The first pretest for the next Texinfo release has been uploaded to http://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-6.0.90.tar.xz ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/texinfo/texinfo-6.0.90.tar.xz
Please send bug reports and general feedback to bug-texinfo@gnu.org. The main change since the last release that is likely to cause problems is the use of extension modules for the Perl interpreter in the implementation of the 'makeinfo' program. These extension modules are intended to speed the program up by replacing parts of the program written in Perl with fast, compiled code (written in C), in order to compensate for the increase in program run time after Texinfo 5.0 featured a rewrite of 'makeinfo' in Perl. If this approach is a success, it will be possible to obtain further speed-ups in the future by replacing more of the program with code written in a compiled language. Detailed list of changes: * Language: . You can now optionally miss out the @menu from nodes with other nodes below them in the document structure. If you use "@validatemenus off" near the start of a Texinfo file, makeinfo will, where needed, create a menu for nodes lacking one given explicitly. . An @setfilename line is no longer required at the start of a Texinfo file. (Be aware, though, that some other tools may require it, for example Automake.) . For processing with TeX, a comma is automatically provided following a @ref command when needed to separate the page number from following text, so you don't need to add one yourself. This gives you the choice of whether to have a comma there in Info or HTML output. For example "@xref{Another Section} for more information" produces "See Another Section, page NN, for more information" in the printed output, and "*Note Another Section:: for more information" in the Info output. * texinfo.tex: . You may explicity specify a sort key for an index entry by preceding the text of the entry with the @sortas commmand with the sort key desired as a braced argument. Additionally, you may choose to ignore all occurences of the characters \, @, <, and - using new flags you can specify with @set: `txiindexbackslashignore', `txiindexatsignignore', `txiindexlessthanignore', and `txiindexhyphenignore' respectively. . Changes to macro handling to more closely match makeinfo. Ends of lines are preserved in an argument to a macro taking a single argument. . By default, suppress heading line on a page with a chapter on it, to avoid having the chapter title repeated. . Use a larger font for arguments in a @deffn line and similar. . The default indices (cp, ky and so on) now don't get a file opened for them unless they are actually used. This reduces the number of files that a run of TeX produces, and also allows for a greater number of user-defined indices, as you will not bump into TeX's limit of 16 open files at once so soon. . For initials in indices that are non-alphanumeric characters (for example, backslash, or braces), avoid use of a typewriter font. This gives a more consistent appearance. . Have a stronger preference for breaking a column in an index before a letter heading. . Formatting improvements in tables of contents and indices. Entries can extend slightly into the margin instead of being broken across two lines, and text is split more evenly across lines. Reduce chance of an orphaned index entry appearing at the top of a column. * texi2dvi . Support of getting output files using the `-recorder' option to TeX, to try to support more TeX engines. * makeinfo . Some Perl modules have been rewritten in C to increase speed. Disable at build time with "configure --disable-perl-xs". The environment variable `TEXINFO_XS' controls how they are used by makeinfo. . Quotation marks are left out for node names and index entries in Info output where they would have been produced by commands such as @file or @option. . New customization variable INFO_SPECIAL_CHARS_QUOTE to allow use of a quoting mechanism for problematic constructs in Info output, for example node names containing colons or commas. . Commands like @heading are affected by @lowersections and @raisesections again, as was the case before Texinfo 5.0. * info . New user variables `link-style', `active-link-style', and `match-style' enable customization of how cross-references and search matches are highlighted. . By default only the node pointers are displayed at the top of a node. Customize this with the `nodeline' variable. . New command M-x tree-search to search all subnodes of a node . Now tries to find referenced manuals in the same directory as the current file first, before looking in search path. Customize this with new variable `follow-strategy'. . The `mouse' variable is now off by default, in order not to interfere with the selection of text in a terminal emulator window. . `q' closes a window instead of quitting altogether if there's more than one, for example if a help window is open. . Several bug fixes, including: . one causing the wrong position in a node to be shown when following an "anchor" cross-reference . one causing a test failure in the t/c-u-m-x-scroll-forward.sh test on some platforms . Internal changes to reduce memory use and increase speed of searches, relative to last release . The meaning of the `key-time' variable has changed when its value is 0. This value meant to wait forever in the last release, but now it means that the next byte must be available immediately. * Miscellaneous . The `info.info' file is no longer distributed with Texinfo. * Distribution: . automake-1.15, gettext-0.19.6