Subject: Vim 6.0b alpha available
From: Bram Moolenaar <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 22:12:30 +0200

The second Vim in the 6.0 series.

WARNING: This is really an unstable version.  Many things have been added
without proper testing.  It does crash.  It may destroy your work.

This version is for developers, thus it comes as source code only.
If you run into something that doesn't work, please try to figure out why,
try to solve it and send me a patch.  If you can't do that, at least send me
precise information to save me time.

If you don't like the syntax of a command, the name of an option or how the
new features work, let's discuss this in the vim-dev maillist.

In version 6.0b:

I have fixed a few reported problems.  The rest is still in the todo list.

The main new item in 6.0b is the support for filetype settings.
I have tried to summarize this at ":help usr_43.txt".
- Added the 'runtimepath' option and the ":runtime" command.  These are used
  to find settings files in $VIMRUNTIME/settings and other directories.
- The $VIMRUNTIME/settings directory contains a few examples for settings
  files.  These are used when ":filetype settings on" has been used.  By
  setting the 'runtimepath' option you can add your own settings files.
- Each local option also has a global value.  ":set" sets both the local and
  the global value.  ":setlocal" only sets the local value.  A modeline only
  sets the local value.  When editing a new buffer the global values are
  used.
- Mappings local to a buffer have been added: ":map <buffer>".
- The "s:name" variables are local to a script.  No need to ":unlet" them.
- The ":finish" command is a quick way to stop sourcing a Vim script.

You might run into backwards compabitility problems because of the changes in
the runtime files.  Try to find out what causes it and send a message to
vim-dev.

The German translations should be working now (thanks to Johannes
Zellner).  But there are a few last-minute changes...

More info for the new 6.0 features at ":help version6".

Lots of things are not working yet.  Check ":help todo" for known items.

I NEED YOUR HELP: There is still a lot of work to be done.  If I have to do it
all by myself it will take a very long time until Vim.6.0 is ready.  Please
give a hand by implementing one of the items in the todo list.

You can find it here: ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/unreleased/

unix/vim-6.0b-rt.tar.gz		runtime files
unix/vim-6.0b-src.tar.gz	sources

extra/vim-6.0b-extra.tar.gz	extra files
extra/vim-6.0b-lang.tar.gz	multi-language files

Happy Vimming!