Proposal of announcement for CGAL-4.12-beta1

Author: lrineau

Installation/changes.md

@@ -6,6 +6,23 @@ Release 4.12
 
 Release date: April 2018
 
+
+### Important Notice
+
+-   The CMake scripts used by CGAL have been changed to use modern patterns
+    introduced by CMake 2.8.12 and CMake 3.0: instead of setting CMake
+    variables, the script now defines imported targets and uses link
+    interfaces.
+    
+    That is mostly backward-compatible with existing usages of CGAL CMake
+    scripts. The only non-compatible effect is that the `CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE`
+    and compilation flags are no longer copied from the `CGAL_DIR` to the
+    project using it. Note also that the `CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE` is no longer
+    set to `Release` by default. For a developer using the Visual Studio
+    IDE or the Xcode IDE, the change should be transparent. Developers using
+    makefiles or the Ninja build-system should set the `CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE`
+    to `Release` manually.
+
 ### 2D Movable Separability of Sets (new package)
 
 -   A new package called "2D Movable Separability of Sets" has been
@@ -36,10 +53,17 @@ Release date: April 2018
     will have to keep using the source code available in CGAL-4.11 or
     earlier.
 
-### 2D Alpha Shapes
+### 2D Arrangements
 
--   It is now possible to use `CGAL::Periodic_2_triangulation_2` as
-    underlying triangulation for `Alpha_shape_2`.
+-   When removing an edge from an arrangement and the user has requested to
+    remove the end-vertices in case they become redundant (either isolated or
+    approach infinity), defer the removal of the such end-vertices to occur
+    after the observer is notified that the edge has been removed. This is
+    symmetric (opposite) to the order of notification when an edge is inserted.
+
+    The user can restore old (non-symmetric) behaviour by defining the macro:
+
+    `CGAL_NON_SYMETRICAL_OBSERVER_EDGE_REMOVAL_BACKWARD_COMPATIBILITY`
 
 ### 2D Periodic Triangulations
 
@@ -54,6 +78,11 @@ Release date: April 2018
     `Periodic_2_triangulation_2` to
     `Periodic_2_Delaunay_triangulation_2`.
 
+### 2D Alpha Shapes
+
+-   It is now possible to use `CGAL::Periodic_2_triangulation_2` as
+    underlying triangulation for `Alpha_shape_2`.
+
 ### 3D Surface Mesh Generation
 
 -   Add the function `facets_in_complex_2_to_triangle_mesh()` that
@@ -131,18 +160,6 @@ Release date: April 2018
 
     [METIS library]: http://glaros.dtc.umn.edu/gkhome/metis/metis/overview
 
-### 2D Arrangements
-
--   When removing an edge from an arrangement and the user has requested to
-    remove the end-vertices in case they become redundant (either isolated or
-    approach infinity), defer the removal of the such end-vertices to occur
-    after the observer is notified that the edge has been removed. This is
-    symmetric (opposite) to the order of notification when an edge is inserted.
-
-    The user can restore old (non-symmetric) behaviour by defining the macro:
-
-    `CGAL_NON_SYMETRICAL_OBSERVER_EDGE_REMOVAL_BACKWARD_COMPATIBILITY`
-
 
 Release 4.11
 ------------

Maintenance/public_release/announcement/mailing-beta.eml

@@ -1,106 +1,60 @@
-Subject: CGAL 4.11 Beta 1 Released, Computational Geometry Algorithms Library
+Subject: CGAL 4.12 Beta 1 Released, Computational Geometry Algorithms Library
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
 Body: 
 
-The CGAL Open Source Project is pleased to announce the release 4.11 Beta 1
+The CGAL Open Source Project is pleased to announce the release 4.12 Beta 1
 of CGAL, the Computational Geometry Algorithms Library.
 
-CGAL version 4.11 Beta 1 is a public testing release. It should provide
-a solid ground to report bugs that need to be tackled before the
-release of the final version of CGAL 4.11 in September.
-
-
-This release is pretty special by its number of breaking changes in the
-API. In order to have a better feature set, or a better API, several
-packages have been reworked in a way that breaks the back-compatibility
-with the previous versions of the API.
-
-Besides fixes and general enhancement to existing packages, the following
-has changed since CGAL 4.10:
-
-
-* 3D Periodic Regular Triangulations (new feature)
-
-  - Added the class Periodic_3_regular_triangulation_3, which provides
-    functionality for 3D periodic weighted Delaunay triangulations. The
-    construction is fully dynamic: it provides both point insertion and
-    vertex removal.
-
-
-* dD Regular Triangulations (new feature)
 
