This is the changes file for PennMUSH 1.7.7. Please look it over; each
version contains new things which might significantly affect the
function of your server.  Changes are reported in reverse
chronological order (most recent first)

[TN] is Thorvald Natvig, a PennMUSH developer (aka Trivian)
[TAP] is T. Alexander Popiel, a PennMUSH developer (aka Talek)
[SW] is Shawn Wagner, a PennMUSH developer (aka Raevnos)
[EEH] is Ervin Hearn III, a PennMUSH developer (aka Noltar)
[LdW] is Luuk de Waard, a former PennMUSH developer (aka Halatir)
[RLM] is Ralph Melton, a former PennMUSH developer
[NJG] is Nick Gammon, the Win32 porter
[DW] is Dan Williams, the MacOS porter
[2.2] refers to code which originated with the TinyMUSH 2.2 developers
[3] refers to code by (or inspired by) TinyMUSH 3.0
[Rhost] refers to code by (or inspired by) RhostMUSH

==========================================================================

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 40                     December 1, 2004

Major Changes:
  * Another pass at the chunk allocator! Simpler but effective.
    Folks should, however, greatly reduce their chunk_migrate
    value in mush.cnf -- we suggest '50'. [TAP]
Commands:
  * @command/alias can alias commands. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * zwho() and zmwho(). [EEH]
Minor Changes:
  * utils/penn-install is no longer part of the PennMUSH distribution
    (it's part of the Debian maintainer's stuff). [EEH]
  * Inheritable @locks are inherited off of ancestor objects. 
    Suggested by Zith@Lovarii. [SW] 
Fixes:
  * Infinite recursion in @lock/examine fixed. Report by
    Amy Kou'ai (Amy@ShoujoAi) and Sparta Kerleon (Sparta@ShoujoAi). [TAP]
  * @flag/letter now allows setting a flag's letter to one used by
    another flag that works on different object types. Report by Lenon.
  * Translation corrections by Cheetah@M*U*S*H and [EEH].
  * Added __USE_POSIX to the cflags for linux, and removed 
    checking for -lbind, to help SuSE 9.  Report by Ambrosia@M*U*S*H.
  * Fixes to panic db loading logic. [SW] 
  * escape() shouldn't double-escape the first character of the
    string when it's a special character. Report by Walker@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 39                     October 25, 2004

Major Changes:
  * Game and chat database formats have been rewritten. They are 
    much more human-readable, can be extended with new fields
    without using versioning flags, and provide better detection
    and reporting of malformed databases. [SW]
  * Chunk deref counts for locks are now stored in the database. [SW]
Commands:
  * New 'buy' command for purchasing items from vendors that can offer
    multiple items at multiple prices. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * restrict_command and @command/restrict can now include an
    error message to be sent when the player can't use the command,
    which supercedes more generic errors. Suggested by Philip Mak.
    Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * lwho() can take an argument to produce the who list from that
    player's viewpoint. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * nattr(obj/attrib) returns 1 when matching a non-wildcarded attrib.
    Report by Impster@M*U*S*H.
  * +chan <msg> is now converted to @chat <chan>=<msg> (with noeval)
    so @chat hooks apply to +chatting too. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * You must be able to locate a player to perform elock() on them.
    Report by Ambrosia.
  * Help fixes by Sketch@M*U*S*H.
  * Simplification of @version code. [SW]
  * cemit() restrictions are now based on those of @cemit, instead
    of @emit. Report by BlackPhyr.
  * Setting queue_loss to 0 disables queue_loss. A bad idea, but
    more consistent behavior. Suggested by K Moon.
  * Examining objects always shows their actual number of coins,
    whether or not they're admin or no_pay.
  * Code cleanup in @edit and in char routines. [SW].
  * Wrong object checked when reporting money as unlimited. Report
    by Nate Barney. [EEH]
  * New hints/freebsd_5.sh. Suggested by James Lang.
  * INFO command once again reports the server as "PennMUSH",
    not just a version number. Report by Mark Hassman.
  * Win32 linting. Builds with NT_TCP should work again (although
    @shutdown/reboot under NT_TCP is still not functional). 
    Reorganization of the Win32 services macros. [EEH]
  * Fix to bug with login attempts using literal encrypted strings.
    Reported by Cadar and Mirrador.
  * @ps/all shows the right label on top. Patch by qa'toq@bDv.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 38                     August 25, 2004

Commands:
  * @boot/silent disconnects without the standard message.
    Suggested by Thor@bDv.
Fixes:
  * Crash bug in is_objid fixed. Report by Wayne@PDX.
  * God could cause a flag to lose its type status, and then become
    inaccessible. Report by Wayne@PDX.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 37                     August 23, 2004

Major changes:
  * @adisconnect is triggered on every disconnection, partial or full.
    This mirrors the behavior of @aconnect. Use %1 (the number of
    remaining connections) to distinguish between partial and full
    disconnects in @adisconnect code.
Minor changes (user-visible):
  * When a player disconnects, their recv(), sent(), and cmds()
    values are passed to triggered @adisconnects as %2, %3, and %4.
    The number of remaining connections is passed as %1.
    Suggested by Jessica Hawthorne and Wayne@PDX.
  * No_Pay players now have their money reported as unlimited by
    examine and score (but money() still returns a useful integer value).
    ex/debug can be used to see the object's Pennies field.
    Suggested by Wayne@PDX.
Fixes:
  * ex obj/*1 and similar was matching like ex obj/*1*. Reported by
    Math@HavenMUSH.
  * inc() and dec() with out-of-range integers now return a more
    useful error instead of odd behavior. Suggested by Jessica Hawthorne.
  * Win32 bug with renamed temporary database files resolved.
    Reported by AndromedaMU.
  * Help fixes by Mike Griffiths.
  * @mail commands with no message list were not using current folder.
    Report by Jessica Hawthorne.

