From: steck@ccs.neu.edu (Paul Steckler)
To: steck@ccs.neu.edu (Paul Steckler)
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 14:47:46 -0500 (EST)
Subject: DrScheme v200alpha1 available

An alpha release of DrScheme v200 is available now from

  http://download.plt-scheme.org/

THIS IS AN ALPHA RELEASE.  v200alpha1 is incompatible with v103
in many ways:  The teaching languages are slightly different;
the stepper is not ready; and DrScheme has not been tested
as thoroughly.  Teachers and students using DrScheme in
coursework should wait for the final 200 release, which will
occur close to a new semester.  Others should upgrade with
caution.

For those who can upgrade, however, v200alpha1 is likely to
work significantly better than 103.  On the surface, DrScheme
looks much as it did in version 103, but it tends to load
programs faster, provide better error messages, and adapt
more easily to new variants of Scheme.  Below the surface,
v200 is organized around a new module system that simplifies
many tasks, such as managing multi-file programs, developing
syntactic extensions, compiling with mzc, and building
stand-alone executables.

Associated PLT software packages, such as MysterX and
SrPersist, will have alpha v200 releases within the next
few weeks.

The improvements include:

 - DrScheme now provides a fully-compliant R5RS language,
    including hygienic macros.

 - New languages can be added to DrScheme easily.  See
    the Tools manual for details.

 - The PLT Scheme language includes a new namespace-managing
    `module’ form (which complements the component-defining
    `unit’ form).

 - TeachPacks now support macro definitions (v103 TeachPacks
    are not compatible with v200 DrScheme, however).

 - A Web server provides support for developing fast, interactive
    servlets

 - DrScheme’s GUI interface supports French, Spanish, and
    German, as well as English

 - The space used for the Definitions and Interactions
    windows in DrScheme is interactively resizable.

 - Dorai Sitaram’s Teach Youself Scheme in Fixnum Days is
    included in the DrScheme documentation.

 - An online version checker makes sure the installed versions
    of DrScheme and other packages are up-to-date.

DrScheme v200alpha1 is available for

 - Sparc Solaris 8
 - Linux (tar.gz and RPM formats)
 - Windows (95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP)

Please note that DrScheme v200alpha1 is not currently available
for any Macintosh platform.  MzScheme v200alpha1 is available
for Mac OS X only.

Enjoy!

-- Paul Steckler