-  - Added the class Regular_triangulation, which provides functionality for
-    dD weighted Delaunay triangulations. Note that the removal of points is
-    not yet supported.
-
-
-* 2D and 3D Linear Geometry Kernel (breaking change)
-
-  - Breaking change: The dangerous implicit conversions between weighted
-    points and points in the concept Kernel have been
-    disabled. Constructors offering to build a weighted point from a point
-    (and reversely) are still requested by the concept Kernel but must now
-    be marked with the explicit specifier.
-
-  - Breaking change: The removal of implicit conversions between points and
-    weighted points in the concept Kernel has incidentally created various
-    minor breaking changes in the following packages: 2D Alpha Shapes, 2D
-    and 3D Triangulations, and 3D Mesh Generation. See the full changelog
-    for details.
-
-
-* Triangulated Surface Mesh Parameterization (breaking change)
-
-  - Breaking change: The package has been rewritten and can operate on any
-    model of the MutableFaceGraph concept. All previous parameterization
-    methods are still offered, although with a different, simpler API. The
-    documentation has been updated and offers a gentle introduction to the
-    new API. Users who wish to use the former API must use a version prior
-    to 4.11.
-
-  - Breaking change: The adapter to add virtual seams is now the class
-    CGAL::Seam_mesh in the package CGAL and the BGL.
+CGAL version 4.12 Beta 1 is a public testing release. It should provide
+a solid ground to report bugs that need to be tackled before the
+release of the final version of CGAL 4.12 in September.
 
-  - Breaking change: The package has been restructured and most headers
-    have been moved. In a general manner, users should replace <CGAL/XXX.h>
-    with <CGAL/Surface_mesh_parameterization/XXX.h>
 
-  - Add the As Rigid As Possible Parameterization method. This
-    parameterization allows the user to prioritize angle preservation,
-    shape preservation, or a balance of both.
+*WARNING*: The release features an important change of the CMake scripts
+uses to configure the CGAL libraries and examples. Developers using
+makefiles or the Ninja build-system should set the `CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE` to
+`Release` manually, to avoid using CGAL libraries without any compile-time
+optimization. Please read the first paragraph of the release notes
+carefully.
 
-  - Add the Orbifold Tutte Embedding method. This parameterization method
-    allows to parameterize meshes that are topological spheres.
 
+Besides fixes and general enhancement to existing packages, the following
+has changed since CGAL 4.11:
 
-* 3D Surface Subdivision Methods (breaking changes)
 
-  - The subdivision algorithms now work on any model of a
-    MutableFaceGraph. A new API to the subdivision methods is offered,
-    which uses optional named parameters to pass the number of iterations
-    and a vertex property map.
+2D Movable Separability of Sets (new package)
 
-  - Breaking change: Removed the headers <CGAL/Subdivision_method_3.h> and
-    <CGAL/Subdivision_mask_3.h>. The headers <CGAL/Subdivision_method_3/
-    subdivision_methods_3.h> and <CGAL/Subdivision_method_3/
-    subdivision_masks_3.h> should respectively be used instead.
+-   A new package called "2D Movable Separability of Sets" has been
+    introduced. It handles a class of problems that deal with moving
+    sets of objects in the plane; the challenge is to avoid collisions
+    between the objects while considering different kinds of motions and
+    various definitions of separation.
 
-  - Sqrt3 subdivision can now handle input surfaces with a border.
+    At this point this package consists of the implementations of
+    various predicates and constructions related to castings of
+    polygonal objects. In particular, it can be used to determine
+    whether a feasible mold for a polygonal object does exist. If a mold
+    exists, the package can also be used to compute all possible
+    orientations of the feasible molds and the corresponding motions
+    needed to remove the casted object from the mold.
 
+Classification (new package)
 
-* Scale-Space Surface Reconstruction (breaking change)
+-   This package offers an algorithm that classifies a data set into a
+    user-defined set of labels (such as ground, vegetation, buildings,
+    etc.). A flexible API is provided so that users can classify any
+    type of data, compute their own local features on the input data
+    set, and define their own labels.
 
-  - Breaking change: the API was rewritten to separate the smoothing and
-    meshing algorithm and making it possible for the user to use different
-    ones. The default algorithms used are the same as before this API
-    change, but methods are moved to the classes Weighted_PCA_smoother and
-    Alpha_shape_mesher.
+Kinetic Data Structures (removed package)
 
-  - Alternative smoothing and meshing methods are provided: Jet_smoother
-    and Advancing_front_mesher.
+-   This package has been removed from CGAL-4.12. Users of the package
+    will have to keep using the source code available in CGAL-4.11 or
+    earlier.
 
 
-See http://www.cgal.org/2017/07/26/cgal411-beta1/ for a complete list of
+See http://www.cgal.org/2018/02/27/cgal412-beta1/ for a complete list of
 changes.