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Date:Mon Mar 12 22:02:15 1993 
Subject:Release of POPLOG Version 14.2 
From: Robin Popplestone  
Volume-ID:930313.02 

   POPLOG Version 14.2 [Common Lisp, Pop-11, Prolog SML, Motif, OpenLook]

This has recently been released by Integral Solutions Ltd. and is available
in the US and Canada from Computable Functions Inc. POPLOG V14  represented
a significant re-engineering  of the system,  and subsequent releases  have
capitalised on this.

Within the constraints of explicit run-time typing and garbage  collection,
POPLOG V14  aims to  maximise  compatibility with  conventional  languages,
primarily C,  and  particularly with  respect  to  being able  to  use  all
X-Windows code written in  that language. Compatibility  is ensured at  the
POPLOG Virtual Machine level, and in the core language, POP-11. Pointers to
POPLOG objects can be passed directly across the interface; short  integers
and floats need tag-stripping.

Data-structure compatibility between C and the other languages  implemented
in the POPLOG environment, namely SML,  Common Lisp and Prolog, depends  on
the degree to which the language offers control of data structure  internal
format to users - Common Lisp offers  good control, Prolog and SML do  not,
although capabilities  can  be imported  into  these languages  within  the
POPLOG inter-language interface.

Apart from  exceptions imposed  by the  conventions of  some  manufacturers
(e.g. the global register in the MIPS machine requires compilation with the
-G0 option), C object code in general, and X-windows code in particular can
be incrementally linked into POPLOG.

Version 14.2 specific enhancements include:
    * Support for OpenWindows 3.0
    * More logical treatment of widgets etc. after sysfork is used.
    * The XVED editor provides a window-per-buffer, scroll bar and menus,
      bold,underline,italic,blink and colour for characters.
    * Improved debuggers for POP-11 and Prolog
    * In Prolog, enhancements to setof/3, findall/3, bagof/3.
    * In Common Lisp, a PROFILE capability.
    * Improved interface to the Unix ioctl call.

Robin Popplestone.