! $Id: news,v 1.5 1997/04/14 16:17:03 mrg Exp $
!
! Copyright (c) 1990-1997  Michael Sandrof, Troy Rollo, Matthew Green,
! and other ircII contributors.
!
! All rights reserved.  See the HELP IRCII COPYRIGHT file for more
! information.
!
__________________________________________________________________________
                             ircII 2.9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


from:  @(#)Id: NEWS,v 1.19 1997/04/14 16:16:23 mrg Exp

Changes since ircII 2.8.2:

  o  tabkey works with nicknames with \'s in them.
  o  muchly updated /window server and /window channel system.
  o  more robust autoconfiguration.
  o  lots of bugs fixed.
  o  `idle()' functions returns idle time.
  o  `/dcc rename -chat old new' renames a dcc chat connection
  o  `/set same_window_only' places channels in windows more often.
  o  `&' is expanded in GCOS fields, as per BSD.
  o  ctcp flood handling done in a more sane manner.
  o  non blocking connects (use -DNON_BLOCKING_CONNECTS).  ircII will
     attempt to figure out if this is available or not automatically,
     when configuring.
  o  new window commands `addgroup', and `delgroup'.  these allow you
     to define a group of windows, such that they are always connected
     to the same server.
  o  new `ircbug' shell command for reporting bugs.
  o  SOCKS support.
  o  new `imap' script.
  o  new log level `BEEP'.
  o  dcc works with `/server localhost', again.
  o  `/set HELP_PATH' now works with ~user expansion.
  o  lots and lots and lots of bug fixes.
  o  new `undernet' script to make ircII understand undernet.org extras.
  o  a bunch of general bug fixes.  most of the submitted-via-ircbug (the
     correct way!) have been fixed, or at least closely analyzed.
  o  DYNAMIC_SLIP is not longer available, due to ircII simply handling
     the case properly now.
  o  `/window create' might be stabler.  really this time.
  o  removed `/set help_service' support from ircII.
  o  added `help' script to replace `/set help_service' support.
  o  almost all gcc -Wall warnings on a sane system fixed.
  o  help files are once again distributed with ircII.
  o  windows now default to having level of `NONE'.
  o  better error reporting in some circumstances.
  o  renamed `ircserv' to `ircio' due to continued believe that `ircserv'
     was actually an IRC server.
  o  `/server .' should reconnect to the server last connected in this
     window.
  o  fully prototyped source tree.
  o  each window can have two status lines, using `/window double', and
     the new `STATUS_FORMAT1' and `STATUS_FORMAT2' varaibles.
  o  new variable `SAME_WINDOW_ONLY' that controls how disconnected
     channels are placed (if at all) in other windows.
  o  ircII no longer use lex/flex in the build process.
  o  `/notify' can be more verbose.
  o  `irc -b' loads the .ircrc before connecting to a server.  beware.
  o  irc 2.9 support.
  o  many many new translation tables, polish, russian, etc.
  o  hopefully more consistant message levels.
  o  `/window server', `/server', then `IRCSERVER' variable, and command
     line server lists all support the server:port:password:nickname
     format.
  o  `/window sticky <on|off>' to control whether channels follow server
     changes, etc.
__________________________________________________________________________
                     ircII 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.2.3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        READ THIS    READ THIS    READ THIS    READ THIS    READ THIS
        =============================================================
        The most important difference between this version and older
        ones is that the format for  ON SERVER_NOTICE and
        ON PUBLIC has changed.
        Some scripts won't work anymore  (may have strange effects).

	Also, for 2.2.3, the characters ^B ^V and ^_ mean different
	things - ^B bold, ^_ for underline, and ^V for inverse.
 
Commands that have changed.
        It is now possible to redirect to a DCC CHAT connection with
                REDIRECT =nick
        You can have some command executed on the results of USERHOST with
                USERHOST -CMD command
        You can, and should, use WAIT now with
                WAIT -CMD command
        You can have ircII create new windows (screen or xterm) with
                WINDOW CREATE
        The IF and WHILE commands have changed.
    New in 2.2.2
	ON PUBLIC and ON SERVER_NOTICE have changed.
	IGNORE now has CRAP and CTCP levels.
	SERVER has now -DELETE flag.
	news flags -USER and -NAME for LIST -WIDE

