
		       Meta-HTML 5.09 Source Release

Version 5.09 of the Meta-HTML Web Language distribution is now
available for download from:

	ftp://ftp.metahtml.com/pub/GNU/metahtml-5.09.tar.gz

It should be available from ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu, and GNU mirror sites
(see http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html) within the next two weeks.

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			     What is it?

Meta-HTML is a programming language specifically designed for working
within the World Wide Web environment.  Although it is a genuine
programming language, suitable for large-scale symbolic manipulation,
it provides the most commonly wanted Web functionality as built-in
primitives, so you don't have to write them.  You can find out more
about the theory of implementation in this white paper
[http://www.metahtml.org/documentation/manifesto.html].

Web pages are authored using HTML and Meta-HTML statements freely
intermixed.  When a page is requested by a browser, the page is passed
through the Meta-HTML interpreter, which dynamically processes any
Meta-HTML statements to produce a final HTML page that is delivered
to the browser.

The source distribution provides several different interpreter options:

	* A CGI engine which can be run by any Unix Web server,
	* A FastCGI engine which can be run under FastCGI compliant servers,
	* A full-featured Web server (mhttpd) with the interpreter built in,
	* A standalone processor, much like Perl or Tcl, and
	* An interactive debugger, with a feel similar to GDB (mdb)

     ------------------------------------------------------------
		   Major Changes in 5.09 from 5.08

	* The disk containing my CVS repository (which contained
	  detailed changelogs) died.  I'm just winging the changes
	  here.

	* Interface to "gnuplot" provides an intuitive and simple API
	  for dynamically creating graphs and plots of data.

	* New functions for manipulating association lists, including
	  ALIST-PACKAGE-DELETE and ALIST-PACKAGE-NAMES.

	* An annoying bug where mhttpd could dump core after serving pages
	  has been fixed.

	* The basic-auth package has been updated, and is now part of the
	  standard distribution.

	* Bug fixes to the SQL database interface now allow very large
	  numbers of records to be manipulated (the bug was a memory leak
	  which could cause MySQL or mSQL accesses to run out of memory).

	* libserver/http.c (mhttpd_metahtml_engine): Set
	  mhtml::last-modification-time based on the mod time of the
	  document.  Similar changes to pagefuncs.c:include and
	  require.c:require_search keep this value updated.  By the
	  end of the page, the last modification time is correctly set
	  to the most recent modification time of any page that was
	  needed to build the current one.

     ------------------------------------------------------------
		   Major Changes in 5.08 from 5.07

	* The module system has been revamped and fortified.  Many new
	  commands are available through the use of dynamically
	  loaded modules, such as trigonometric math functions.
	  
	* Several new primitives, including <%%after-page-return>, <apply>,
	  <%%read-sexp>, and <%%function-alist>.

	* New commands for direct manipulation of the contents of
	  association lists, including <alist-get-var>,
	  <alist-set-var>, etc.

	* New and improved SQL examples, such as the SQL-Rolodex,
	  demonstrate our own tried and true methodology for building
	  complex Web-based SQL database backed applications.

	* The SQL database command sets are now only compiled as
	  modules.  This keeps the size of the executable down, and
	  has the added advantage of allowing one to "plugin" new
	  database modules into an existing system.

	* New SQL database convenience functions, such as
	  <sql::standard-search-form>.  Please see the documentation
	  for more details.

	* Improvements to MDB, the Meta-HTML debugger.  Documentation
	  can now be displayed by typing C-M-D while the cursor is
	  within a function call -- C-M-A displays only the argument
	  list, etc.  These commands are also available from within
	  Emacs using Meta-HTML mode (implemented in elisp/mhtml.el).

	* Various and sundry minor bug fixes.

	* Better and more complete documentation.

     ------------------------------------------------------------
		   Major Changes in 5.07 from 5.06

	* An example SQL/Meta-HTML application which demonstrates how
	  to create complete SQL-based Meta-HTML Web applications.
	  This one is a Rolodex style application.

	* tagsets/sql.mhtml: New functions generate generic search forms
	  for specific SQL database tables.

	* modfuncs.c (pf_load_module): Allow a different initialization
	  function to called, instead of `module_initialize'.  When the
	  keyword argument "initfunc" is given, this overrides the default
	  of inhibiting initialization on some systems (linux,
	  solaris, etc).

	* parser.c (mhtml_execute_function): New definition keyword
	  &unevalled causes arguments appearing to the right of it
	  not be evalled before assignation.

	* Compensations for Apache virtual servers running the engine.
	  HTTP_HOST is now used to search for hostname.conf, and
	  hostname-engine.conf.

