Release Announcement for v6.7

[Vincent St-Amour]

The release announcement sketch that I have so far is below. Please
mail me new items and/or edits.

Please phrase announcements using complete sentences and avoid the
word "now".
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexis:
- private repo support in pkg (racket @ d409fb5e2ec8b29932cde718b8383ffa0ce071e3 8de889df5ea3e0859cd01f1fcd39cdca5a7f949c 6d63e4443ffad0b73c9632033dbf2adcb0871658)

Ben:
- #lang and #reader search (racket @ 1dd934c8cb78ba038235eab9659bc9c4c08c07df)
- file/glob (racket @ 97c65102b3ca4aaacf0674fe691e3c0783224bc0)

Gustavo:
- optimizations (racket @ dce42313ad3dea250acd1de4c56161b3fd87eca1 f8b3ba8253b2b94e5f0b060bc256f651ba73dd48 397d6041823497a639c09660eca2f0573a58c62e e5e781c4ecffe5494d662e1a43ba3a5dcc2db887 8bb79deaa21ebbaba544ec29c6702369a3b23035 d4158c2b04b71d193ab32e43396b62b865ec2df6 )

Jay:
- is Android support new as of this release?
- FFI polling mode (racket @ 96d212d3768c6c74f3a524e7d8c4bef075687273)
- https and git proxying via HTTP CONNECT (racket @ 321000b831a4acbc45c6645e6074f5b935d2eaa5)

Leif:
- xrepl on by default (racket @ b1adf65fd0c3949d862f3e46aa869af8716e2615)

Matthew:
- Sierra support (distro-build @ 1acc02146b69ce25e70020d77b964c7d251147ca)
- GTK3 fixes? (gui @ 6b2f4a72aebbd689add17b3fc3bc48a4cf287fa5)
- faster hashing (racket @ 671adc0de2203df2a1ff6b112dca3942c699de1c)
- struct optimizations (racket @ 591fcb622859252a51702c8f357a888af13406a4 95f6a2342b35f25b7cb50f8f57e28699ae4aa4f2 9c94e5a8df48d965c0d31a3dc2c11fad71cf8a63 3f4e7d90cb8c38429f3e1f23dc1240011aefd7fa 6e4a4f4949863c7837f7fe4a210294d80f70fa64 36548ea28979aaacbcb92d114030a8cdd2a786f9)
- `use-compiled-file-check` and `PLT_COMPILED_FILE_CHECK` (racket @ fc345ed249c7393bce77b31f5f5812d487ef6958)
- keyword expansion optimization (racket @ 7bcc9afd4c4d752ce06d5602c6d227d80e0305e0 ad230d2ca09ee45002eaa1bea24a1e8ce933e3a9)

Robby:
- heap performance improvements (data @ affdb80bfc3e62511f481f89b90faef7d7042093)
- new tabifying behavior (gui @ 8272f990353ecad183c19b544db3fd6f6dbd5d30 0ae0a5b8044faecb49cc10b58f423f8548fade0f)
- better editing for 2d syntax (gui @ 18404570dde4e52a460f53c63d349be9d6635b0a)
- better redex performance with errortrace off (redex @ abcb34aa045fde894360d59c4ae701a17013fd1c)

Typed Racket:
- `Any` unsoundness follow-up? (typed-racket @ 191ec136b6606ed63b8548c8493dba59104c60fb 50aab9806ff549ddc5f59f00d16ce336bc20eec6)
- additions to type environment (typed-racket @ 835cfcd7ea3a211c1337c99e67f6715af3f030a5 5175f9d873610582f416319ff7b914fceb86bf74 8aa12e48df2dc393e2cfdb09080c1f1998f48076 abdc0e8ebc2e261797a832dfc5b081772e586f44)
- row-inst (typed-racket @ 164b22de59bc34f871e2f106c5b40a880a63d8d2)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Robby Findler]

I don't think any of the things listed by my name are worth including
in the top-level release notes.

