web-octave: pages/NEWS-6.1.md comparison

comparison pages/NEWS-6.1.md @ 232:fe59d0118a2b

Octave 6.1.0 release 2020-11-26

author	Kai T. Ohlhus <k.ohlhus@gmail.com>
date	Mon, 30 Nov 2020 01:48:06 +0900
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+---
+layout: page
+title: GNU Octave Version 6
+permalink: NEWS-6.1.html
+---
+## Summary of important user-visible changes
+November 26, 2020
+{% include release_news_select.md %}
+{::options parse_block_html="true" /}
+<div class="panel callout">
+* TOC
+{:toc}
+</div>
+{::options parse_block_html="false" /}
+### General improvements
+- The `intersect`, `setdiff`, `setxor`, `union`, and `unique` functions
+accept a new sorting option `"stable"` which will return output values
+in the same order as the input, rather than in ascending order.
+- Complex RESTful web services can now be accessed by the `webread` and
+`webwrite` functions alongside with the `weboptions` structure.  One
+major feature is the support for cookies to enable RESTful
+communication with the web service.
+Additionally, the system web browser can be opened by the `web`
+function.
+- The `linspace` function now produces symmetrical sequences when the
+endpoints are symmetric.  This is more intuitive and also compatible
+with recent changes made in Matlab R2019b.
+- The underlying algorithm of the `rand` function has been changed.
+For single precision outputs, the algorithm has been fixed so that it
+produces values strictly in the range (0, 1).  Previously, it could
+occasionally generate the right endpoint value of 1 (See
+[bug #41742](https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?41742)).  In addition,
+the new implementation uses a uniform interval between floating
+point values in the range (0, 1) rather than targeting a uniform
+density (# of random integers / length along real number line).
+- Numerical integration has been improved.  The `quadv` function has
+been re-written so that it can compute integrands of periodic
+functions.  At the same time, performance is better with ~3.5X fewer
+function evaluations required.  A bug in `quadgk` that caused complex
+path integrals specified with `"Waypoints"` to occasionally be
+calculated in the opposite direction was fixed.
+- The `edit` function option `"editinplace"` now defaults to `true` and
+the option `"home"` now defaults to the empty matrix `[]`.  Files will
+no longer be copied to the user's HOME directory for editing.  The old
+behavior can be restored by setting `"editinplace"` to `false` and
+`"home"` to `"~/octave"`.
+- The `format` command supports two new options: `uppercase` and
+`lowercase` (default).  With the default, print a lowercase 'e' for
+the exponent character in scientific notation and lowercase 'a-f' for
+the hex digits representing 10-15.  With `uppercase`, print 'E' and
+'A-F' instead.  The previous uppercase formats, `E` and `G`, no longer
+control the case of the output.
+Additionally, the `format` command can be called with multiple options
+for controlling the format, spacing, and case in arbitrary order.
+For example:
+format long e uppercase loose
+Note, in the case of multiple competing format options the rightmost
+one is used, and, in case of an error, the previous format remains
+unchanged.
+- L-value references (e.g., increment (++), decrement (--), and all
+in-place assignment operators (+=, -=, *=, /=, etc.)) are no longer
+allowed in anonymous functions.
+- New warnings have been added about questionable uses of the colon ':'
+range operator.  Each has a new warning ID so that it can be disabled
+if desired.
+- `Octave:colon-complex-argument`   : when any arg is complex
+- `Octave:colon-nonscalar-argument` : when any arg is non-scalar
+&nbsp;
+- The `regexp` and related functions now correctly handle and *require*
+strings in UTF-8 encoding.  As with any other function that requires
+strings to be encoded in Octave's native encoding, you can use
+`native2unicode` to convert from your preferred locale.  For example,
+the copyright symbol in UTF-8 is `native2unicode (169, "latin1")`.
+- The startup file `octaverc` can now be located in the platform
+dependent location for user local configuration files (e.g.,
