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GNU Guile 1.9.12 released (beta)


From: Ludovic Courtès
Subject: GNU Guile 1.9.12 released (beta)
Date: Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:40:11 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.2 (gnu/linux)

We are pleased to announce GNU Guile release 1.9.12.  This may be the
last pre-release before the 2.0 release.

It provides many new noteworthy features, most notably the addition of a
compiler and virtual machine.  We encourage you to test them and provide
feedback to address@hidden'.

The Guile web page is located at http://gnu.org/software/guile/, and
among other things, it contains a link to the Guile FAQ and pointers to
the mailing lists.

Guile is an implementation of the Scheme programming language, with
support for many SRFIs, packaged for use in a wide variety of
environments.  In addition to implementing the R5RS Scheme standard and
a large subset of R6RS, Guile includes a module system, full access to
POSIX system calls, networking support, multiple threads, dynamic
linking, a foreign function call interface, and powerful string
processing.

Guile can run interactively, as a script interpreter, and as a Scheme
compiler to VM bytecode.  It is also packaged as a library so that
applications can easily incorporate a complete Scheme interpreter/VM.
An application can use Guile as an extension language, a clean and
powerful configuration language, or as multi-purpose "glue" to connect
primitives provided by the application.  It is easy to call Scheme code
From C code and vice versa.  Applications can add new functions, data
types, control structures, and even syntax to Guile, to create a
domain-specific language tailored to the task at hand.


Here are the compressed sources:
  ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/guile/guile-1.9.12.tar.gz   (5.1MB)

Here are the GPG detached signatures[*]:
  ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/guile/guile-1.9.12.tar.gz.sig

To reduce load on the main server, use a mirror listed at:
  http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html

Here are the MD5 and SHA1 checksums:

cc54120234fb356e39e4b8cecf8859fe  guile-1.9.12.tar.gz
c6efaca5d9e52925200b7458164cb2812b4d88df  guile-1.9.12.tar.gz

[*] You can use either of the above signature files to verify that
the corresponding file (without the .sig suffix) is intact.  First,
be sure to download both the .sig file and the corresponding tarball.
Then, run a command like this:

  gpg --verify guile-1.9.12.tar.gz.sig

If that command fails because you don't have the required public key,
then run this command to import it:

  gpg --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys EA52ECF4

and rerun the `gpg --verify' command.

This release was bootstrapped with the following tools:
  Autoconf 2.65
  Automake 1.11.1
  Libtool 2.2.6b
  Gnulib v0.0-4207-gc82b481


This is a new release series with many new features and differences
compared to 1.8.  The complete list of changes compared to the 1.8.x
series is available in the `NEWS' file.

Changes since the 1.9.11 pre-release:

  ** Many R6RS bugfixes

  `(rnrs bytevectors)' and `(rnrs io ports)' now have version information,
  like the rest of the modules. The `(rnrs unicode)' module is now
  re-exported by `(rnrs)'. Top-level `import' forms may have more than one
  clause. Warnings about duplicate bindings have been fixed, along with
  some typos in the modules. There were a number of other bugfixes as well.

  For the current list of known R6RS incompatibilities, see "R6RS
  Incompatibilities" in the manual.

  ** Documentation for standard R6RS libraries

  See "R6RS Standard Libraries" in the manual, for more details.

  ** Support for `letrec*'

  Guile now supports `letrec*', a recursive lexical binding operator in
  which the identifiers are bound in order. See "Local Bindings" in the
  manual, for more details.

  ** Internal definitions now expand to `letrec*'

  Following the R6RS, internal definitions now expand to letrec* instead
  of letrec. The following program is invalid for R5RS, but valid for
  R6RS:

      (define (foo)
        (define bar 10)
        (define baz (+ bar 20))
        baz)

      ;; R5RS and Guile <= 1.8:
      (foo) => Unbound variable: bar
      ;; R6RS and Guile >= 2.0:
      (foo) => 30

  This change should not affect correct R5RS programs, or programs written
  in earlier Guile dialects.