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 36                     August 9, 2004

Functions:
  * l/lv/n/nv/x/xvthings() functions by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * New flag to locate(), 'y', for matching player names like pmatch(),
    without requiring a leading * before the name like the 'p' flag. [SW]
  * lattr()/nattr() works for mortals on non-owned objects, showing
    or counting only attribs they can examine. Suggested by Philip Mak,
    patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes (user-visible):
  * Mortals can no longer teleport HEAVY admin through exits.
    Suggested by Ambrosia@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes (internals):
  * win32 directory has subdirectories for msvc6 and msvc.net. [EEH]
  * locate() on dark rooms now works for see_all players. Suggested
    by Wayne@PDX.
Fixes:
  * @mail subjects are stripped of ansi before being stored (escape
    chars were always smashed on display). Suggested by Wayne@PDX.
  * @command/delete by God of a non-existing command caused a crash.
    Report by Wayne@PDX.
  * Follow works again. Report by Shirow.
  * Fix to digest()'s sha hash on systems without OpenSSL. [SW]
  * @list/command no longer includes duplicates. Report by Relay@M*U*S*H. [EEH]
  * comp() again returns -1/1 instead of -2/2. Report by Jessica Hawthorne.
  * sort() of large floats works again. Report by Jessica Hawthorne.
  * Linting of warnings in funlist.c. Report by Nymeria@M*U*S*H.
  * It was possible for wizards to create circular zone chains that
    would cause an infinite loop. Report by Wayne@PDX.
  * safe_ansi_string was double-prepending starting ansi codes.
    Report by Shirow.
  * Debian packaging improvements. [EEH]
  * Help fixes by Mike Griffiths.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 35                     July 21, 2004

Attributes:
  * NO_NAME and NO_SPACE attribute flags, when applied to @o-message
    attributes, omit either the enactor's name or the space after it
    when sending the message to others. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H. [3]
Commands:
  * @break <expression>=<new command> now runs <new command>
    instead of simply stopping execution when <expression> is true.
    New command @assert breaks and runs new command when <expression>
    is false.  Suggested by Philip Mak and Zebranky@M*U*S*H. Patch by 
    Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * The new command 'huh_command' is responsible for handling unmatched
    command input. By default, it produces the usual Huh? message, but
    it can be overridden with @hook. Logging of huhs is now controlled
    in restrict.cnf and the log_huhs mush.cnf directive is removed.
    Suggested by T'orA and Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * New @decompile/prefix switch generalizes @decompile/tf.
    Prefixes are now applied even when decompiling multiple attributes,
    and a bug in doing so is corrected. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * New @edit/first switch only replaces first occurrence of string.
    Suggested by Kevin@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * malias() function for examining mail aliases. Inspired by
    Kevin@M*U*S*H.
  * llocks()/locks() lists locks on an object. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * lset() function works like @lset. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * lockflags() and llockflags() show short and long flags set on a lock.
    Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * lattrp() is lattr() including parent attribs. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * nattr(obj/wildcardpattern) is now supported. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * nattrp() is nattr() including parent attribs. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * xattr(obj/wildcardpattern,start,count) extracts the corresponding
    elements from lattr(). xattrp() is xattr() including parent attribs. 
    Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes (user-visible):
  * @lset and lock() recognize locks beginning with user:. Patch by
    Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * When a player causes an ambiguous channel match, the error message
    mentions CHAN_USEFIRSTMATCH, which now has a help entry.
    Suggested by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * New sort options: sorting by dbref name, idle time, connection seconds, 
    creation time, owner dbref, and attribute values.  sort() and any 
    functions that use list2arr() are now ansi-aware. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * You can @name yourself to your @alias; this swaps name and alias.
    Suggested by Oriens@Alexandria. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes (internals):
  * Several global variables are now encapsulated in a single structure
    to reduce potential namespace clashes.
  * Reorganization of some filecopy.c code. [SW]
Fixes:
  * @mail manipulation specifying folder 0 explicitly when the
    current folder is non-zero didn't work right. Report by 
    Jess Hawthorne.
  * Buffer overflow in string handling fixed. Report by Ashen-Shugar.
  * @sitelock/name of an already locked name no longer creates extra
    entries. Report by Nymeria@M*U*S*H.
  * make depend no longer produces an unterminated Makefile.SH.
    Reported by Bytor and Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * Help fixes by [SW].
  * Fix to replace_string2 to prevent overflow situations. Report by
    Atuarre. [SW].
  * Removed non-static shutdownsock prototype in hdrs/mysocket.h.
    Report by Kholnuu@M*U*S*H.
  * SQL code should be much more memory-efficient. [SW]
  * Code cleanup and fixes to some memory leaks with strcoll. [SW]


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 34                     June 22, 2004

Flags and Powers:
  * Debit power allows the giving of negative amounts of money.
    Suggested by Hemlon@SevenStones.
  * The setting and resetting of flags and powers can be logged 
    by using the new 'log' restriction. Changes were made in
    flaglocal.dst which you must carry over into flaglocal.c
    (or, if you don't use flaglocal.c, just rm src/flaglocal.c and
    flaglocal.dst will be copied in its place). Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*S*H
    [SW]
  * Setting and resetting @powers are once again logged by default. [SW]
Locks:
  * @lock/speech can now be set by unprivileged players. @lock/speech
    now applies to all players (it is no longer automatically overridden
    by admin). SPEECH_LOCK`*FAILURE attributes can be used to override 
    the default failure messages when @lock/speech fails.
Commands:
  * ex/parent examines an object and shows attributes that will be
    inherited from its parents (if you are permitted to examine
    the parent as well). Suggested by BladedThoth@M*U*S*H. 
  * examine now shows the complete (examinable-by-enactor) chain of 
    parent objects, not just the nearest parent. Suggested by Luke@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * mailsend() is a function form of @mail/send. Suggested by Moe@ChicagoMUSH
  * ncon, nvcon, nexits, nvexits, nplayers, nvplayers, nwho, nvwho 
    functions to count the number of each thing. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * xcon, xvcon, xexits, xvexits, xplayers, xvplayers, xwho, xvwho functions 
    to extract slices of potentially long contents, etc. lists. [Rhost,TM]
    Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes (user-visible):
  * Players can no longer be set CHOWN_OK. Suggested by Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
    If you have existing CHOWN_OK players, you probably want to unset
    this from them, or the results will be confusing (they'll continue
    to appear to have the flag, even though it won't be testable or
    settable or clearable; this is desired behavior).
  * If you're See_All and Pemit_All, you may now @cemit on any channel.
    Based on a suggestion by Philip Mak.
  * Attempting to give a player more than max_pennies will give them
    enough to get them to max_pennies, instead of being treated as
    an error. Similarly, taking away more pennies than they have will
    take away exactly all their pennies.
  * Improved errors for unprivileged users doing @boot/port.
    Suggested by Intrevis@M*U*S*H. [TAP]
Minor changes (internals):
  * pre OS X Macintosh OSes are no longer supported. Hints for 
    Darwin are improved. [SW]
  * An extra file descriptor only needed on Sun OS boxes was being
    opened on all unix systems. [SW]
  * If no config file name is given on the netmush program's command line,
    it will assume you mean mush.cnf instead of quitting. You should still
    be using the restart script instead of netmush directly, though, as it
    does important things like using the right database... [SW]
  * 'make local-files' will copy all the src/*local.dst files to their
    respective .c counterparts. Suggested by Nymeria@M*U*S*H. [SW]
Fixes:
  * Configure handles the case where SO_KEEPALIVE works but TCP_KEEPIDLE isn't
    defined. [SW]
  * Win32 portability fixes and mingw hints. [EEH]
  * Raising max_logins from 0 with @config/set wouldn't take existing
    connections into account. [SW] 
  * $commands starting with # (that don't look like an @force by dbref)
    will now be matched. Reported by Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * version() is verbose again. Reported by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * The double-add of SQL_OK on minimal.db is now really fixed.
    See p33 changes for information. Report by Mordie@M*U*S*H.
  * Help fixes by Kevin@M*U*S*H and Cerekk@bDv.
  * @boot/desc on one's own descriptor is no longer translated to
    @boot/me. [TAP]
  * Overflow of integer argument in giving pennies fixed. Report by
    Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * Typo in fun_vcross() fixed. [SW]
  * Configure does better when ssl shared libraries, but not static
    libraries, are available. You can use -D no_openssl to skip SSL checks.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 33                     June 3, 2004