+`${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/octave/octaverc` on Unix-like operating systems or
+`%APPDATA%\octave\octaverc` on Windows).
+- The command
+dbstop in CLASS at METHOD
+now works to set breakpoints in classdef constructors and methods.
+#### Graphics backend
+- The use of Qt4 for graphics and the GUI is deprecated in Octave
+version 6 and no further bug fixes will be made.  Qt4 support will be
+removed completely in Octave version 7.
+- The `legend` function has been entirely rewritten.  This fixes a
+number of historical bugs, and also implements new properties such as
+`"AutoUpdate"` and `"NumColumns"`.  The gnuplot toolkit---which is no
+longer actively maintained---still uses the old legend function.
+- The `axis` function was updated which resolved 10 bugs affecting
+axes to which `"equal"` had been applied.
+- Graphic primitives now accept a color property value of `"none"`
+which is useful when a particular primitive needs to be hidden
+(for example, the Y-axis of an axes object with `"ycolor" = "none"`)
+without hiding the entire primitive `"visibility" = "off"`.
+- A new property `"FontSmoothing"` has been added to text and axes
+objects that controls whether anti-aliasing is used during the
+rendering of characters.  The default is `"on"` which produces smooth,
+more visually appealing text.
+- The figure property `"windowscrollwheelfcn"`is now implemented.
+This makes it possible to provide a callback function to be executed
+when users manipulate the mouse wheel on a given figure.
+- The figure properties `"pointer"`, `"pointershapecdata"`, and
+`"pointershapehotspot"` are now implemented.  This makes it possible
+to change the shape of the cursor (pointer in Matlab-speak) displayed
+in a plot window.
+- The figure property `"paperpositionmode"` now has the default `"auto"`
+rather than `"manual"`.  This change is more intuitive and is
+Matlab compatible.
+- The appearance of patterned lines `"LineStyle" = ":"|"--"|"-."` has
+been improved for small widths (`"LineWidth"` less than 1.5 pixels)
+which is a common scenario.
+- Printing to EPS files now uses a tight bounding box (`"-tight"`
+argument to print) by default.  This makes more sense for EPS
+files which are normally embedded within other documents, and is
+Matlab compatible.  If necessary use the `"-loose"` option to
+reproduce figures as they appeared in previous versions of Octave.
+- The following print devices are no longer officially supported: cdr,
+corel, aifm, ill, cgm, hpgl, mf and dxf.  A warning will be thrown
+when using those devices, and the code for supporting those formats
+will eventually be removed from a future version of Octave.
+- The placement of text subscripts and superscripts has been
+re-engineered and now produces visually attractive results similar to
+Latex.
+#### Packages
+- `pkg describe` now lists dependencies and inverse dependencies
+(i.e., other installed packages that depend on the package in
+question).
+- `pkg test` now tests all functions in a package.
+- When unloading a package, `pkg` now checks if any remaining loaded
+packages depend on the one to be removed.  If this is the case `pkg`
+aborts with an explanatory error message.  This behavior can be
+overridden with the `-nodeps` option.
+### Matlab compatibility
+- The function `unique` now returns column index vectors for the second
+and third outputs.  When duplicate values are present, the default
+index to return is now the `"first"` occurrence.  The previous Octave
+behavior, or Matlab behavior from releases prior to R2012b, can be
+obtained by using the `"legacy"` flag.
+- The function `setdiff` with the `"rows"` argument now returns Matlab
+compatible results.  The previous Octave behavior, or Matlab behavior
+from releases prior to R2012b, can be obtained by using the `"legacy"`
+flag.
+- The functions `intersect`, `setxor`, and `union` now accept a
+`"legacy"` flag which changes the index values (second and third
+outputs) as well as the orientation of all outputs to match Matlab
+releases prior to R2012b.
+- The function `streamtube` is Matlab compatible and plots tubes along
+streamlines which are scaled by the vector field divergence. The
+Octave-only extension `ostreamtube` can be used to visualize the flow