  ** Recursive debugging REPL on error

  When Guile sees an error, instead of dropping into a special debugging
  prompt, it will enter a recursive REPL in the dynamic context of the
  error. See "Error Handling" in the manual, for more information.

  A recursive REPL is the same as any other REPL, except that it
  has been augmented with debugging information, so that one can inspect
  the context of the error. The debugger has been integrated with the REPL
  via a set of debugging meta-commands.

  For example, one may access a backtrace with `,backtrace' (or
  `,bt'). See "Interactive Debugging" in the manual, for more
  information.

  ** New `error-message' meta-command at the REPL

  The new `error-message' meta-command displays the message associated
  with the error that started the current debugging REPL.  See "Debug
  Commands" in the manual.

  ** Readline tab completion for arguments

  When readline is enabled, tab completion works for arguments too, not
  just for the operator position.

  ** Various REPL robustness fixes

  The REPL no longer enters the debugger when an error occurs at read-time
  and compile-time, or when executing meta-commands. Additionally, the
  REPL is more strict about the ports that it uses, saving the current
  input and output ports at startup and using those ports when entering
  recursive prompts. This allows debugging of an error within
  e.g. `call-with-input-port'.

  Finally, Ctrl-d can now be used to exit a recursive REPL, dropping the
  user back to the parent REPL.

  ** Better procedure name and source location propagation

  There was a bug in 1.9.11 which would leave most procedures un-named;
  this and other previous deficiencies have been fixed.

  ** New macro: `current-source-location'

  The macro returns the current source location (to be documented).

  ** `module-filename' field and accessor

  Modules now record the file in which they are defined. This field may be
  accessed with the new `module-filename' procedure.

  ** Deprecate the old `scm-style-repl'

  The following bindings from boot-9 are now found in `(ice-9
  scm-style-repl)': `scm-style-repl', `error-catching-loop',
  `error-catching-repl', `bad-throw', `scm-repl-silent'
  `assert-repl-silence', `repl-print-unspecified',
  `assert-repl-print-unspecified', `scm-repl-verbose',
  `assert-repl-verbosity', `scm-repl-prompt', `set-repl-prompt!', `repl',
  `default-pre-unwind-handler', `handle-system-error',

  The following bindings have been deprecated, with no replacement:
  `pre-unwind-handler-dispatch'.

  The following bindings have been totally removed:
  `before-signal-stack'.

  Deprecated forwarding shims have been installed so that users that
  expect these bindings in the main namespace will still work, but receive
  a deprecation warning.

  ** Passing a number as the destination of `format' is deprecated

  The `format' procedure in `(ice-9 format)' now emits a deprecation
  warning if a number is passed as its first argument.

  ** Miscellaneous other deprecations

  `apply-to-args', `has-suffix?', `scheme-file-suffix'
  `get-option', `for-next-option', `display-usage-report',
  `transform-usage-lambda', `collect', `set-batch-mode?!'

  ** All core defmacros reimplemented hygienically

  All macros present in the default environment are now implemented with
  syntax-case. This should not have practical ramifications, beyond those
  listed below in "Lexical bindings introduced by hygienic macros may not
  be referenced by nonhygienic macros".

  ** Random generator state may be serialized to a datum

  `random-state->datum' will serialize a random state to a datum, which
  may be written out, read back in later, and revivified using
  `datum->random-state'.  See "Random" in the manual, for more details.

  ** New primitive: `tmpfile'.

  See "File System" in the manual.

  ** Modules load within a known environment

  It takes a few procedure calls to define a module, and those procedure
  calls need to be in scope. Now we ensure that the current module when
  loading a module is one that has the needed bindings, instead of relying
  on chance.

  ** Remove encoding of versions into the file system

  It used to be that, when loading a module, if the user specified a
  version, Guile would grovel about in the file system to find the
  module. This process was slow and not robust. This support has been
  removed:  modules are once more always loaded via `primitive-load-path'.