Minor changes (internals):
  * IsPlayer, etc. macros rewritten for clarity by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Use enums in place of some more #defines and magic numbers. [SW]
  * New did_it_with() hc function simplifies passing a dbref as %0
    to did_it actions. [SW]
Fixes:
  * The SQL_OK power could get double-added. If this happened to you,
    delete one of them and double-check that all sql-using objects
    still have the power set. Report by Mordie@M*U*S*H.
  * Missing include in game.c fixed.
  * Improper include in bufferq.c fixed. Report by Leona and Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Obsolete bzero() uses removed. [SW]
  * New win32/pennmush.dsp.
  * Help fix by bleeder@M*U*S*H.
  * Mac OS X linting [SW].


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 32                     May 26, 2004

Major Changes:
  * SQL support. PennMUSH can now operate as an SQL client and perform
    queries against an SQL server. Currently only the MySQL server is
    supported. This adds the @sql command, the sql() and sqlescape()
    functions, and the Sql_Ok power. See README.SQL for some 
    additional information.  Mostly based on patches by Hans Engelen.
  * Creating a leaf attribute automatically creates associated branch
    attributes if they are not already present. [TAP]
  * When a $command matches on an object, but the object's use-lock or
    command-lock prevents the command from being run, the object's
    COMMAND_LOCK`FAILURE, COMMAND_LOCK`OFAILURE, and COMMAND_LOCK`AFAILURE
    attributes will be triggered if the $command never successfully 
    matched, rather than returning a Huh? to the player.
  * Exits and rooms may now run $commands. Rooms are treated as being
    located in themselves for purposes of location checks. Exits are
    treated as being located in their source room. Suggested by [TAP].
Commands:
  * 'empty <object>' attempts to get each item in <object> and put
    it alongside <object> (in <object>'s location).
  * 'give <object> to <player>' syntax added.
Minor Changes (user-visible):
  * @COST attribute is now evaluated, so you can make costs depend
    on who's paying, a selected item, etc. Suggested by Walker@M*U*S*H.
    Also, the amount given is passed in as %0, so you can code
    vendors that accept any amount.
  * New OBJID^<objid> lock atom.
  * The server now maintains a rolling log of activity (commands issued,
    evaluations parsed, and locks evaluated), that is dumped to the log 
    file on panic, or can be seen by God with @uptime. This aids 
    debugging code that causes a "clean" panic rather than a crash. 
    Suggested by Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * When checking a use/command/listen-lock on an object with patterns
    that get matched, we only check the lock once and cache the result,
    to prevent multiple lock evaluations if multiple patterns match. [TAP]
  * @chan/recall now shows nospoof tags for @cemit'd lines.
    Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * SUSPECT flag can now be applied to any type of object.
    Suggested by Oriens@Alexandria.
Minor Changes (internals):
  * fun_escape() and fun_secure() use the same list of special characters, 
    rather than each having their own copy. [SW]
  * Buffer queue code used by @chan/buffer and the activity log refactored
    into src/bufferq.c and hdrs/bufferq.h.
  * Added mush_panicf(), with printf()-style format and arguments. [SW]
Fixes: 
  * @scan correctly shows attributes on parents again. Report by
    Wayne@PDX.
  * @shutdown/panic and @shutdown/paranoid work again. [SW]
  * A panic DB could be created before the database files were actually read,
    causing problems on the next restart. [SW]
  * Win32 and Debian installer portability fixes. [EEH]
  * Code cleanup around errno. [SW]
  * The locate() function now respects visibility and interactions.
    Report by Jules@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 31                     May 11, 2004

Minor Changes:
  * netmush is now started with only a single argument - the path to
    the configuration file. The error log file (typically game/netmush.log)
    is now configured in mush.cnf. Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * The restart script now bases its decision about whether the mush
    is already running on the full path to the configuration file,
    which means you can leave mush.cnf named mush.cnf without fear
    of restart problems when multiple mushes are using the same
    host. This also facilitates make update. Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * The GAMEDIR environment variable can be passed to 'make update'
    to cause it to update *.cnf files in directories other than
    game/ (using the template *.dst files in game/). 
    E.g.: make GAMEDIR=/home/othermush/game update
Commands:
  * @nscemit. Suggested by Mystery8@ST:AW.
Functions:
  * nscemit(). Suggested by Mystery8@ST:AW.
Flags:
  * New HEAVY admin flag, prevents an object from being teleported
    by a mortal between two containers they own. Admin without this
    flag can now be teleported.
Fixes:
  * Help fixes by Anri@AkaneaMUSH and Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * mix() now treats empty lists as empty, instead of containing a single
    null element. Report by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * @power messages no longer reference 'flags'. Report by Nymeria@M*U*S*H.
  * Crash bug with @clone in new power system fixed.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 30                     May 6, 2004