+expansion and contraction of the vector field due to the local
+crossflow divergence.
+- The interpreter now supports handles to nested functions.
+- The graphics properties `"LineWidth"` and `"MarkerSize"` are now
+measured in points, *not* pixels.  Compared to previous versions
+of Octave, some lines and markers will appear 4/3 larger.
+- The meta.class property "SuperClassList" has been renamed
+"Superclasslist" for Matlab compatibility.  The original name will
+exist as an alias until Octave version 8.1.
+- Inline functions created by the function `inline` are now of type
+"inline" when interrogated with the `class` function.  In previous
+versions of Octave, the class returned was "function_handle".  This
+change is Matlab compatible.  Inline functions are deprecated in
+both Matlab and Octave and support may eventually be removed.
+Anonymous functions can be used to replace all instances of inline
+functions.
+- The function `javaaddpath` now prepends new directories to the
+existing dynamic classpath by default.  To append them instead, use
+the new `"-end"` argument.  Multiple directories may now be specified
+in a cell array of strings.
+- An undocumented function `gui_mainfcn` has been added, for compatibility
+with figures created with Matlab's GUIDE.
+- Several validator functions of type `mustBe*` have been added.  See
+the list of new functions below.
+### Deprecated functions and properties
+The following functions and properties have been deprecated in Octave 6
+and will be removed from Octave 8 (or whatever version is the second
+major release after 6):
+- Functions
+Function               | Replacement
+-----------------------|------------------
+`runtests`             | `oruntests`
+- The environment variable used by `mkoctfile` for linker flags is now
+`LDFLAGS` rather than `LFLAGS`.  `LFLAGS` is deprecated, and a warning
+is emitted if it is used, but it will continue to work.
+### Removed functions and properties
+The following functions and properties were deprecated in Octave 4.4
+and have been removed from Octave 6.
+- Functions
+Function             | Replacement
+---------------------|------------------
+`chop`               | `sprintf` for visual results
+`desktop`            | `isguirunning`
+`tmpnam`             | `tempname`
+`toascii`            | `double`
+`java2mat`           | `__java2mat__`
+- Properties
+Object               | Property                  | Value
+---------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------
+`annotation`         | `edgecolor ("rectangle")` |
+`axes`               | `drawmode`                |
+`figure`             | `doublebuffer`            |
+| `mincolormap`             |
+| `wvisual`                 |
+| `wvisualmode`             |
+| `xdisplay`                |
+| `xvisual`                 |
+| `xvisualmode`             |
+`line`               | `interpreter`             |
+`patch`              | `interpreter`             |
+`surface`            | `interpreter`             |
+`text`               | `fontweight`              | `"demi"` and `"light"`
+`uibuttongroup`      | `fontweight`              | `"demi"` and `"light"`
+`uicontrol`          | `fontweight`              | `"demi"` and `"light"`
+`uipanel`            | `fontweight`              | `"demi"` and `"light"`
+`uitable`            | `fontweight`              | `"demi"` and `"light"`
+### Alphabetical list of new functions added in Octave 6
+* `auto_repeat_debug_command`
+* `commandhistory`
+* `commandwindow`
+* `filebrowser`
+* `is_same_file`
+* `lightangle`
+* `mustBeFinite`
+* `mustBeGreaterThan`
+* `mustBeGreaterThanOrEqual`
+* `mustBeInteger`
+* `mustBeLessThan`
+* `mustBeLessThanOrEqual`
+* `mustBeMember`
+* `mustBeNegative`
+* `mustBeNonempty`
+* `mustBeNonNan`
+* `mustBeNonnegative`
+* `mustBeNonpositive`
+* `mustBeNonsparse`
+* `mustBeNonzero`
+* `mustBeNumeric`
+* `mustBeNumericOrLogical`
+* `mustBePositive`
+* `mustBeReal`
+* `namedargs2cell`
+* `newline`
+* `ode23s`
+* `ostreamtube`
+* `rescale`
+* `rotx`
+* `roty`
+* `rotz`
+* `stream2`
+* `stream3`
+* `streamline`
+* `streamtube`
+* `uisetfont`
+* `verLessThan`
+* `web`
+* `weboptions`
+* `webread`
+* `webwrite`
+* `workspace`

Mercurial > web-octave

comparison pages/NEWS-6.1.md @ 232:fe59d0118a2b