  Module versions in the file system may be added again in the future, in
  an extensible way. Contact address@hidden with patches.

  ** Alex Shinn's pattern matcher for (ice-9 match).

  Guile's copy of Andrew K. Wright's `match' library has been replaced by
  a compatible hygienic implementation by Alex Shinn.  It is now
  documented, see "Pattern Matching" in the manual.

  Compared to Andrew K. Wright's `match', the new `match' lacks
  `match-define', `match:error-control', `match:set-error-control',
  `match:error', `match:set-error', and all structure-related procedures.

  ** Better debugging for psyntax

  We now build psyntax-pp.go directly from psyntax.scm, which allows us to
  preserve the original source locations and variable names. Git users
  will also be pleased to note that psyntax-pp.scm is no longer
  automatically regenerated from a normal `make' invocation.

  ** AM_SILENT_RULES

  Guile's build is visually quieter, due to the use of Automake 1.11's
  AM_SILENT_RULES. Build as `make V=1' to see all of the output.

  ** Better REPL options interface

  The set of REPL options is now fixed and typechecked -- you can't
  mistakenly set an option that doesn't exist, or set an value with an
  incorrect type. The following options have been added: `prompt',
  `compile-options', and `value-history'.

  The new `repl-default-option-set!' procedure from `(system repl common)'
  can set default options for future REPLs. `repl-default-prompt-set!' is
  a convenience procedure to set default prompts.

  ** `*unspecified*' is identifier syntax

  `*unspecified*' is no longer a variable, so it is optimized properly by
  the compiler, and is not `set!'-able.

  ** `set-batch-mode?!' replaced by `ensure-batch-mode!'

  "Batch mode" is a flag used to tell a program that it is not running
  interactively. One usually turns it on after a fork. It may not be
  turned off. `ensure-batch-mode!' deprecates the old `set-batch-mode?!',
  because it is a better interface, as it can only turn on batch mode, not
  turn it off.

  ** Support for settable identifier syntax

  Following the R6RS, "variable transformers" are settable
  identifier-syntax. See "Identifier macros" in the manual, for more
  information.

  ** Deprecate `save-stack', `the-last-stack'

  It used to be that the way to debug programs in Guile was to capture the
  stack at the time of error, drop back to the REPL, then debug that
  stack. But this approach didn't compose, was tricky to get right in the
  presence of threads, and was not very powerful.

  So `save-stack', `stack-saved?', and `the-last-stack' have been moved to
  `(ice-9 save-stack)', with deprecated bindings left in the root module.

  ** Compilation warnings at the REPL

  By default, Guile now prints compile-time warnings for code entered at
  the REPL. Current warnings are for unbound variables and mismatched
  arities.

  ** syntax-case treats `_' as a placeholder

  Following R6RS, a `_' in a syntax-rules or syntax-case pattern matches
  anything, and binds no pattern variables. Unlike the R6RS, Guile also
  permits `_' to be in the literals list for a pattern.

  ** Remove old Emacs interface

  Guile had an unused `--emacs' command line argument that was supposed to
  help when running Guile inside Emacs. This option has been removed, and
  the helper functions `named-module-use!' and `load-emacs-interface' have
  been deprecated.

  ** `top-repl' has its own module

  The `top-repl' binding, called with Guile is run interactively, is now
  is its own module, `(ice-9 top-repl)'. A deprecated forwarding shim was
  left in the default environment.

  ** Value history in the REPL on by default

  By default, the REPL will save computed values in variables like `$1',
  `$2', and the like. There are programmatic and interactive interfaces to
  control this. See "Value History" in the manual, for more information.

  ** New threads are in `(guile-user)' by default, not `(guile)'

  It used to be that a new thread entering Guile would do so in the
  `(guile)' module, unless this was the first time Guile was initialized,
  in which case it was `(guile-user)'. This has been fixed to have all
  new threads unknown to Guile default to `(guile-user)'.

