* Installation Changes in Emacs 24.4
* Startup Changes in Emacs 24.4
* Changes in Emacs 24.4
+
++++
+** `eval-defun' on an already defined defcustom calls the :set function,
+if there is one.
+
+** The option `set-mark-default-inactive' has been deleted.
+This unfinished feature was introduced by accident in Emacs 23.1;
+simply disabling Transient Mark mode does the same thing.
+
* Editing Changes in Emacs 24.4
+
+** New commands `toggle-frame-maximized' and `cycle-frame-maximized',
+bound to <f11> and S-<f11>, respectively.
+
+\f
* Changes in Specialized Modes and Packages in Emacs 24.4
+
+** cl-lib
+
+*** New macro cl-tagbody.
+
++++
+*** letf is now just an alias for cl-letf.
+
+** Calc
+
+*** Calc by default now uses the Gregorian calendar for all dates, and
+uses January 1, 1 AD as its day number 1. Previously Calc used the
+Julian calendar for dates before September 14, 1752, and it used
+December 31, 1 BC as its day number 1; the new scheme is more
+consistent with Calendar's calendrical system and day numbering.
+
+*** The new variable `calc-gregorian-switch' lets you configure the
+date when Calc switches from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
+Nil, the default value, means to always use the Gregorian calendar.
+The value (YEAR MONTH DAY) means to start using the Gregorian calendar
+on the given date.
+
+** ERC
+
+*** New option `erc-accidental-paste-threshold-seconds'.
+If set to a number, this can be used to avoid accidentally paste large
+amounts of data into the ERC input.
+
+** Icomplete is a bit more like IDO.
+*** key bindings to navigate through and select the completions.
+*** The icomplete-separator is customizable, and its default has changed.
+*** Removed icomplete-show-key-bindings.
+
+** Isearch
+
+*** `C-x 8 RET' in Isearch mode reads a character by its Unicode name
+and adds it to the search string.
+
+** MH-E has been updated to MH-E version 8.4.
+See MH-E-NEWS for details.
+
+---
+** The unrmail command converts from BABYL to mboxrd rather than mboxo.
+Customize `unrmail-mbox-format' to change this.
+
+---
+** Similarly, customize `rmail-mbox-format' to influence some minor aspects
+of how Rmail displays non-MIME messages.
+
++++
+** New function `ses-rename-cell' to give SES cells arbitrary names.
+
+** trace-function was largely rewritten.
+New features include:
+- no prompting for the destination buffer, unless a prefix-arg was used.
+- additionally to prompting for a destination buffer, when a prefix-arg is
+ used, the user can enter a "context", i.e. Lisp expression whose value at the
+ time the function is entered/exited will be printed along with the function
+ name and arguments. Useful to trace the value of (current-buffer) or
+ (point) when the function is invoked.
+
+** New command `delete-duplicate-lines' has two types of operation:
+when its arg ADJACENT is non-nil (when called interactively with C-u C-u)
+it works like the utility `uniq'. Otherwise by default it deletes
+duplicate lines everywhere in the region without regard to adjacency.
+
+** Tramp
++++
+*** New connection method "adb", which allows to access Android
+devices by the Android Debug Bridge. The variable `tramp-adb-sdk-dir'
+must be set to the Android SDK installation directory.
+
+** Woman
+
+*** The commands `woman-default-faces' and `woman-monochrome-faces'
+are obsolete. Customize the `woman-* faces instead.
+
+** Obsolete packages:
+
+*** longlines.el is obsolete; use visual-line-mode instead.
+
+*** terminal.el is obsolete; use term.el instead.
+
+\f
* New Modes and Packages in Emacs 24.4
** New nadvice.el package offering lighter-weight advice facilities.
It is layered as:
* Incompatible Lisp Changes in Emacs 24.4
+** nil and "unbound" are indistinguishable in symbol-function.
+`symbol-function' never signals `void-function' any more.
+`fboundp' returns non-nil if the symbol was `fset' to nil.