Major changes:
  * CHAT_SYSTEM option removed. If you don't want to use the chat system,
    use restrict.cnf to disable @channel, @chat, etc.
  * USE_MAILER and MAIL_ALIAS options removed. If you don't want to 
    use the @mail or @malias systems, use restrict.cnf to disable
    the associated commands.
  * QUOTA, EMPTY_ATTRS, and FUNCTION_SIDE_EFFECTS options are now 
    runtime options, instead of compile-time.
  * SINGLE_LOGFILE option removed, and log filenames are now 
    runtime options. You may now give the same name to
    multiple log files and get a more fine-grained version of the
    same effect. Based on ideas by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
Minor changes:
  * New IP^ and HOSTNAME^ tests for boolexps. Suggested by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * ALLOW_NOSUBJECT option removed. We always use the beginning of the
    message as the subject if one is not provided.
  * JURY_OK and UNINSPECTED_FLAG options removed. Use @flag to add
    flags if you need them. ONLINE_REG and VACATION_FLAG options
    removed (default to always defined, add or remove with @flag as
    desired).
  * MEM_CHECK option removed from options.h; it is now a runtime
    option in mush.cnf.
  * @function/restrict can be applied to softcoded @functions, and
    @function/add can accept a list of restrictions as a fifth argument.
    Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * log_walls run-time configuration option removed. Use the
    logargs option in restrict.cnf instead.
Fixes:
  * Crash bug in anonymous attributes fixed. Report by Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * lplayers() was broken. Report by T'orA@M*U*S*H.
  * Failing to create a player by providing a bad password now gives
    a better error. Suggested by [NJG].
  * Setting/clearing a chan title on a notitles channel works, but
    reminds you that titles are off. Suggested by Dan@InNomine.
  * haspower_restricted removed from mushcnf.dst to stop spurious
    warning on startup. Report by Nymeria@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 29                     April 28, 2004

Major changes:
  * Anonymous attributes via #lambda. See help anonymous attributes. [SW]
  * Wizards (other than God) and royalty are no longer treated as No_Pay
    unless the No_Pay power is explicitly set on them, although they
    can still give (themselves or others) as many pennies as they wish.
    This helps stop runaway wizards in the queue (they'll run out of cash
    like anyone else). To get the old behavior back, @power your admin
    No_Pay. You probably want to @power any globals that use search(),
    children(), mail*stats(), etc, No_Pay as well. Suggested by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * game/restrict.cnf, alias.cnf, names.cnf are renamed in the tarball and
    made with make update like mush.cnf. Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * @powers now operate under the same code as the @flag system, so God
    can add and modify powers in the MUSH with @power/add, etc. 
Commands:
  * @nsemit, @nsoemit, @nslemit, @nsremit, @nszemit and function forms
    of the same. Suggested by Cloud@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * andlpowers(), orlpowers(), andpowers(), orpowers().
  * align() performs fancy text alignment tricks. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * sent() and recv() show more player descriptor data from SESSION.
    Suggested by Ricochet@M*U*S*H.
  * scan() with a single argument assumes the executor's point of
    view. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * valid() can also check for syntactically correct passwords,
    command names, and function names.
Minor changes:
  * No more CRYPT_SYSTEM in options.h. We try everything and we
    always reset passwords to SHS. Patch by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * Wizards and other privileged players can @chan/recall on channels they're
    not on. Suggested by Trispis@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * A separate ip address to bind the SSL port to can now be specified
    in mush.cnf.
  * @flag/type allows God to change flag types. Suggested by Renee@ShoreSide.
  * After each @startup is enqueued (during startup or @restart/all),
    we immediately run up to 5 queue cycles. This allows, e.g., God's
    @startup to up to five levels of @dol/@tr/@switch/etc and still have
    the queued code run ahead of other startups. This requires that you
    keep God's dbref as #1. Based on comments by Philip Mak and o
    Trispis@M*U*S*H.
  * The message after successful @password is now clearer, to avoid
    confusion in some unusual cases. Report by Kholnuu.
  * Makefile is no longer set executable. Report by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Server now handles telnet NOP and AYT commands. Suggested by
    Philip Mak and Liz (author of Muckclient).
  * announce.c is no longer distributed. portmsg.c cleanup.
Fixes:
  * @undestroy on an invalid (garbage, or !going) object now produces
    an error message. Suggested by T'orA@M*U*S*H.
  * On shutdowns, all queue deposits are now refunded.
  * Ansi behavior on second and later lines of text fixed by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Database reading improvements for win32 - ideally, you should now
    be able to read a database written on win32/unix on either system.
  * allof() now evaluates its separator argument. [SW]
  * firstof() doesn't add an extra space before the value it returns. [SW] 
  * Slackware portability fixes by Dale @ Wolfpaw.net hosting
  * ]page properly noevals (the right hand side) now. Report by 
    Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * Partial channel match listings no longer reveal channels the player
    isn't allowed to see. Report by Taz.
  * Help fixes by Trispis@M*U*S*H and Tanaku@M*U*S*H.
  * ssl() and terminfo() don't work on other players unless you're
    See_All, as promised. Based on patch by Tanaku@M*U*S*H.
  * lcon, etc. all do an INTERACT_SEE interaction check now.
    Suggested by Thor@bDv.
  * Code cleanup. [SW]
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p16


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 28                     March 12, 2004