  ** Backtrace improvements

  It used to be that backtraces showed a couple of extra frames, from the
  implementation of prompts. This has been fixed. Also, backtraces now
  print column numbers in addition to line numbers, if possible.

  ** `display-error' takes a frame

  The `display-error' / `scm_display_error' helper now takes a frame as an
  argument instead of a stack. Stacks are still supported in deprecated
  builds. Additionally, `display-error' will again source location
  information for the error.

  ** Better error reporting from the VM

  If a value of the wrong type is passed to `car', `cdr', `set-car!',
  `set-cdr!', `apply', a struct accessor, or a bytevector accessors, the
  error from the VM now indicates which procedure failed, instead of
  lumping them all into the non-helpful "VM error". In addition, unbound
  variable reporting is now more helpful.

  ** No more `(ice-9 debug)'

  This module had some debugging helpers that are no longer applicable to
  the current debugging model. Importing this module will produce a
  deprecation warning. Users should contact bug-guile for support.

  ** No more `(system vm debug)'

  This module is replaced by the recursive debugging REPL.

  ** File ports handle binary mode and coding declarations

  Binary file ports are supported again, by opening files in the
  ISO-8859-1 encoding. If an encoding is not specified for textual ports,
  Guile now grovels the file for a "coding:" directive, and uses that if
  possible. See the documentation for `open-file', for more information.

  ** R6RS character hex escapes on by default

  However, R6RS character escapes within strings are incompatible with
  older Guile escape sequences, so they still need the reader option
  turned on. See "Reader Options" in the manual, for more information.

  ** Fix random number generator on 64-bit platforms

  There was a nasty bug on 64-bit platforms in which asking for a random
  integer with a range between 2**32 and 2**64 caused a segfault. After
  many embarrassing iterations, this was fixed.

  ** Add `vhash-fold*' in `(ice-9 vlist)'

  See "VLists" in the manual, for more information.

  ** Timestamps on autocompiled files checked for freshness, not equality

  It used to be that to load a `.go' file instead of a `.scm' file, we
  required that the timestamp of the `.go' file be equal to that of the
  `.scm'. This has been relaxed to accept newer `.go' files, to integrate
  better with `make' tools.

  ** Use of nanosecond-resolution timestamps

  The auto-compilation logic now compares the source and compiled file
  timestamps using nano-second resolution, when available.

  ** Simplifications and callback support added to the `(system foreign)'.

  Guile's foreign function interface was simplified a great
  deal. Interested users should see "Foreign Function Interface" in the
  manual, for full details.

  In addition, the new procedure `procedure->pointer' makes it possible to
  use Scheme procedures as "callbacks" to C functions.

  ** User Scheme code may be placed in a version-specific path

  Before, there was only one way to install user Scheme code to a
  version-specific Guile directory: install to Guile's own path,
  e.g. /usr/share/guile/2.0. The site directory,
  e.g. /usr/share/guile/site, was unversioned. This has been changed to
  add a version-specific site directory, e.g. /usr/share/guile/site/2.0,
  searched before the global site directory.

  ** Docstrings for `syntax-rules' macros

  The `syntax-rules' form now accepts a docstring between the literals and
  the first clause.

  ** SRFI-1 partly rewritten in Scheme

  Some of the SRFI-1 procedures that were written in C "for efficiency"
  have been rewritten in Scheme.

  ** And of course, the usual collection of bugfixes

  Interested users should see the ChangeLog for more information.


You can follow Guile development in the Git repository and on the Guile
mailing lists.  Guile builds from the `master' branch of Git have
version number 1.9.x.

Guile versions with an odd middle number, e.g., 1.9.*, are unstable
development versions.  Even middle numbers indicate stable versions.
This has been the case since the 1.3.* series.

Please report bugs to address@hidden'.  We also welcome reports of
successful builds, which can be sent to the same email address.


Ludovic Courtès, on behalf of the Guile team.

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