[XPS-devel] XPS 0.1.5 Released

[Reid S. <ras...@re...>]

XPSers,

I have released version 0.1.5 of the eXtensible Programming System. 
This release contains the following:

        1. Simplified XPL.xsd (XML schema for XPL) that eliminates all
           the abstract elements, provides a consistent naming for the
           operators, adds additional functionality not previously in
           XPL. Review the annotations and comments in the XPL.xsd
           schema file or browse with XML Spy.
        2. A new sample program, HelloWorld.xpl has been added to the
           src/schemas/tests directory. You can review this familiar
           program as a way to get familiar with XPL. However, this
           version of "Hello World" can print out the greeting in five
           languages so its not quite as trivial as you might expect.
        3. Full support for autoconf/automake. The bulk of the
           configuration work is done. The remaining work in this area
           will pertain to ensuring the correct set of capability tests
           are provided. The current build system is capable of building
           different configurations (one per build directory) right
           through distribution. The XPS 0.1.5 release was made with
           "make dist".
        4. An improved memory allocation system. The Segment classes
           have been revamped to be more efficient and to implement
           missing functionality. The Region class has been totally
           revised to minimized bookkeeping overhead and allow users to
           roll their own region configuration.  Two features remain:
           making the system work with transient memory as well as
           persistent memory and making it all thread safe (Segment
           class is already thread safe).
        5. New modules: adt (Abstract Data Types), obj (Object Schema),
           meta (Object meta schema), space (workspaces, etc.). These
           four modules are in a rudimentary form but all are part of
           the XPL compiler, xplc. The space module manages a user's
           workspace which is simply a directory with XPL programs,
           compilation objects, & etc.  The meta module provides the
           type system for XPL and the compiler will use these classes
           to capture the declarations of various types from user
           programs. The adt module provides persistent-aware abstract
           data types such as sets, vectors, arrays, maps, and hash
           tables. These will be similar in nature to the STL but much
           simpler and with the ability to handle persistent memory
           allocation.
        6. The "util" module now contains two new classes: "Config" and
           "MsgLoader". The Config class provides for configuration of
           the various XPS modules via XML-based configuration files.
           The schema for the files is in the Configuration.xsd file in
           the src/schemas directory. The configuration files are quite
           simple. Properties are placed in groups which can contain
           either groups or properties. The MsgLoader class provides
           (via ICU) loading of natural language messages for XPS. The
           messages are stored in the "*.msgs" files and these can be
           internationalized as we go along. This means that all
           user-bound messages generated by XPS can be reported in
           multiple natural languages. 
        7. The "test" module has been merged into the "util" module to
           eliminate cyclic build dependencies. Unfortunately, this
           means that some of the separation of concerns has to be
           handled in the makefiles in the util module. Hope you never
           have to go there.
        8. The XPL compiler will validate your XPL program, and report
           errors. However, it currently doesn't compile to anything.
           That is the next step (release 0.2.0).
        9. The XVM is currently just a skeleton. This program will
           eventually be the backbone of any running XPL program.
       10. The XVMSH is currently just a skeleton. This program will
           translate user level commands into something the XVM can act
           upon.

If you would like to try this early release out, here's what you need to
do:

        1. Get the distribution file from here:
           http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=51164
        2. Use winzip or "tar" to extract the files.
        3. In the xps-0.1.5 directory you should find files named README
           and INSTALL. Read them, it'll save you some time.

As always, if you have questions, please feel free to ask.

Best Regards,

Reid.