+
+** `defadvice' does not honor the `freeze' flag and cannot advise
+special-forms any more.
+
** `dolist' in lexical-binding mode does not bind VAR in RESULT any more.
VAR was bound to nil which was not tremendously useful and just lead to
spurious warnings about an unused var.
* Lisp changes in Emacs 24.4
+** Support for filesystem notifications.
+Emacs now supports notifications of filesystem changes, such as
+creation, modification, and deletion of files. This requires the
+'inotify' API on GNU/Linux systems. On MS-Windows systems, this is
+supported for Windows XP and newer versions.
+
+** Face changes
+
+*** The `face-spec-set' is now analogous to `setq' for face specs.
+Its third arg now accepts values specifying exactly which face spec to
+set (defface, custom, or user spec), and it directly sets the relevant
+property using the supplied face spec.
+
+*** Face specs set via Custom themes now replace the `defface' spec
+rather than inheriting from it (as do face specs set via Customize).
+
+** time-to-seconds is not obsolete any more.
** New function special-form-p.
** Docstrings can be made dynamic by adding a `dynamic-docstring-function'
text-property on the first char.
** The `defalias-fset-function' property lets you catch calls to defalias
and redirect them to your own function instead of `fset'.
+** The 9th element returned by `file-attributes' is now unspecified.
+Formerly, it was t if the file's gid would change if file were deleted
+and recreated. This value has been inaccurate for years on many
+platforms, and nobody seems to have noticed or cared.
+
+** The function `file-ownership-preserved-p' now has an optional
+argument GROUP which causes it check for file group too. This can be
+used in place of the 9th element of `file-attributes'.
+
+** New functions `group-gid' and `group-real-gid'.
+
* Changes in Emacs 24.4 on non-free operating systems
++++
+** The "generate a backtrace on fatal error" feature now works on MS Windows.
+The backtrace is written to the 'emacs_backtrace.txt' file in the
+directory where Emacs was running.
+
\f
* Installation Changes in Emacs 24.3
+++
*** `cl-flet' is not like `flet' (which is deprecated).
Instead it obeys the behavior of Common-Lisp's `flet'.
+In particular, in cl-flet function definitions are lexically scoped,
+whereas in flet the scoping is dynamic.
+++
*** `cl-labels' is slightly different from `labels'.
** ERC
-*** New package `erc-desktop-notifications.el', which can send a notification
-when you receive a private message or your nickname is mentioned.
++++
+*** New module "notifications", which can send a notification when you
+receive a private message or your nickname is mentioned.
++++
*** ERC will look up server/channel names via auth-source and use any
channel keys found.
++++
+*** New option `erc-lurker-hide-list', similar to `erc-hide-list', but
+only applies to messages sent by lurkers.
+
+++
** Flymake uses fringe bitmaps to indicate errors and warnings.
See `flymake-fringe-indicator-position', `flymake-error-bitmap' and
** winner-mode-hook now runs when the mode is disabled, as well as when it is
enabled.
-** FIXME something happened to ses.el, 2012-04-17.
-
++++
** Hooks renamed to avoid obsolete "-hooks" suffix:
*** semantic-lex-reset-hooks -> semantic-lex-reset-functions
*** semantic-change-hooks -> semantic-change-functions
that substring is inserted literally even if the LITERAL arg is
non-nil, instead of causing an error to be signaled.
++++
+** `select-window' now always makes the window's buffer current.
+It does so even if the window was selected before.
+
+++
** Docstrings starting with `*' no longer indicate user options.
Only variables defined using `defcustom' are considered user options.
+++
** The return values of `defalias', `defun' and `defmacro' have changed,
-and are now undefined. For backwards compatibility, defun and
-defmacro currently return the name of the newly defined function/macro
-but this should not be relied upon.
+and are now undefined. For backwards compatibility, `defun' and
+`defmacro' currently return the name of the newly defined
+function/macro, but this should not be relied upon.
---
** `face-spec-set' no longer sets frame-specific attributes when the
** New sampling-based Elisp profiler.
Try M-x profiler-start, do some work, and then call M-x profiler-report.
