"24-bit" XImtool -- Beta Release Now Available

The X11IRAF v2.0 release featuring XImtool support for 24-bit displays is now available as a beta release for general use from the following urls:

Source Distribution:
    http://iraf.noao.edu/x11iraf/x11iraf-v2.0BETA-src.tar.gz

Pre-built Binaries:
    http://iraf.noao.edu/x11iraf/x11iraf-v2.0BETA-bin.redhat.tar.gz
    http://iraf.noao.edu/x11iraf/x11iraf-v2.0BETA-bin.macosx.tar.gz
    http://iraf.noao.edu/x11iraf/x11iraf-v2.0BETA-bin.macintel.tar.gz

Limited internal-testing has shown this package is stable enough for wider testing within the user-community, however it should be remembered this is a Beta-release and some problems and platform-specific issues might still be found (but are expected to be easily solved). Known issues (and existing features for those not familiar with XImtool) are outlined in the release notes available at

        ftp://iraf.noao.edu/iraf/x11iraf/Notes-V2.0.html
        ftp://iraf.noao.edu/iraf/x11iraf/Notes-V1.3.html

This release provides only the existing X11IRAF applications with 24-bit X11 display support.

Please reply with any comments, suggestions or bug-reports as they occur. Future development is highly dependent on the amount and quality of feedback received with this release: Please post a comment if you would like to see this work continue and/or have suggestions for new features. Bug reports may be posted to the forums. Detailed release notes are in the body of the posting below.

NUMBER: 570
MODULE: imexpr, mskexpr, or tasks other asks using the expression evaluator
SYSTEM: -V2.14.1
DATE: Mon Nov 3 22:16:41 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: Use of the built-in functions mod, min, max, and median produce an "incompatible types" error even though the types of the arguments are correct. This is a due to a coding error. There is no workaround other than using alternative ways to express the desired expression.

STATUS: Fixed for the next release.

NUMBER: 569
MODULE: cosmicrays
SYSTEM: -V2.14.1
DATE: Mon Oct 13 10:33:15 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: The message

• ERROR: PLIO: reference out of bounds on mask

• cosmicrays image[*,*,1]

NUMBER: 568
MODULE: imcombine
SYSTEM: -V2.14.1
DATE: Tue Oct 7 12:52:35 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: When using avsigclip, ccdclip, or sigclip rejection around the median (mclip=yes) the resulting final median may be incorrect. This will generally only occur if unusually small low sigma values, such as lsigma=1, are used. This was due to using a wrong variable.

STATUS: Fixed for the next release.

NUMBER: 567
MODULE: apall, apedit
SYSTEM: V2.11-V2.14.1
DATE: Tue Oct 7 10:53:14 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: The :parameters and :apertures commands cause the task to exit with an error that parameter "apertures" isn't found. This problem has existed for a long time due to a missing parameter in the hidden parameter sets.

STATUS: Fixed for the next release.

A V2.14.1 Patch release of IRAF is now available from the Downloads area and from the anonymous ftp archive at iraf.noao.edu. This release adds support for FreeBSD to the PC-IRAF release, and is the first public release of the Sun/IRAF system for Sparc CPU systems. With this patch, a total of 9 platforms are now supported.

Detailed release notes are available online, or for the impatient, are in the body of the story. These notes also contain information on how to upgrade/install this patch. The V2.14.1 patch release is recommended for all users. Please post if you find any problems with the distribution or encounter a problem upgrading your system.

I officially give up. Spam registrations from public email accounts like Gmail/Yahoo/AOL/Earthlink/Hotmail are running at the rate of 40-50/day and I'm fed up with constantly clearing them out. I myself use a Gmail account for registrations like this, but when the ratio of spam to legitimate users from these domains is 500:1 or more, it's time to take drastic action.

So, from now on, registrations from the above systems will no longer be allowed for new users. If you need to register please use your university/institutional email address: Send a note to the 'admin' at iraf.net if you'd like me to change this email afterward to anonymize it, or if you have no other email account and would like me to manually register you with one of the banned domains.

NUMBER: 566
MODULE: display
SYSTEM: V2.12.4-V2.14
DATE: Tue Aug 26 17:10:07 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: The "ocolors" parameter was being used in place of the "bpcolors" parameter. There is no workaround.
STATUS: Fixed for the next release.

NUMBER: 565
MODULE: imextensions
SYSTEM: V2.13-V2.14
DATE: Mon Aug 25 16:24:33 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: Specifying an extension version or range of versions results in an integer divide by zero. This is a bug for which there is no around.
STATUS: Fixed for the next release.

NUMBER: 564
MODULE: ccdmask
SYSTEM: -V2.14.1
DATE: Fri Aug 22 09:27:06 MST 2008
FROM: valdes

BUG: The output mask from ccdmask is incorrect if the task has been run previously without starting the executable fresh. The workaround is to type "flpr ccdmask" before executing this task to force a fresh executable.

STATUS: Undiagnosed at present. Only the workaround has been defined.