source: git/doc/NEWS.texi @ d208704

@comment -*-texinfo-*-
@comment $Id: NEWS.texi,v 1.29 2001-02-02 17:53:45 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 the first release of the new 
release series version 2-0.
It contains a lot of new internal improvements, rewrites, new procedures etc.

Although there are no known bugs, it is to be
expected that the current version @value{VERSION} has some bugs in the 
code sections, since major changes were done to the @sc{Singular}
kernel. Therefore, it is important to us, that users try out this new
version.

The current version is generally much faster as version
1.2 - because of new, better algorithms and impproved
polynomial operations.

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://www.singular.uni-kl.de
New WWW 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 no restriction on number of parameters
@c @item TBC: DegBound on exponent values
@c @item TBC: parameters over real/complex
@c @item TBC: declaration with "ring of ring".
@end table

@heading New @sc{Singular} libraries

Reorganisation of libraries into "Categories".
@table @asis
@item @nref{intprog_lib} procedures for computing toric ideals
@item @nref{toric_lib} procedures for Integer Programming using Groebner bases
@item @code{spectrum.lib} procedures for computing spectra
@item @nref{mregular_lib}  procedures for computing the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity
@item @nref{mondromy_lib}
procedures for computing the monodromy of a singularity
@item @nref{spcurve_lib}
procedures for CM codimension 2 singularities
@item @nref{triang_lib}
procedures for decomposing zero-dimensional ideals
@item @nref{solve_lib}
procedures for solving polynomial systems
@item @nref{surf_lib}
visualization of curves and surfaces with @code{surf}
@item @nref{reesclos_lib}
Rees Algebra and integral closure of an ideal
@item @nref{brnoeth_lib}
Brill-Noether algorithm, Weierstrass semigroups and AG codes
@item @nref{stratify_lib}
Algorithmic stratification by the Greuel-Pfister algorithm
@item @nref{paramet_lib}
parametrization of curves
@item @nref{rinvar_lib}
Invariant rings of reductive groups
@item @nref{zeroset_lib}
Procedures for roots and factorization
@item @nref{qhmoduli_lib}
Moduli spaces of sqh-singularities
@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.
@c @item @nref{fetch}
@item @nref{print}
Finer-grained control for formatted output.
@item @code{pause}
can be called with argument, must be called with parenthesis.
@end table

@heading Changes in @sc{Singular} libraries
Many procedures got into different libraries,
documentation of libraries improved,
some libraries renamed:
@table @asis
@item @nref{ainvar_lib}
renamed @code{invar.lib} to @code{ainvar.lib}
(see also @code{rinvar.lib}, @code{finvar.lib}).
@item @nref{deform_lib}
renamed procedures @code{T1, 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.
Bucket representation of polynomials in std;
Ring change during std, res and bareiss computations
(resulting in more speed and less sapce consumption).
@item new memory management
Results is less memory usage, faster memory allocation/free, less
fragmentation, much better locality of reference.
@end table

@heading Porting

@itemize @bullet
@item 
@code{libreadline} works only with ix86-libc5, 
ix86-libc6,HPUX_9,HPUX_10
@item Singular is available for ix86-libc5, ix86-libc6, HPUX_9, HPUX_10,
SunOS-4, SunOS-5, ix86-Win (runs on Windows 95/98/ME, NT 4.0)
@end itemize