Add v2.18 release notes

doc/releases/index.rst

@@ -12,3 +12,4 @@ IRAF Release Notes
     v215revs
     v216revs
     v217revs
+    v218revs

doc/releases/v217revs.rst

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ IRAF 2.17.1 Release notes
 
 The current IRAF version 2.17.1 is available from github at
 
-https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/releases/latest/
+https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/releases/tag/v2.17.1
 
 Changes to the NOAO 2.16.1 sources include:
 

doc/releases/v218revs.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+IRAF 2.18 Release Notes
+=======================
+
+:Authors: IRAF Community, NOIRLab
+:Date: April 01, 2024
+
+The current IRAF version 2.18 is available from Github at
+
+https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/releases/tag/v2.18
+
+Changes to the version 2.17.1 include:
+
+- **Integration of NOIRLab changes**
+
+  NOIRLab recently published their own 2.18 version with the scope
+  limited to the support of the Gemini data reduction pipeline. All
+  NOIRLab changes are bugfixes, based on NOAO version 2.16.1. They
+  were reviewed and (if useful) integrated into the IRAF baseline.
+  This merge also triggers the update of the version number to be
+  in sync with the NOIRlab version.
+
+- **VOTable support removed**
+
+  This is a consequence of merging the changes from NOIRlab, resulting
+  in a significant simplification of the code. If this creates
+  significant problems to the users, we will re-add VOTable support,
+  however.
+
+- **Command Language start script renamed to irafcl**
+
+  As already done since years in several Linux distributions, the
+  **cl** and **ecl** scripts are renamed to **irafcl**. **cl** and
+  **ecl** often conflict with the Common Lisp executable names and
+  require third special effort by third parties to circumvent
+  problems. For compatibility, **cl** and **ecl** are still provided
+  as links, but their use is deprecated. Please use **irafcl**
+  instead. A man page is provided.
+
+- **Support for the LoongArch architecture**
+
+  Support for using IRAF on the Chinese LoongArch LA64 architecture
+  was added. Binaries will be provided as part of the Debian loong64
+  port.
+
+- **Bug fixes and code cleanup**
+
+  As before, a number of bugs was fixed in this release. Cleaning up
+  the code and modernization of the code structure continued. This is
+  in large parts a benefit of integrating the NOIRLab changes.
+
+
+Detailed list of changes
+------------------------
+
+This list shows all pull requests that were merged since 2.17.1.
+
+- Makefile install fixes found when creating the Debian package (`#315 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/315>`__)
+- Strip more files from the installed package (`#316 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/316>`__)
+- C tweaks to make f2c compileable on Debian/mipsel (`#317 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/317>`__)
+- Fix iraf$ variable for "inplace" (personal) installation (`#318 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/318>`__)
+- Rename ecl canonical name to irafcl (`#323 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/323>`__)
+- Remove version information from CITATION.cff (`#332 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/332>`__)
+- Remove VOTable support  (`#330 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/330>`__)
+- Extend (E)CL testing (`#368 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/368>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Re-add the vtel package (`#343 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/343>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Update observatory database  (`#344 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/344>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Clean up tbtables package (`#345 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/345>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Force exclusion of .git directory from processing in rmbin and rmfiles (`#362 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/362>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Remove unused variabled from nttables (`#351 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/351>`__)
+- NOIRLAB:  Restore missing font data files in sys/gio/fonts (`#356 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/356>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: string buffer fix in mii_readc in "help" package (`#355 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/355>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Potential xc/xpp string overflow fixes (`#349 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/349>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Small fixes in IRAF system packages (`#363 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/363>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Remove or comment out unused variables (`#352 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/352>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Small bugfixes for libsys (`#361 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/361>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Small "noao" package fixes (`#360 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/360>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: fixes and cleanup for the "mkpkg" tool (`#348 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/348>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: cosmetic change for the "generic" tool (`#347 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/347>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: minor libboot.a improvements (`#350 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/350>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Improve (E)CL code internals (`#364 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/364>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Rewrite file taken from IRAF64 (`#353 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/353>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: zzsetenv.def updates (`#365 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/365>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: several patches for libos.a (`#346 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/346>`__)
+- Use fpurge/__fpurge to cancel buffered output (`#366 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/366>`__)
+- Add support for LoongArch (`#371 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/371>`__)
+- Update INSTALL.md typo (`#373 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/373>`__)
+- New Github runner for Mac M1 (`#374 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/374>`__)
+- Fix problems with using f2c.e/f77.sh on plain Fortran files (`#370 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/370>`__)
+- Remove outdated options from XC (`#372 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/372>`__)
+- Provide compatibility link to mkfloat.csh (`#375 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/375>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Don't add to helpdb var if no helpdb.mip (sqiid/upsqiid) (`#378 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/378>`__)
+- CI workflow: update actions/checkout to v4 (`#382 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/382>`__)
+- NOIRLAB: Add numerical recipes to libxtools for Noirlab compatibility (`#387 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/387>`__)
+- Allow empty IRAFARCH in irafpath() (`#388 <https://github.com/iraf-community/iraf/pull/388>`__)