Robby

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[Matthew Flatt]

At Sat, 15 Oct 2016 07:39:21 -0500, Vincent St-Amour wrote:
> Matthew:
> - Sierra support (distro-build @ 1acc02146b69ce25e70020d77b964c7d251147ca)
> - GTK3 fixes? (gui @ 6b2f4a72aebbd689add17b3fc3bc48a4cf287fa5)
> - faster hashing (racket @ 671adc0de2203df2a1ff6b112dca3942c699de1c)

> [...]

> - keyword expansion optimization (racket @
> 7bcc9afd4c4d752ce06d5602c6d227d80e0305e0
> ad230d2ca09ee45002eaa1bea24a1e8ce933e3a9)

These seem too minor.

> - struct optimizations (racket @ 591fcb622859252a51702c8f357a888af13406a4
> 95f6a2342b35f25b7cb50f8f57e28699ae4aa4f2
> 9c94e5a8df48d965c0d31a3dc2c11fad71cf8a63
> 3f4e7d90cb8c38429f3e1f23dc1240011aefd7fa
> 6e4a4f4949863c7837f7fe4a210294d80f70fa64
> 36548ea28979aaacbcb92d114030a8cdd2a786f9)

Maybe worth mentioning:

* Optimizations in the bytecode compiler improve performance for
structure operations.

> - `use-compiled-file-check` and `PLT_COMPILED_FILE_CHECK` (racket @
> fc345ed249c7393bce77b31f5f5812d487ef6958)

Probably worth mentioning, since it can help with a common annoyance:

* The `PLT_COMPILED_FILE_CHECK` environment variable controls whether
modify dates are checked on ".zo" files. Set the environment
variable to "exists" to use a ".zo" file when it exists, independent
of its modification date.

> Leif:
> - xrepl on by default (racket @ b1adf65fd0c3949d862f3e46aa869af8716e2615)

Besides the xrepl bullet, which I'll leave to Leif, maybe the
announcement should include a note on `racket/interactive`:

* Racket requires `racket/interactive` on start-up in interactive
mode, and the `racket/interactive` module is responsible for loading
".racketrc" as well as `xrepl`. See the docs on `racket/interactive`
for more information.

[Alex Knauth]

The previous release already included variations of those two commits. For this release the most important change is

https://github.com/racket/typed-racket/commit/dfd61642b600dc485128581bfe162c1c1eaa11ac

Which changes the unsafe-require/typed #:opaque option so that it doesn't display a warning.

[Jay McCarthy]

On Sat, Oct 15, 2016 at 8:39 AM, Vincent St-Amour
<stam...@eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
> The release announcement sketch that I have so far is below. Please
> mail me new items and/or edits.
>
> Please phrase announcements using complete sentences and avoid the
> word "now".
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Alexis:
> - private repo support in pkg (racket @ d409fb5e2ec8b29932cde718b8383ffa0ce071e3 8de889df5ea3e0859cd01f1fcd39cdca5a7f949c 6d63e4443ffad0b73c9632033dbf2adcb0871658)
>
> Ben:
> - #lang and #reader search (racket @ 1dd934c8cb78ba038235eab9659bc9c4c08c07df)
> - file/glob (racket @ 97c65102b3ca4aaacf0674fe691e3c0783224bc0)
>
> Gustavo:
> - optimizations (racket @ dce42313ad3dea250acd1de4c56161b3fd87eca1 f8b3ba8253b2b94e5f0b060bc256f651ba73dd48 397d6041823497a639c09660eca2f0573a58c62e e5e781c4ecffe5494d662e1a43ba3a5dcc2db887 8bb79deaa21ebbaba544ec29c6702369a3b23035 d4158c2b04b71d193ab32e43396b62b865ec2df6 )
>
> Jay:
> - is Android support new as of this release?
> - FFI polling mode (racket @ 96d212d3768c6c74f3a524e7d8c4bef075687273)

The "--enable-ffipoll" option causes Racket to block before FFI calls
until the embedding program explicitly completes those calls. This is
used, for instance, in the Android port to ensure that OpenGL calls
originate from the appropriate thread even when Racket is executing in
a different thread.

