lua 3.0a

[Mark@... (Mark Ian Barlow)]

Could we please have a brief selective text description on the new features
in Lua3.0a? They are given as:

  + NEW CONCEPT: internal methods based on tags replace fallbacks
    (but fully compatible with 2.5)
      *** I've tested the backwards compatibility (no problem) but I'd
      *** be interested to try out the new concept, given a few hints...
  + new, general syntax for constructors {[exp] = exp, ... }
      *** Self-explanatory (or are there implications?).
  + userdata can now handle arbitrary binary data
      *** Not of immediate interest to me, but maybe others...
  + support for handling variable number of arguments in functions (varargs)
      *** This was already explained in this list, as it was present
      *** but undocumented in Lua2.5.
  + support for conditional compilation ($if ... $else ... $end)
      *** Self-explanatory.
  + better support for writing libraries (auxlib.h)
      *** This can be readily understood by reading the source.
  + luac can now also undump
      *** Self-explanatory.

I realise this is a distraction from work on the beta, but it would enable
us to get some code ready to test it with when it is done! I think the
replacement of fallbacks is probably the most important (to me, at least).

--  Mark Ian Barlow                Non-Linear Control Consultants Ltd.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Mark@nlcc.demon.co.uk            Voice / Fax: +44 (0)1207 562 154