or SIG_IGN (ignore), or #f to restore
+whatever signal handler was installed before sigaction was first used.
+Flags can optionally be specified for the new handler (SA_RESTART is
+always used if the system provides it, so need not be specified.)  The
+return value is a pair with information about the old handler as
+described above.
+
+This interface does not provide access to the "signal blocking"
+facility.  Maybe this is not needed, since the thread support may
+provide solutions to the problem of consistent access to data
+structures.
 
 \f
 Changes in Guile 1.1 (Fri May 16 1997):