> - https and git proxying via HTTP CONNECT (racket @ 321000b831a4acbc45c6645e6074f5b935d2eaa5)

HTTP libraries, including raco pkg, support proxying via HTTP CONNECT.

>
> Leif:
> - xrepl on by default (racket @ b1adf65fd0c3949d862f3e46aa869af8716e2615)
>
> Matthew:
> - Sierra support (distro-build @ 1acc02146b69ce25e70020d77b964c7d251147ca)
> - GTK3 fixes? (gui @ 6b2f4a72aebbd689add17b3fc3bc48a4cf287fa5)
> - faster hashing (racket @ 671adc0de2203df2a1ff6b112dca3942c699de1c)
> - struct optimizations (racket @ 591fcb622859252a51702c8f357a888af13406a4 95f6a2342b35f25b7cb50f8f57e28699ae4aa4f2 9c94e5a8df48d965c0d31a3dc2c11fad71cf8a63 3f4e7d90cb8c38429f3e1f23dc1240011aefd7fa 6e4a4f4949863c7837f7fe4a210294d80f70fa64 36548ea28979aaacbcb92d114030a8cdd2a786f9)
> - `use-compiled-file-check` and `PLT_COMPILED_FILE_CHECK` (racket @ fc345ed249c7393bce77b31f5f5812d487ef6958)
> - keyword expansion optimization (racket @ 7bcc9afd4c4d752ce06d5602c6d227d80e0305e0 ad230d2ca09ee45002eaa1bea24a1e8ce933e3a9)
>
> Robby:
> - heap performance improvements (data @ affdb80bfc3e62511f481f89b90faef7d7042093)
> - new tabifying behavior (gui @ 8272f990353ecad183c19b544db3fd6f6dbd5d30 0ae0a5b8044faecb49cc10b58f423f8548fade0f)
> - better editing for 2d syntax (gui @ 18404570dde4e52a460f53c63d349be9d6635b0a)
> - better redex performance with errortrace off (redex @ abcb34aa045fde894360d59c4ae701a17013fd1c)
>
> Typed Racket:
> - `Any` unsoundness follow-up? (typed-racket @ 191ec136b6606ed63b8548c8493dba59104c60fb 50aab9806ff549ddc5f59f00d16ce336bc20eec6)
> - additions to type environment (typed-racket @ 835cfcd7ea3a211c1337c99e67f6715af3f030a5 5175f9d873610582f416319ff7b914fceb86bf74 8aa12e48df2dc393e2cfdb09080c1f1998f48076 abdc0e8ebc2e261797a832dfc5b081772e586f44)
> - row-inst (typed-racket @ 164b22de59bc34f871e2f106c5b40a880a63d8d2)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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--
Jay McCarthy
Associate Professor
PLT @ CS @ UMass Lowell
http://jeapostrophe.github.io

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing,
for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
- D&C 64:33

[Ben Greenman]

- #lang and #reader search (racket @ 1dd934c8cb78ba038235eab9659bc9c4c08c07df)

Typing "H:" on the search page returns all #langs and typing "R:" returns all reader modules (just like "L:" returns all modules).

 

- file/glob (racket @ 97c65102b3ca4aaacf0674fe691e3c0783224bc0)

The file/glob modules implements globbing for path-strings.

[Alexis King]

> On Oct 15, 2016, at 05:39, Vincent St-Amour

> <stam...@eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
>
> Alexis: - private repo support in pkg (racket @
> d409fb5e2ec8b29932cde718b8383ffa0ce071e3
> 8de889df5ea3e0859cd01f1fcd39cdca5a7f949c
> 6d63e4443ffad0b73c9632033dbf2adcb0871658)

The package system supports installing Git packages that require
authentication when using the HTTP or HTTPS protocols by setting the
`raco pkg config git-checkout-credentials` configuration option.