Major changes:
  * You can add customized configuration parameters to set in mush.cnf
    by adding a couple of new lines into the local_configs() function
    in local.c. (YOU MUST UPDATE YOUR local.c FROM local.dst IN THIS
    PATCHLEVEL). Patch by grapenut@M*U*S*H.
  * Object ids: An object id is the string "#dbref:ctime"
    where #dbref is the object's dbref and ctime is its creation time
    in integer format. The %: substitution returns this
    id for the enactor, and the objid() function returns it for an
    arbitrary object. Object ids can be used in place of softcode that 
    stores dbrefs to insure that a recycled dbref isn't used in place
    of the intended one. The matcher code will also match objects by
    id any time it's matching by dbref.
  * @command/add and @command/del. You can add a custom command
    (which will have the same precedence as a standard server command),
    and then @hook it to softcode, effectively promoting the precedence
    of softcoded globals, and letting them take advantage of some
    command parser settings. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * tr() accepts ranges of characters like a-z instead of having to
    give each one. [SW]
  * escape() also escapes parens and commas now. Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * time() can now take a time offset or object argument (in the latter
    case, time offset is read from object's TZ attribute). Patch by
    Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * vcross() performs cross products of vectors. [SW]
  * merge() can now take a list of characters. [SW]
Minor changes:
  * You can @set multiple flags at once by giving them as a list.
    Suggested by Walker@M*U*S*H and others.
  * Channel names are recognized when surround by <>'s, too. [SW]
  * 'move' is now a command_alias for 'goto' (in alias.cnf), and not
    a separate command.
  * PAGE_LOCK`{,O,A}FAILURE attributes now activated when a page/pemit fails
    due to the victim's @lock/page. Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * Tweaked game message for failing to provide correct password to
    @password. Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * New command 'warn_on_missing' (defaults to disabled), aliased to the
    '[' character. If enabled, players who attempt to write commands
    starting with functions will get errors. Suggested by [SW] and
    Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * Renaming something triggers its ONAME and ANAME attributes, if present.
    The old name is passed as %0; the new as %1. Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * Owner information on ex/br is reported using the usual object_header()
    so dbref and flags appear. Suggested by Eratl@M*U*S*H.
  * Flags that are F_DARK or F_MDARK no longer appear on @flag/list
    by non-admin. Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * Warn players who set themselves SHARED with a weak zone lock.
    Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * @halt can now take "here". Suggested by Thor@bDv.
  * When parsing eqsplit commands, don't evaluate the left side
    of the equal sign if the command was run with ].
Fixes:
  * Fixes to robustify file reading on Windows systems.
  * The 'nofixed' command restriction works as expected now (previously,
    you had to use 'nofix').
  * Exit movements are now translated into explicit GOTO commands,
    so @hooks and restrictions on GOTO are now applied. Patch by
    Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * The AE/ae accent characters can now be produced (accent(a,e)).
    Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * @hook/ignore would double-evaluate arguments. Reported by 
    Ambrosia@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Mingw error in src/Makefile.SH fixed. Report by Thor@bDv. [SW]
  * Help fixes by Cerekk@bDv, Mike Griffiths, Steve Varley, Thor@bDv, [SW],
    Dahan, Jason Stover, and Kyieren@M*U*S*H.
  * cmdlocal.dst now includes flags.h. By Dahan.
  * Win32 portability fixes by Dahan, Nathan Baum, [EEH].
  * utils/mkcmds.sh is now smarter about choosing temp filenames, so
    parallel make should work. Fixed by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * The Zone: data in examine could be wrong.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 27                     January 25, 2004

Minor Changes:
  * New etimefmt() formatting codes to make it easier to get nice-looking
    results without 0-valued times. Suggested by ranko_usa@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Autodetect existence of /usr/kerberos/include to make compile 
    easier for RH9 sufferers.
  * src/Makefile is now autobuilt from src/Makefile.SH. IF you use
    local hacks that require src/Makefile, this is likely to be a problem
    for you. You'll want to start patching Makefile.SH instead.
  * Fewer warning flags are now provided to the compiler by default.
    You can set your own warning flags instead by defining the
    warnings variable in config.over.
Fixes:
  * The startups option actually does what it's supposed to now.
  * Potential DOS in etimefmt fixed. Report by Ashen-Shugar. [SW]
  * Code cleanup. ok_tag_attribute should work. [SW]
  * Channels are automatically ungagged only on initial connection
    (not reconnection, partial disconnection, etc.). Suggested by
    Mordie@M*U*S*H.
  * notify() calls during startup would crash. Reported by Mordie@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p15.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 26                     December 15, 2003

Commands:
  * Add /regexp switch to @switch and @select. Suggested by BladedThoth. [SW]
  * New /spoof switch to @pemit, @remit, @lemit, @oemit, @emit,
    causes the message to appear to be generated by the cause, rather
    than the enactor, which makes globals like $ooc show the right
    NOSPOOF information (instead of the name of the global command object).
    Patch by Philip Mak.
Functions:
  * hostname(), ipaddr(), and cmds() take a dbref or descriptor number
    of a connected player and return the hostname, ipaddr, and number
    of commands executed. Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*S*H and Renee@ShoreSide,
    code by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * Add reswitch*() functions. Suggested by BladedThoth. [SW]
  * insert() can take a negative position argument to insert from
    the right. Patch by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * New firstof() and allof() functions return the first true value
    or all true values from a set of expressions. Patch by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * tr() works like the Unix utility, translating characters. Patch
    by Walker@M*U*S*H.
Attributes:
  * Attributes may be set DEBUG to cause their evaluation to be
    debugged selectively. Patch by Pozzo@SWForum.
  * @desc can no longer be gotten remotely without privileges.
    To implement this, a new attribute flag NEARBY was added,
    which prevents visual attributes from being remotely accessed.
    See new configuration directive 'read_remote_desc' if you prefer
    the old behavior. Patch by Philip Mak.
  * @desc on privileged objects can now be evaluated by mortals.
    To implement this, a new attribute flag PUBLIC was added,
    which overrides safer_ufun for that attribute. This flag is dangerous
    and should be avoided unless you are sure you know what you're doing.
    Patch by Philip Mak.
Minor Changes:
  * "+<channel> <text>" complains if <channel> is ambiguous, and
    displays a list of matching channels. Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Code cleanup around @oemit by Philip Mak.
  * If an object has an IDESCFORMAT but no IDESCRIBE, interior viewers
    now see the DESCRIBE formatted by IDESCFORMAT (instead of
    the DESCRIBE formatted by DESCFORMAT). Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * Ported to Win32 with the Mingw development environment. 
    See win32/README.mingw for compile instructions. [EEH]
  * null() can now take any number of arguments. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Using @chan/quiet to control the quiet flag on a channel no longer works
    (Actually, it never did). Use @chan/priv instead. [SW]
  * The NO_WARN flag now prevents disconnected room warnings, too.
    Suggested by several people. Patch by Philip Mak.
  * @sitelock/name !name still unlocks a reserved name, but no longer 
    removes that name from names.cnf. Suggested by Nymeria. [SW]
  * Some cleanup of fopen() calls. [SW]
  * The reference to channel Creator is now Owner in @chan/decomp.
    Suggested by Howie@NFTrekMUSH. [SW]
  * The name of the channel being tested is passed as %0 in channel locks.
    Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * help for @chownall mentions the /preserve switch.  Warnings from @chown 
    and @chownall tell which objects they're for. Suggested by
    Mordie@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Home wrecking is allowed again. Suggested by Philip Mak.
Fixes:
  * Puppets in containers with @listen container=* now hear the
    outside world correctly. Patch by Philip Mak.
  * The email sent on player registration now double-quotes the
    player name in the example connect statement. Suggested by
    David Kali.
  * Two rooms should never be nearby() each other. Fix by Philip Mak.
  * can_look_at() now handles the look/out case, too. Fix by Philip Mak.
  * Help fixes by Viila@M*U*S*H, MetBoy@M*U*S*H, Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * @flag/alias or @flag/add without giving an alias no longer crashes 
    the MUSH.  Report by Wildfire.
  * Correctly retrieve user full name from /etc/passwd fields under
    Linux in Configure. Record it in config.sh. Reported by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * Debian package changes. [EEH]
  * As the help promises, XCH_CMD and SEND attributes don't work
    for non-Wizards. Really.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 25                     October 30, 2003