When finished, use M-x profiler-stop. The sampling rate can be based on
-CPU time (only supported on some systems) or memory allocations.
+CPU time or memory allocations.
+++
** CL-style generalized variables are now in core Elisp.
*** New function `completion-table-with-quoting' to handle completion
in the presence of quoting, such as file completion in shell buffers.
++++
*** New function `completion-table-subvert' to use an existing completion
table, but with a different prefix.
+++
*** Additional values recognized for option `window-combination-limit'.
-*** New macro `with-temp-buffer-window'.
++++
+*** New macro `with-temp-buffer-window', similar to
+`with-output-to-temp-buffer'.
+---
*** `temp-buffer-resize-mode' no longer resizes windows that have been
reused.
-*** New function `fit-frame-to-buffer' and new options
-`fit-frame-to-buffer' and `fit-frame-to-buffer-bottom-margin'.
++++
+*** New command `fit-frame-to-buffer' adjusts the frame height to
+fit the contents.
+
++++
+*** The command `fit-window-to-buffer' can adjust the frame height
+if the new option `fit-frame-to-buffer' is non-nil.
+
+++
*** New option switch-to-buffer-preserve-window-point to restore a
window's point when switching buffers.
+++
*** New display action functions `display-buffer-below-selected',
and `display-buffer-in-previous-window'.
-
++++
*** New display action alist entry `inhibit-switch-frame', if non-nil,
tells display action functions to avoid changing which frame is
selected.
-
++++
*** New display action alist entry `pop-up-frame-parameters', if
non-nil, specifies frame parameters to give any newly-created frame.
+++
on others. The affected functions are acos, asin, tan, exp, expt,
log, log10, sqrt, and mod.
-** Interpreted files are eagerly macro-expanded during load.
++++
+** Emacs tries to macroexpand interpreted (non-compiled) files during load.
This can significantly speed up execution of non-byte-compiled code,
-but can also bump into harmless and previously unnoticed cyclic
-dependencies. These should not be fatal: they will simply cause the
-macro-calls to be left for later expansion (as before), but will also
-result in a warning ("Eager macro-expansion skipped due to cycle")
-describing the cycle.
+but can also bump into previously unnoticed cyclic dependencies.
+These are generally harmless: they will simply cause the macro calls
+to be left for later expansion (as before), but will result in a
+warning ("Eager macro-expansion skipped due to cycle") describing the cycle.
+You may wish to restructure your code so this does not happen.
** Miscellaneous new functions:
+++
*** `function-get' fetches a function property, following aliases.
+++
*** `posnp' tests if an object is a `posn'.
-*** `set-temporary-overlay-map' sets up a temporary overlay map.
++++
+*** `set-temporary-overlay-map' sets up a temporary keymap that
+takes precedence over most other maps for a short while (normally one key).
+++
*** `system-users' returns the user names on the system.
+++
+++
** New macros `setq-local' and `defvar-local'.
+** Changes to special forms and macros
++++
+*** `defun' and `defmacro' are now macros rather than special forms
++++
+*** `kbd' is now a function rather than a macro.
+
+++
** New fringe bitmap `exclamation-mark'.
++++
** Face underlining can now use a wave.
-See the "Face Attributes" section of the Elisp manual.
** The following functions and variables are obsolete:
---
Pass --with-w32 to configure. The default remains the X11 interface.
** Two new functions are available in Cygwin builds:
-`cygwin-convert-path-from-windows' and `cygwin-convert-path-to-windows'.
-These functions allow Lisp code to access the Cygwin file-name mapping
-machinery to convert between Cygwin and Windows-native file names.
+`cygwin-convert-file-name-from-windows' and
+`cygwin-convert-file-name-to-windows'. These functions allow Lisp
+code to access the Cygwin file-name mapping machinery to convert
+between Cygwin and Windows-native file and directory names.
** When invoked with the -nw switch to run on the Windows text-mode terminal,
Emacs now supports mouse highlight, help-echo (in the echo area), and