source: git/doc/NEWS.texi @ 5eb3ef

@comment -*-texinfo-*-
@comment $Id: NEWS.texi,v 1.18 2000-08-24 12:21:04 Singular Exp $
@comment this file contains the News about Singular versions
@comment Unix
@ifclear VERSION
@include version.texi
@end ifclear

@majorheading NEWS in SINGULAR @value{VERSION}

@ifclear singularmanual
@macro nref{what}
\what\
@end macro
@end ifclear

@ifset singularmanual
@macro nref{what}
@ref{\what\}
@end macro
@end ifset

The current version @value{VERSION} is an alpha-release of the upcoming
new release version 2-0 (should be there in the fall of 
2000). Items labeled with "TBC" in this news file are features which
still have to be implemented and/or documented.

Although there are no known bugs, it is to be
expected that the current version @value{VERSION} is not as stable as
the 1.2 version(s), since major changes were done to the @sc{Singular}
kernel. Therefore, it is important to us, that users try out this new
version.

Furthermore, the current version is generally not yet as fast as version
1.2. But this is going to change dramatically in the upcoming release
version(s).

Thank you very much for your support!


@heading General Changes
@table @asis
@item @strong{Windows distribution}
created with Installshield, includes Cygwin, Singular, and (optionally)
XEmacs, distributed as various self-extracting archives.
@item @nref{Emacs user interface}
the recommended interface for using @sc{Singular}
@item @code{ESingular}
new program for an out-of-the-box, pre-customized Emacs which runs
Singular
@item @nref{The online help system}
choose in which browser the on-line help is displayed;
@*wildcard expansion of help topics
@*new layout of html manual pages
@item @nref{Source code debugger}
interactive debugging of procedures written in the @sc{Singular}
language
@item @nref{example}
Provide on-line examples for all kernel and library commands.
@item file/directory layout of distribution
@code{Singular/<version>/}
@item http://singular.uni-kl.de ftp://singular.uni-kl.de
TBC: New WWW and FTP home-site of @sc{Singular}
@end table

@heading Extensions of the ring concept

@table @asis
@item new coefficient domains: arbitrary long real and complex numbers
The current syntax is going to change slightly in the final version 2.0.
@item no restriction on number of ring variables
@item TBC: DegBound on exponent values
@item TBC: parameters over real/complex
@item TBC: declaration with "ring of ring".
@item
@end table

@heading New @sc{Singular} libraries

@table @asis
@item @nref{ip_lib} procedures for computing toric ideals
TODO: better docu, tests, proper incooperation
@item @nref{toric_lib} procedures for Integer Programming using Groebner bases
TODO: better docu, tests, proper incooperation
@item @code{spectrum.lib} procedures for computing spectra
TODO: docu, tests, proper incooperation
@item @nref{mregular_lib}  procedures for computing the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity
TODO: docu, tests
@item @nref{mondromy_lib}
procedures for computing the monodromy of a singularity
@item @code{spectrum_lib}
TBC: docu, examples, tests
@item @nref{spcurve_lib}
procedures for cm codimension 2 singularities
@item @nref{triang_lib}
procedures for solving triangular systems
@item @nref{solve_lib}
procedures for solving polynomial systems
@item @nref{surf_lib}
visualization of curves and surfaces with @code{surf}
@end table

@heading New @sc{Singular} functions

@table @asis
@item @code{convhull, simplex}
TODO: docu, tests
@item @nref{division}
Extension of lift: @code{division(M,SM)} returns a list @code{[T,U,R]}
with @code{SM*U+R=M*T}
@item @nref{breakpoint}
sets a debugger breakpoint
@item @code{div}
integer division omitting remainder
@item @nref{ERROR}
interrupts computation in current procedure and returns with error
message to top-level
@item @nref{fglmquot}
calculate ideal quotions using FGLM-techniques
@item @nref{leadmonom}
returns the leading monomial of a polynomial or a vector as a polynomial
or vector whose coefficient is one
@item @nref{highcorner}
returns the smallest monomial not contained in and ideal/module
@item @nref{hres}
calculate free resolution of homogenous ideal using Hilbert-driven
algorithm.
@item @nref{minor}
with an optional third argument minors modulo a standard basis will be computed
@item @nref{mpresmat}
calculate module representing the multipolynomial resultant matrix
@item @nref{uressolve}
compute all complex roots of a zerodimensional ideal
@item @nref{vandermonde}
solve Vandermonde linear system
@end table

@heading @sc{Singular} functions whose syntax/semantics has changed
@table @asis
@item @nref{coeffs}
Extended possible syntax to 
@code{coeffs(ideal,ideal)} and @code{coeffs(module,module)} which is
equivalent to @code{coeffs(ideal,ideal,p)} and
@code{coeffs(module,module,p)} where @code{p} is a polynomial (i.e.,
monomial) consisting of all ring variables.
@item @nref{execute}
parenthesis around argument of execute is now @strong{mandatory}.
@item @nref{lift}
new implementation (unified handling of isSB and not isSB case); new
optional third argument (a matrix name), which, if given, stores the
"matrix of units"
@item @nref{bareiss}
new implementation after Lie-Saunders, much faster
@item @nref{example}
run example for all kernel commands.
@item @nref{fetch}
TBC
@item @nref{print}
Finer-grained control for formatted output.
@item @code{pause}
can be called with argument, must be called with parenthesis.
@item TBC
@end table

@heading Changes in @sc{Singular} libraries
@table @asis
@item @nref{ainvar_lib}
renamed @code{invar.lib} to @code{ainvar.lib}
@item @nref{deform_lib}
renamed procedures @code{Y1, T2, T12} to @code{T_1, T_2, T_12}.
@item @nref{poly_lib}
new procedures numerator/denominator
@end table

@heading Changes of command-line options and system resources
@table @asis
@item @code{--browser}, @code{--allow-net}, @code{--emacs}, @code{--sdb}
new command-line options
@item @nref{system}
values of command-line options can be inspected/set at run-time with
@code{system(<option>[,<new_value])}.
@item @code{.singularrc}
system administrators can put a "global" @code{.singularrc} file into
the directories where @sc{Singular} libraries reside.
@item @code{libreadline}
if found, a shared version of the @code{readline} library is linked-in
dynamically at run-time. If not found, @code{readline} is emulated.
@end table

@heading Internal Changes
@table @asis
@item new data structures for monomials and polynomials
Makes polynomial arithmetic significantly faster. Especially for block -
or weighted orderings. TBC: Faster polynomial arithmetic for orderings
(like dp, or lp). TBC: Bucket representation of polynomials in std; TBC:
DegBound during std computations.
@item new memory management
Results is less memory usage, faster memory allocation/free, less
fragmentation, much better locality of reference.
@end table

@heading TBC

@itemize @bullet
@item 
@code{libreadline} for other architectures than ix86-libc5, 
ix86-libc6,HPUX_9,HPUX_10
@item
@code{example} on examples from libraries
@end itemize