Fixes:
  * Crash bug in the interaction between parents and attr trees
    fixed. Report by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Improvements to how locks are decompiled. Built-in locks with the
    no_inherit flag cleared are handled better.  If the object doing
    the @decompile is referenced in a lock key, it's decompiled as 'me'
    rather than by dbref, to make it easier to port between games.
    Report by Cerekk@bDv. [SW]
  * The error typically logged by info_slave on a mush crash is worded 
    better. [SW]
  * panic() renamed mush_panic() as the Mach kernel now has a public
    system call panic(). Report by Jeff Ferrell.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 24                     October 19, 2003

Minor Changes:
  * The puppet flag can now apply to rooms. Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * @tel/inside allows priv'd players to teleport into another player's
    inventory (instead of to their location). Suggested by Philip Mak.
Fixes:
  * Startups from a created minimal.db did not properly initialize
    the objdata htab, so subsequent use of that htab (e.g. adding
    players to channels) would crash. Report by [LdW].
  * Help fixes by BladedThoth@M*U*S*H and Philip Mak.
  * Attempting to clear a branch attribute when it has leaves now
    gives a better message. Also better message for inability to
    write an attribute due to tree issues. Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Bug in @debugforwardlist fixed by Luke@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 23                     October 10, 2003

Major Changes:
  * Forking dumps now work with the chunk memory manager. [TAP]
Minor Changes:
  * Chunk allocator improvements in partial read/writes and for
    Win32. [TAP]
  * Use the SHA0 algorithm from OpenSSL instead of our own when possible. [SW]
Functions:
  * New digest() function for generating checksums via a variety of 
    algorithms. [SW]
  * cowner() returns the dbref of a channel's owner. Suggested by
    Sholevi@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Added baseconv(), for converting numbers from one base to another.
    Useful for tweaking things like Myrddin's bboard code. Suggested
    by many people. [SW]
Fixes:
  * Remove warnings in set.c and pcre.c. Report by Nymeria@M*U*S*H
  * @power messages now show the canonical name of the power.
    Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * Adding DARK players to channels produced a duplicated message.
    Reported by Mystery8@ST:AW.
  * Players set WIZARD and ROYALTY would get double notification 
    of some GAME: messages. Fixed now. [SW]
  * Chatdb corruption possible when admin add players to channels.
    Reported by several folks, diagnosed by Mordie@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 22                     September 30, 2003

Minor Changes:
  * When possible, sockets are now set SO_KEEPALIVE and TCP_KEEPIDLE.
    This may help prevent disconnections of idle players behind
    poorly designed NAT routers and the like, and make the use of
    the IDLE command unnecessary. Patch by Philip Mak.
  * Better failure messages for 'get blah's blah', especially when
    the container or contained object is ambiguous. Suggested by
    Philip Mak. 
Fixes:
  * Attempting to unset attribute flags actually set them.
    Report by Ambrosia@M*U*S*H. [SW]


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 21                     September 23, 2003

Major Changes:
  * Attribute trees. Attributes may now be organized hierarchically
    like files and directories in a filesystem, using the backtick (`)
    character as the branch separator. Attribute access restrictions
    propagate down trees. New wildcard ** is introduced to match
    all attributes at all tree levels. Suggested by Tabbifli. [TAP]
Locks:
  * New framework for performing lock failure activities in hardcode.
    As a proof-of-concept, the attributes FOLLOW_LOCK`FAILURE,
    FOLLOW_LOCK`OFAILURE, FOLLOW_LOCK`AFAILURE do what you'd expect
    when set on a potential leader.  Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
Channels:
  * New per-channel flags NoTitles, NoNames, and NoCemit do what you'd
    expect. Set them with @chan/privs. Based on suggestion by 
    Saturn@M3.
  * @chan/recall/quiet omits timestamps. Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
Commands:
  * 'help <wildcard-pattern>' now lists all help topics that match that 
    pattern.  By popular request. [MUX,SW] 
  * @flag/letter can be used to change or clear the one-letter alias for a 
    flag.  Suggested by Nymeria@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * @flag/list by God notes disabled flags. Suggested by Nymeria@M*U*S*H. [SW]
Functions:
  * rand() now comes in a two-argument (low,high) flavor, and randword()
    selects a random word from a list. The latter is aliased to
    pickrand() to match Mux's name. Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
Minor Changes:
  * Although we're Pueblo 2.50 compliant, go back to sending Pueblo 1.10
    as the server version until everyone upgrades their clients so
    they can handle the 2.50 string. Suggested by Shirow.
  * The locate() function is no longer noisy (no longer notifies
    the executor in addition to returning a value). Suggested by
    Mystery8@ST:AW. 
  * @lock/interact now has a higher priority than other interaction
    checks, so it will work for Wizards. Suggested by Viila@M*U*S*H.
  * Tweaks to facilitate a Debian package of PennMUSH. [EEH]
Fixes:
  * max descriptor could get stomped in some cases. [SW]
  * Removed extra struct def in hdrs/mushtype.h. Suggested by Kyle.
  * Help tweak by Kevin@M*U*S*H.
  * Fix to locks on players messing up their connection failure counts.
    Reported by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Fix to @entrances by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * Fix to Win32 not handling a missing minimal.db by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * The confirmation message for setting/clearing attribute flags would use
    the flag name given as an argument, not neccessarily the the full name of
    the flag. Reported by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.  [SW]
  * Fix a potential memory leak in ident.c [SW]

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 20                     September 4, 2003

