Appendix A Release Notes

This experimental version of MIT/GNU Scheme got a new project name, MIT/GNU Scheme Pucked, and a new command name, mit-scheme-pucked, so that it can be installed alongside the stable release. While it comes with experimental plugins and a strange name, the core of the system is largely unchanged. Note that this is a bleeding edge core. The head of the MIT/GNU Scheme project’s development branch on Savannah is merged in frequently.

The experimental code unique to this “pucked” version of Scheme is almost entirely contained in the new plugins. One “old” plugin, Edwin, has significant changes that accommodate Gtk screens, but this change should not be apparent to casual users. If your code does not hack Edwin and you previously said

mit-scheme --load my-code

you should be able to say

mit-scheme-pucked --load my-code

and be no worse off.

Users may want to use the following enhancements in their code.

• The Debian packaging includes a .desktop file in freedesktop.org format. In the right place it makes this Scheme available through an icon (a lambda holding a fountain pen) in a .desktop aware application launcher.
• The installation process includes HTML documentation by default. In the right place these files are available in your web browser, whether online or offline, using a file URL like the following Ubuntu locator.

  file:///usr/share/doc/mit-scheme-pucked/html/index.html
  

  HTML documentation for installed plugins is found in the same location.

• The planetarium plugin can draw a simple tellurion, but that’s about all.
• The gtk-screen plugin allows Edwin to display text using Pango.

The cond-expand feature pucked will be present, to keep your adaptations to this experiment separate from old code intended only for your stable worlds.