Release notes

The main changes at this release are:

• The HELP text has been tidied as part of the preparation for an IRAF version of Figaro.

• Workspace for internal calculations is now allocated from memory, rather than in temporary NDFs. This leads to an improvement in speed for applications effected. The difference is generally quite small, except where the working directory resides on a `remote' NFS-mounted disk. In this case the change is quite significant and is most noticeable with a command like `image'. Typically, the task completes in 15-25% of the time previously taken, depending on the level of network activity and disk usage. After the image is displayed, there is no longer a delay before the shell prompt returns. See Figaro Tips for more information on optimising your use of Figaro.

  The applications for which this change will be significant are:

     APERTURE CLEAN    COADD   ECHARC FIGS321  FIGS322
     IGCONV   IMAGE    ISEDIT  ISHIFT ISTAT    ISTRETCH
     MEDFILT  MEDFILTR MEDSKY  OVERPF RETYPE
  

  `Istat' is only effected if median=true. `Medfilt', `medfiltr', and `retype' are only effected if the output is to the same file as used for input. About 40 other applications should see a slight improvement in performance.

• The routine DSA_RESHAPE_DATA has been modified to ensure that the minimum space required for an output file is used. Previously, the size of an output file from a task using DSA_RESHAPE_DATA would be the same as the input file. This change effects several applications, notably `extract' and `ystract'. These two commands, which produce spectra from input 2-D datasets, would previously produce output files much larger than needed.

• Bug fixes.

• The Introduction and Beginners sections of SUN/86 have been updated; this reflects the withdrawal of XADAM.