Major Changes:
  * minimal.db is no more. If you start up the server and there's no
    db to be found, it creates a new minimal database in memory
    on the fly. Feel free to delete your coopy of minimal.db. [SW]
    (In related news, the default OSUCC on #0 in minimal.db is gone. 
    Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H. So much for the mists.)
Minor Changes:
  * SSL connections are now ended before the dump when rebooting,
    but their descriptor information sticks around to ensure that
    their @adisconnect is run after the reboot. Based on suggestions
    by Vadiv@M*U*S*H and [TAP].
  * When _DEBUG is defined in a win32 build, don't copy pennmush.exe
    to pennmush_run.exe. Makes debugging easier. Patch by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * In pueblo mode, no longer clear past images after each room look.
    Patch by Konstantine Shirow.
  * In pueblo mode, we no longer render ansi attributes or colors with
    HTML tags; we assume the client will correctly handle them as ansi
    intermixed with Pueblo. This solves a variety of problems.
    Based on a discussion with Konstantine Shirow.
  * When matching $commands and ^listens, insure that a matching attribute
    exists before testing locks. This may break some strange locks using
    %c, but hopefully won't. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * The @scan command temporarily sets %c to the command to be scanned
    (without "@scan" prefixed) so that it can detect commands that use
    %c-matching. Based on ideas from Cheetah and Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Added support for Pueblo's md5 checksum. We track it on each
    descriptor, though we don't do anything with it currently.
  * Speed-up to fun_merge. Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Internal cleanup of flags in channel_broadcast.
  * Wizards may @name themselves to names forbidden in names.cnf.
    Patch by LeeLaLimaLLama@M*U*S*H.
  * We are now forgiving of stupid non-RFC-compliant telnet clients
    that send CR only even when they claim to be sending CRLF
    (Read: MS Windows XP telnet). MS bug reported first by
    Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * Misleading restrict_command on @clone removed from restrict.cnf,
    as @dig/@open/@create permissions already control @clone.
    Suggested by Philip Mak.
Functions:
  * lstats() and quota() now allow objects to see stats/quota on other
    objects they control (e.g., on their owners, perhaps). Suggested
    by Philip Mak.
  * hastype() can now test for type GARBAGE. Suggested by Tanaku@M*U*S*H.
Commands:
  * The new ']' command prefix causes the rest of the command-line
    not to be evaluated by the expression parser. Try: ]think [add(1,1)]
    Inspired by Elendor.
  * @hook/ignore. [mux]
  * @hook/override [Rhost, though they don't call it that]
Attributes:
  * @debugforwardlist forwards DEBUG output to dbrefs on the list.
    Suggested by Balerion@M*U*S*H.
Tests:
  * A new test harness for developing regression test suites in perl
    for PennMUSH is now included; few test suites are. If you can figure
    out how to use this, write some tests for us! (If you can't, don't
    ask about it, please :)
Locks:
  * @lock/interact can prevent other players from transmitting any
    normal sound to you (that is, you won't hear them speak, pose, 
    emit, etc., like gagging them in a client). It doesn't control
    page (use @lock/page) or @mail (use @lock/mail). You still
    hear 'presence' messages (connects/disconnects/arrivals/leaves)
    so you can have a sense of who can hear you but you can't hear.
    Patch by Philip Mak.
Fixes:
  * Configure script no longer keeps adding -lssl -lcrypto over and
    over to the Makefile. Report by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * Portability fixes for compiling with MSVC5 by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * The behavior of spaces inside parentheses that aren't part of a
    function has been improved. Report by Jason Newquist. [TAP]
  * txt/*.html files were being improperly escaped before being
    sent to Pueblo connections. Report by Konstantine Shirow.
  * mushdb.h includes flags.h, as it relies on constants from there.
    Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * Better error reporting on some failure messages in chunk allocator.
    Patch by Philip Mak.
  * @config/set with an invalid option now returns an error.
    Report by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * Fix to interaction checking in notify_anything that could result
    in the wrong check being performed. Report by Philip Mak.
  * Help fixes by LeeLaLimaLLama@M*U*S*H, Sunny@M*U*S*H, Sketch@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 19                     August 19, 2003

Fixes:
  * When SSL connections are dropped on reboot, other players weren't
    seeing disconnect messages. Now they are.
  * Two calls to flaglist_check_long didn't get converted to the new
    abstraction layer, making flag_broadcast not work right.
    Report by Luminar@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 18                     August 19, 2003

Major Changes:
  * The flag handling code has been additionally abstracted to 
    allow, in a future patchlevel, @powers to be handled in the
    same way that flags are now.
Minor Changes:
  * Wrap the OS-dependant code for making sure the mush always has a free
    file descriptor available for use in a pair of functions. [SW]
Fixes:
  * Linted some ssl-related warnings. Reported by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * Compile failed in timer.c unless USE_MAILER was defined.
    Reported by Sunny@M*U*S*H.
  * Bug allowing players to view internal and mortal_dark attributes
    introduced in p17 has been fixed. [TAP]


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 17                     August 11, 2003

Major changes:
  * SSL support, including server and client authentication as options.
    This should be considered experimental.  New ssl() function returns 1
    if a player/descriptor is using SSL, 0 otherwise. New file README.SSL
    documents how to set up SSL. Two things to note:
    - SSL connections are dropped on @shutdown/reboot, so SSL users may 
      wish to write client triggers to reconnect. 
    - Output flushing behaves slightly differently for SSL connections.
  * The way lock keys are handled internally has been rewritten to allow
    them to be tracked by the same chunk-management code that handles
    attributes. [SW]
  * @mail message texts are now stored with the chunk-management code. [SW]
  * The new code can no longer read databases created by versions of Penn
    before 1.7.5p0. If you need to do this, load it in 1.7.6, shutdown,
    and use that database. [SW]
Minor changes:
  * A new minimal.db is distributed (older ones probably won't work,
    and this one probably won't work with older versions). [TAP]
  * Contents/exits lists and functions that use first_visible (like
    lcon, lexits, etc.) are now affected by INTERACT_SEE. Suggested by
    Prospero@Metro.
  * @chan/recall now displays the last 10 lines by default. Use
    @chan/recall <chan>=0 to get the full buffer. Suggested by [TAP].
  * Various boolexp tweaks. [SW]
  * @power provides more verbose feedback. Suggested by Mordie@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Additional chunk tweaks, including limiting migrations to one
    per second. [TAP]
  * PROFILING #define for use when profiling the code (surprise). This
    just disables the CPU timer.
  * When matching $-commands, only call the slower capturing wildcard match
    function when we already know it succeeds, since it won't most of the time.
    The faster non-capturing function is checked first to find a match. [SW]
  * PCRE is initialized once, at startup, rather than testing to see if it has
    to be done before each place regular expressions are used. [SW]
  * The TERSE flag now applies to objects, not just players. Suggested
    by Aur@M*U*S*H.
  * The terminfo() function now returns SSL status as well.
  * help-like commands without arguments now use the command name
    as the argument. E.g. 'news' now looks for topic 'news', instead of
    'help'. If not found, we fall back on help. Patch by Mike Griffiths.
  * When an object is zoned to an unlocked ZMO, the ZMO is now autolocked
    to =me instead of $me, because it's probably less confusing.
    Suggested by Luke@M*U*S*H.
  * @name now automatically trims leading and trailing spaces from its
    newname argument, to avoid confusing people who use edit() to 
    generate new names and leave in spaces. Report by [TAP], patch by [SW].
Commands:
  * New 'logargs' and 'logname' restrictions in restrict.cnf allow
    per-command logging. Suggested by Saturn @ M3.
Functions:
  * The sha1() function has been renamed sha0(), since that's what it
    really does. [TAP]
  * trimtiny() and trimpenn() work like trim(), but force the TM or
    Penn argument style.
  * New 'logargs' and 'logname' restrictions in restrict.cnf allow
    per-function logging. Suggested by Saturn @ M3.
Fixes:
  * The side-effect version of name() was producing a weird return
    value. Reported by Saturn@M3.
  * Problems with restrict_command and restrict_function with multiple
    restrictions now fixed. Report by Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * stddef.h now included in src/extchat.c. Report by [EEH]. [SW]
  * INFO output now includes a missing newline. Report by [EEH]. [SW]
  * help BUILDER updated. Report by Laura Langland-Shula.
  * down.txt message wasn't being sent. Report by Sholevi@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * New Win32 project files that include the chunk code. [EEH]
  * @chan/what no longer highlights the channel's name, as this is
    confusing if you use ansified channel names. Suggested by 
    Oriens@Alexandria.
  * ex/mortal now operates more correctly. Report by Amy Kou'ai.
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p13.