	* Improvements to the Meta-HTML debugger, "mdb".
	  `list FUNCTION-NAME' finds and lists that function if defined
	  in a loaded file.
	  `break FUNCTION-NAME' sets a breakpoint at that function.
	  Automatic loading and saving of command-line history.
	  Breakpoints can be set for the start of execution of primitives,
	  and built-ins.
	  New command `apropos STRING' displays all symbols containing STRING.

	* <dump-package ...> displays nicely in the debugger.

	* <redirect ...> can now take an optional "target=window-spec"
	  argument, making it trivial to work within sites built on
	  complex framesets.

	* New primitives, including: <neq>, <string-neq>, <unix::mkfifo>,
	  <dir::dirname>, <dir::read-file>, <dir::write-file> and more.

	* Optional auto-encryption of session data for those sensitive
	  applications where the exposure of session information could
	  comprise users personal information.  Any size key is
	  supported, and the server can generate a large, random one
	  for you.

	* "configure" now works on more systems.  Various libraries are
	  found more readily.

	* Bug fixes.

     ------------------------------------------------------------
	      Meta-HTML Changes in 5.06 from 5.05

	* FastCGI Engine works with the Apache Stronghold SSL Server.

	* Included support for the mySQL database.

	* Generic SQL database interface functions work with mSQL and mySQL.

	* <base64encode> and <base64decode> both provided.

	* Support for version 2.x of Eric Young's DES library.

	* Automatic initialization function for libraries and <require>.

	* An elusive bug in the Engine and FastCGI Engine which could
	  allow extra characters to appear has been fixed

	* Default settings in the server initialization files assume a
	  greater need for security.

	* Functions in the server initialization allow the setting
	  of the user and group id under which the server will run.

	* Numerous execution enhancements resulting in easier
	  debugging and faster interpretation.

	* Several functions have been rewritten as primitives,
	  including string-length and file-exists.

	* Rewrite of arithmetic and relational operators, allowing any
	  number of arguments to be passed (e.g. <add 2 3 4 5> --> 14).

	* Documentation revamped.  Functions written in Meta-HTML can now
	  be documented at the time that you write them.

	* New function declaration syntax allows keywords, optional
	  arguments and variable numbers of arguments.  An example:

	     <defun hairy-fun foo &optional bar &key this that &rest args[]>
	       ...
	     </defun>

	  might be called as follows:

	     <hairy-fun this=keyword foo-arg bar-arg these "are the" rest args>

	  resulting in the bindings:
		foo    --> foo-arg
		bar    --> bar-arg
		this   --> keyword
		that   -->
		args[] --> Array of "these" "are the" "rest" "args"

	-----------------------------------------------------------
		 Meta-HTML Changes in 5.05 from 5.04

	* All reported bugs have been fixed.  I'm happy to say that
	  there just haven't been many bugs reported!

	* The server is now able to perform DNS caching -- this should
	  improve request response time for sites that have client name
	  resolution turned on (the default).  It is controlled by
	  a variable in the server config file.

	* A new set of documented array operators, including:
	  array-append, array-member, array-size, array-add-unique,
	  array-shift, array-concat, foreach, and a new "sort"
	  function.

	* Complete support for mSQL 2.x as well as mSQL 1.x.  Many
	  bugs were found and fixed in this code.

	* Improvements to various functions, documentation for same.
	  Specifically, cgi-exec, sort, with-open-stream, stream-get,
	  page-debug, system-error-output, and debugging-output have
	  all improved.

	* Dynamically loaded modules allow C language extensions to be
	  added to the running Meta-HTML interpreter.  Several useful
	  examples are included.

	* FastCGI support for all platforms now built automatically.

	* Better configuration mechanism allows compilation on many
	  more machine/OS's than before.

	* Again, more and improved documentation.

	* More control over cookie manipulation and session IDs.

	* The ability to include binary representations of Meta-HTML
	  source code directly in the compiled Engine, Server,
	  Debugger, and Standalone Processor.  See libmhtml/bootstrap.mhtml.

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		      E-Mail Addresses and URLs

Bug reports for Meta-HTML should be sent to bug-metahtml@metahtml.com.
Bug reports for the documentation should be sent to bug-manual@metahtml.com.

There is a user mailing list: metahtml-users@metahtml.com.  You can
subscribe on the Web [http://www.metahtml.com/E-Mail/], or by
sending mail to metahtml-users-request@metahtml.com.

The various mailing lists are gatewayed to a news group:

	news://news.metahtml.com/metahtml.users
	news://news.metahtml.com/metahtml.wizards
	news://news.metahtml.com/metahtml.bug.metahtml
	news://news.metahtml.com/metahtml.bug.manual

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		       Authors and Maintenance

Meta-HTML was designed and implemented by Brian J. Fox (bfox@ai.mit.edu).
Meta-HTML version 5.09 is released under terms nearly identical to the
GPL.  The code and utilities are maintained by Brian J. Fox and
Jarlath O'Carroll.

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