[Vincent St-Amour]

On Sat, 15 Oct 2016 11:07:39 -0500,
Alex Knauth wrote:
> Typed Racket:
> - `Any` unsoundness follow-up? (typed-racket @
> 191ec136b6606ed63b8548c8493dba59104c60fb
> 50aab9806ff549ddc5f59f00d16ce336bc20eec6)
>
>
> The previous release already included variations of those two commits.

Right. I do remember some talk of the changes in 6.6 being a stepping
stone to further changes in 6.7. Was that the case?

> For this release the most important change is
> https://github.com/racket/typed-racket/commit/dfd61642b600dc485128581bfe162c1c1eaa11ac
>
> Which changes the unsafe-require/typed #:opaque option so that it
> doesn't display a warning.

Was that change from "working + warning" to "working no warning", or
from "working + warning" to "error"?

If it's the former, it's probably not worth mentioning. If it's the
latter, it definitely is.

Vincent

[Vincent St-Amour]

What about the 2d editing one? That's pretty neat, and the release
announcement is a good opportunity to spread the word about 2d, for
people who may have missed it / forgotten about it.

Vincent

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/racket-dev/CAL3TdOO2v%2B3y_FEcU5pGWsDrvy2j755U-ay7ns0gmFh5bbPJ%2BA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Vincent St-Amour]

On Sat, 15 Oct 2016 11:58:28 -0500,
Jay McCarthy wrote:
>
> On Sat, Oct 15, 2016 at 8:39 AM, Vincent St-Amour
> <stam...@eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Jay:
> > - is Android support new as of this release?

What about android support? Should we publicise it?

Vincent

[Alex Knauth]

It's the former, from "working + warning" to "working no warning", so not very worth mentioning.

> Vincent

[Gustavo Massaccesi]

> 397d6041823497a639c09660eca2f0573a58c62e
> 8bb79deaa21ebbaba544ec29c6702369a3b23035
> f8b3ba8253b2b94e5f0b060bc256f651ba73dd48

Are too minor or too internal.

> d4158c2b04b71d193ab32e43396b62b865ec2df6
> dce42313ad3dea250acd1de4c56161b3fd87eca1
> e5e781c4ecffe5494d662e1a43ba3a5dcc2db887

* The Racket optimizer detects more optimization opportunities,
including procedures that operate on lists, strings and byte strings.

This is not an exact description, but it's close enough.
Perhaps it should be redacted to be more similar to the bullet written
by Mathew ("Optimizations in the bytecode compiler ...") because the
changes are in the same step of the compilation.

Gustavo

[Vincent St-Amour]

After some off-list discussion (my bad! accidentally dropped the CC),
Jay and I decided to include this bullet:

* Racket supports building graphical applications on Android, via the
racket-android project: https://github.com/jeapostrophe/racket-android

Vincent

[Vincent St-Amour]

On Sun, 16 Oct 2016 07:59:30 -0500,
Gustavo Massaccesi wrote:
>
> > 397d6041823497a639c09660eca2f0573a58c62e
> > 8bb79deaa21ebbaba544ec29c6702369a3b23035
> > f8b3ba8253b2b94e5f0b060bc256f651ba73dd48
>
> Are too minor or too internal.
>
> > d4158c2b04b71d193ab32e43396b62b865ec2df6
> > dce42313ad3dea250acd1de4c56161b3fd87eca1
> > e5e781c4ecffe5494d662e1a43ba3a5dcc2db887
>
> * The Racket optimizer detects more optimization opportunities,
> including procedures that operate on lists, strings and byte strings.
>
> This is not an exact description, but it's close enough.
> Perhaps it should be redacted to be more similar to the bullet written
> by Mathew ("Optimizations in the bytecode compiler ...") because the
> changes are in the same step of the compilation.

How about combining the two bullets?

* Optimizations in the bytecode compiler improve performance for
structure, list, string, and byte-string operations.