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 16                     June 23, 2003

Commands:
  * New switch /room for 'with' to run a $command available in a remote
    location. Suggested by Mike Griffiths. [SW]
Functions:
  * Added the terminfo() function, which returns information about a
    client's name and capabilities for a particular connection. [SW]
  * New lports() function. Like lwho() but returns port descriptors.
    For mux2 compatibility. [SW]
  * Functions that return information about a connected player now treat
    integer arguments as a port descriptor to look up, rather than using
    the least-idle connection of a player. To force a player name to
    be treated as such even when it's a number, prefix it with a * in
    softcode. For mux2 compatibility. [SW]
  * Players can use ports() on themselves and use the descriptors
    they're connected to as arguments to the information functions.
    For mux2 compatibility. [SW]
Minor Changes:
  * Compute various chunk stats (total used, total free space, etc.)
    on demand instead of keeping running totals. [TAP]
  * @chan/what displays information about a channel's recall buffer, if any.
    [SW]
  * @chan/recall'ed lines are more clearly marked as such. Suggested by
    Oriens@Alexandria. [SW]
  * Consolidation of a common idiom used to format times throughout the source
    into a simple function call. [SW]
  * The time a @mail was sent was stored, unusually, as a string.
    No longer. Now it's handled the same way as all other times. [SW]
Fixes:
  * Bug in resizing @chan/recall buffers fixed. Reported by Oriens@Alexandria.
    [SW]
  * Objects with user-defined locks had problems with finding built-in locks
    on the object. Reported by Walker@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Unregistered() macro was checking wrong flag name. Report by
    Matt Kirby.
  * Help fix by Adu@M*U*S*H.
  * Potential problem with ambigious names in the information functions fixed.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 15                     June 1, 2003

Fixes:
  * Problem with checking command flag masks when the number of
    flags was an even multiple of 8. Reported by Nymeria and
    Mordie@M*U*S*H.
  * Tweak to improve efficiency of ancestor checking code and delint
    warning reported by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * SESSION output no longer misaligned with 5-digit dbrefs.
    Reported by Cheetah@M*U*S*H. [TAP].
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p11.
  * game/txt/index-files.pl now uses locale information in the
    environment to, e.g., correctly lowercase accented characters.
    Report by Krad@M*U*S*H.
  * Modified several Makefile.SH targets to prevent Javelin from
    releasing patches that don't have the autogenerated files
    up-to-date for Windows folks.
  * Removed some dependence on typedefs that may or may not be in system
    header files. [SW]
  * Patch compiler warnings. [SW,EEH]
  * Help fixes by Mike Griffiths and Oriens@Alexandria.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 14                     May 22, 2003

Major changes:
  * Ancestors: an object can be configured to serve as an 'ultimate
    parent' of every room, exit, thing, or player, and attributes
    that are not found on an object or any of its parents may be inherited
    from the ancestor for that object type.  The ORPHAN flag prevents
    ancestors from being used on an object.  Patch by Walker@M*U*S*H.
  * Mail messages now track not only the dbref of the sender but the
    sender's creation time, so messages from dbrefs that have been
    nuked and recreated can be distinguished from messages from the
    original sender. This modifies the maildb and make it not usable
    with older versions. All existing @mail is grandfathered in, and
    can't be tracked this way. Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * New chunk memory allocator can be used to greatly reduce process
    memory requirements by swapping little-used attribute texts out
    to disk and caching often-used attribute texts in memory.
    This is incompatible with forking dumps, so if you use it,
    you'll do nonforking dumps.  Configurable in mush.cnf, see comments
    there. [TAP]
  * Hardcode: new interaction type INTERACT_PRESENCE marks the
    arrival/departure/connection/disconnection/grows ears/loses ears
    messages. Many message types that used to be considered auditory
    (like most @verb-style messages) are now marked as visual instead.
Functions:
  * strreplace() works like replace() for strings. [SW]
  * fraction(), for turning floating-point numbers into fractions. [SW]
  * root(), for finding roots higher than the square root. [SW]
Minor changes:
  * We now use wrapper functions atr_value and safe_atr_value instead of
    uncompress(AL_STR(...)) or safe_uncompress(AL_STR(...)), so we
    can do future work with attribute storage cleanly. [TAP]
  * @*payment attributes now receive the amount of money paid in
    as %0. Suggested by Sholevi and Time@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Config options that take times now accept a notation describing what kind
    of units to use. For example, 3600s, 60m, 30m1800s, and 1h all refer to
    the same period of time. Suggested by Time@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Doxygen commenting of non-static members is essentially complete!
    Pennhacks see: http://www.pennmush.org/docs/1.7.7/html/
  * The mail() function no longer matches non-player objects by name.
  * Several additional messages (locks, parents, etc.) are now quieted by
    the QUIET flag. Patch by [EEH].
  * New config option default_home sets the room to send homeless things
    to. [TAP]
  * Added visual progress indicators for utils/mkcmds.sh so that slow
    systems won't think they're hung. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p10.
  * The 'i' sort type was not properly implemented. