

::: The Abaco System :::
------------------------


This is the sixth public release of the Abaco
System (Version Beta 2.3 - APR 13, 2004).

Abaco (Algebraic Based Action COmpiler) is a
development environment that helps the
definition of action semantics descriptions
of programming languages.

Abaco, which is implemented in Java,
is a tool which allows:

- the edition of  action semantics descriptions;
- the evaluation of these descriptions;
- the performance of actions;
- a step-by-step performance of actions;
- exporting and formatting descriptions to HTML and LaTeX.
- 

Abaco Beta 2 contains some initial support for
Action Notation 2.

To get the Abaco System please visit the Abaco
Download Page at:

http://www.cin.ufpe.br/~rat/download/download-abaco.html


:: DISTRIBUTION ::

The Abaco distribution contains the following files:

README.txt: This file.

abaco2.30.jar: The Abaco System executable.
runtime.jar : Library used by the binary code generated by Abaco when executing
              outside the interface
abaco_library.prj: An specification that contains definitions used by several 
              specifications (Action Notation, DataNotation, etc.). The Abaco
              searches in this specifications for imported specifications that
              were not found in the current projects before to raise the
              appropriated error message.
microPascal.prj: An specification for a pascal-like programming language
microML.prj: An specification for a ml-like programming language


:: EXECUTION OF THE SYSTEM ::

To execute the system just execute the following command
in the shell (or command prompt):

$ java -jar abaco2.30.jar

In a graphical user interface, just click (or double-click)
on the abaco2.30.jar file icon.

:: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ::

We are working in new improvements for the next
releases. If you have any bug report or suggestion
please contact us.

We have a list discursion to announce new versions
of the system, help the users, bug fixes, etc.
To subscribe this list send an
e-mail to: abaco-l-request@cin.ufpe.br
with the following body: "subscribe".

You can also contact us by e-mail: rat@cin.ufpe.br

:: Improvements

Beta 2.3.0
   * Some GUI bugs were found and fixed.
   * The execution engine were rewritten and now
     the specifications are executed directly in bytecode
     and not using a Abaco virtual machine it improved the
     execution speed but make the compilation slower and more
     memory demanding.
   * The parsing algorithm was improved.
   * The specification language was improved with some type checking
     algorithms missed in the last releases and have new features like:
       * More flexible pretty-printer facility
       * Definition of primitive type (strings, integer) defined using 
         regular expressions inside.
       * A new Abaco <--> native-code interface.
   * Now Abaco can export compiled specifications to a JAR
     file that could be used outside the environment. For example,
     we used this feature to produce an Action Notation Interpreter Applet.
   * The extension model for action notation (presented by a paper
     in AS2002) is implemented in the Abaco. But is was not yet fully
     integrated in the system for performance reasons.

Beta 2.2.2
   * Real fixed of store command
Beta 2.2.1
   * Fixed store command
Beta 2.2
   * Fixed more bugs in the Graphical User Interface
Beta 2.1
   * Fixed some bugs and improvements in the Graphical User Interface
   * Help System improved
Beta 2.0
   * Faster parser engine
   * Fixed some inconsistencies in the implementation of 
     the action notation
   * Initial Print/Export capabilities
   * New help implementation
   * Minors bug fixed

Beta 1.0
   * Initial Release of the systems

----------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for using Abaco.

The Recife Action ToolS Team
Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil
http://www.cin.ufpe.br/~rat