Vincent

[Gustavo Massaccesi]

It's fine for me.

Gustavo

[Vincent St-Amour]

We're still missing announcement items for the following:

Leif:
- xrepl on by default (racket @ b1adf65fd0c3949d862f3e46aa869af8716e2615)

Typed Racket:

- additions to type environment (typed-racket @ 835cfcd7ea3a211c1337c99e67f6715af3f030a5 5175f9d873610582f416319ff7b914fceb86bf74 8aa12e48df2dc393e2cfdb09080c1f1998f48076 abdc0e8ebc2e261797a832dfc5b081772e586f44)
- row-inst (typed-racket @ 164b22de59bc34f871e2f106c5b40a880a63d8d2)

[Sam Tobin-Hochstadt]

On Tue, Oct 18, 2016 at 7:36 PM, Vincent St-Amour
<stam...@eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
>
> Typed Racket:

> - additions to type environment (typed-racket @ 835cfcd7ea3a211c1337c99e67f6715af3f030a5 5175f9d873610582f416319ff7b914fceb86bf74 8aa12e48df2dc393e2cfdb09080c1f1998f48076 abdc0e8ebc2e261797a832dfc5b081772e586f44)
> - row-inst (typed-racket @ 164b22de59bc34f871e2f106c5b40a880a63d8d2)

Typed Racket provides typed versions of `racket/os` and `racket/db/sqlite`.

I don't think `row-inst` should be in the release notes.

[Vincent St-Amour]

A complete announcement draft is below. Comments welcome.

Vincent



- Racket supports building graphical applications on Android, via the
racket-android project: https://github.com/jeapostrophe/racket-android

- The Racket REPL comes with line-editing, command and result history,
and various meta-commands out of the box. See the `xrepl` documentation
for details.

- The package system supports installing Git packages that require

authentication when using the HTTP or HTTPS protocols by setting the
`raco pkg config git-checkout-credentials` configuration option.

- The "--enable-ffipoll" option causes Racket to block before FFI calls

until the embedding program explicitly completes those calls. This is
used, for instance, in the Android port to ensure that OpenGL calls
originate from the appropriate thread even when Racket is executing in
a different thread.

- HTTP libraries, including raco pkg, support proxying via HTTP CONNECT.

- Typed Racket provides typed versions of `racket/os` and
`racket/db/sqlite`.

- Racket requires `racket/interactive` on start-up in interactive mode,

and the `racket/interactive` module is responsible for loading
".racketrc" as well as `xrepl`. See the docs on `racket/interactive`
for more information.

- The `PLT_COMPILED_FILE_CHECK` environment variable controls whether

modify dates are checked on ".zo" files. Set the environment variable
to "exists" to use a ".zo" file when it exists, independent of its
modification date.

- Typing "H:" on the search page returns all #langs and typing "R:"

returns all reader modules (just like "L:" returns all modules).

- The file/glob modules implements globbing for path-strings.

- Optimizations in the bytecode compiler improve performance for

structure, list, string, and byte-string operations.

The following people contributed to this release:
Alex Knauth, Alex Harsanyi, Alexis King, Andrew Kent, Asumu Takikawa,
Ben Greenman, Brian Lachance, Chongkai Zhu, Daniel Feltey, Georges
Dupéron, Gustavo Massaccesi, Jay McCarthy, John Clements, Jonathan
Schuster, Leif Andersen, Marc Burns, Matthew Butterick, Matthew Flatt,
Matthias Felleisen, Mike Sperber, Robby Findler, Rohin Shah, Ryan
Culpepper, Sam Tobin-Hochstadt, Spencer Florence, Stephen Chang, Stephen
De Gabrielle, Tim Brown, Tony Garnock-Jones, Vincent St-Amour, WarGrey
Gyoudmon Ju, and William J. Bowman.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/racket-dev/m2shrtut4i.wl-stamourv%40eecs.northwestern.edu.