@comment -*-texinfo-*-
@comment Id: NEWS.texi,v 1.1 2003/08/08 14:27:06 pertusus Exp $
@comment this file contains the News about Singular versions
@comment Unix
@ifclear VERSION
@include version.texi
@end ifclear

@majorheading NEWS in SINGULAR @value{VERSION}

@ifclear singularmanual
@macro nref{what}
\what\
@end macro
@end ifclear

@ifset singularmanual
@macro nref{what}
@ref{\what\}
@end macro
@end ifset

The current version @value{VERSION} is an update to the 
release series version 2-0. 

Changes with respect to version 2-0-3:

@heading Factorizing algorithms revisited
Starting with version 2-0-4, we use NTL (by Victor Shoup) for factoring
univariate polynomials. The multivariate factoring code in libfac/factory
does now also work over algebraic extension fields.

@heading Help system is configurable via LIB/help.cnf
The help browsers of Singular can be configured via the file
LIB/help.cnf, also the addition of new help browsers is possible.

@heading Extensions of the ring concept

@table @asis
@item new coefficient domains: arbitrary long real and complex numbers
@item no restriction on number of parameters
@item degree bound on exponent values (maximum is now 2^31, standard 2^15)
@item non-positives weights get a better handling (converts wp/Wp to ws/Ws)
@item handle blocks of mixed orders correctly
@item maximal prime characteristic is now 2147483629 instead of 32003
@c @item TBC: parameters over real/complex
@c @item TBC: declaration with "ring of ring".
@end table

@heading Changes in @sc{Singular} libraries
The documentation of libraries was generally improved.
@table @asis
@item @nref{equising_lib}
procedures esStratum, isEquising now also for reducible polynomials
@*new procedures: tau_es (codim of mu-const stratum in semi-universal def. base);
esIdeal ((Wahl's) equisingularity ideal)
@item @nref{gaussman_lib}
added bernstein: roots of the Bernstein polynomial of t
@item @nref{hnoether_lib}
HNdevelop, reddevelop, essdevelop are obsolete, replaced by hnexpansion
@*multsequence is "repaired" (since branches computed by hnexpansion
et al) are now ordered according to the needs of multsequence.
@*newtonpoly needs no longer that ordering of the basering is ls
@*new procedures: is_NND      test if f is Newton non-degenerate
@item @nref{homolog_lib}
new procedures: depth, fitting, flatteningStrat, isCM, isFlat, isLocallyFree,
isReg, KoszulHomology, tensorMod, Tor
@item @nref{matrix_lib}
in proc tensor(A,B):  check if ncols(A)==0
@item @nref{normal_lib}
new procedure: deltaLoc(f,S);      (sum of) delta invariant(s) at conjugated
singular points
@*proc genus makes now use of is_NND of hnoether.lib
@item @nref{primdec_lib}
optimizations again
@item @nref{solve_lib}
procedure laguerre_solve ignores no longer the 2nd parameter (precision of 
internal computation)
@* new procedure simplexOut:     prints solution of simplex in nice format
@end table

@heading Internal Changes
@table @asis
@item normal form computation uses
Bucket representation of polynomials.
@item factorization
revisited, missing cases implemented
@item NTL
NTL is used for univariate factorization
@item source code
adapted for use with gcc 3.1/3.2, gmp 4.x
@end table

@heading Porting
@itemize @bullet
@item Singular is available for ix86-libc5, ix86-libc6, HPUX_9, HPUX_10,
SunOS-4, SunOS-5, IRIX-6, ix86-Win (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP),
FreeBSD 4.x, MacOS X
@c @item @code{dbm} functionality is not available on 
Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP and MacOS X
@item @code{MP} functionality is not available on
Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP and MacOS X.
@item Singular 2-0-2 was the last version for MacOS 9
@end itemize