New commands
        WHICH script - returns which script will be loaded with LOAD
        FOREACH - to iterate over a list.
        TIMER seconds command - executes `command' after `seconds' seconds.
        INPUT "prompt" command - executes `command' when input is read from
                the keyboard.
        PING nick - uses CTCP PING to work out how many seconds a remote 
                is from you.
        PARSEKEY key - acts as though a key bound to `key' was pressed.
        SENDLINE line - is the same as typing in the line.
        HOOK line - does an ON HOOK check.
        EVAL line - passes `line' to the inline parser, to be executed.
        CTCP UTC - A time CTCP.
        MLOAD - loads a menu.
    New in 2.2.1
        CTCP ECHO - Similar to CTCP ERRMSG.
        WINDOW LOGFILE - Sets the logfile for that window.
    New in 2.2.2
        XTYPE - Similar to TYPE
	WINDOW NOTIFY_LEVEL

New alias variables:
        $W $V $H $U $~

New SETable variables
        NO_CTCP_FLOOD
        SHOW_STATUS_ALL
        SCROLL_AFTER_DISPLAY.
        STATUS_USER1-3
        MENU
        HIGHLIGHT_CHAR
        HELP_PROMPT
        HELP_SERVICE
        HELP_PATH
        DCC_BLOCK_SIZE
        LOAD_PATH
        DEBUG
        VERBOSE_CTCP
        SCROLL_BACKWARD
        SCROLL_FORWARD
        SCROLL_END
        TRANSLATION
        BOLD_VIDEO
    New in 2.2.1
        SHOW_WHO_HOPCOUNT
    New in 2.2.2
        NOTIFY_LEVEL 
	XTERM_OPTIONS
	EIGHT_BIT_CHARACTERS

    And STATUS_FORMAT has these new variables
        %W %X %Y %B %# %@ %>

New/changed on hook's.
        ON DCC_RAW
        ON HOOK
        ON INPUT
        Several of the numeric ON's have changed.
    New in 2.2.1
        ON SERVER_NOTICE   *****  THIS HAS CHANGED  *****
        ON PUBLIC          *****  THIS HAS CHANGED  *****

New bindable keys.
        ERASE_TO_BEG_OF_LINE
        REFRESH_INPUTLINE
        META3_CHARACTER
        META4_CHARACTER

New functions.
        $ENCODE()
        $DECODE()
        $TDIFF()
        $CONNECT()
        $LISTEN()
        $ISCHANNEL(word)
        $ISCHANOP(nick channel)
        $WORD(number wordlist)
        $WINNUM()
        $WINNAM()
    New in 2.2.2
	$CURPOS()
	$MYCHANNELS(refnum)
	$MYSERVERS()

Other
        You can no longer use \n in a line to separate commands.
        Functions are now access with $name().  $%name() is not supported.
        You can access varibles in structures by using struct[index]
          as well as struct.index.
        You can use { } style braces around aliases.
        You can connected to the server via Unix domain sockets.
        The display defaults to OFF while loading a script.

__________________________________________________________________________
                             ircII 2.1.5g.tom2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Internationalization issues:
  1.  Support for multiple character sets.  See /help SET TRANSLATION.
  2.  Digraph entries.  See /help BIND ENTER_DIGRAPH and /help DIGRAPH.
__________________________________________________________________________
                             ircII 2.1.5      
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The command /who -h and -s is no more supported.
> Introduced { and } in scripts, see script/finger for an example.
See Also: /help load.
> Behavior of HOLD_MODE has changed, won't hold when you are being active
  in that window. I like it a lot more, it's not so disturbing anymore.
> Away messages are displayed only once, when talking to someone who is away
  unless you /set show_away_once off.
> You don't get disturbed by cryptic but trivial CTCP requests, unless
  you /set verbose_ctcp on.
> Improved handling of process prompts, but INPUT_PROMPT must be set.
> ircII can now load scripts and help files in compressed form.
> All the scripts have been updated and many helpfiles written and
rewritten.  Many bugs have been fixed, support of newer server features
added, this client is already 2.7-capable.

> There have been major changes in the command parser. Commands are not
expected to have a leading / unless entered interactively, if you
experience incompatibilities, you will have to add 'say' and 'send'
wherever you have made aliases that send to the channel or query.
See Also: /help ircII programming for this. Also the ';' has a new
meaning as command separator within ALIAS, BIND and ON. You might have
to \escape it.

> The good news: Scripts are much more readable and understandable, look
a lot less ugly now  :)   COMMAND_MODE gives command-oriented freaks the
chance to use ircII that way. A special script for MUDders has been added
that emulates an Aber/LPMUD-like environment on irc, without having to
type / before "smile" and allowing "'<text>" for "say" etc.

> CTCP ACTION has been implemented which permits you to send descriptions
of actions/'feelings' to other people on channels and even through
queries.  You can use it with /me and the action script.
See Also: 
  LOAD ACTION
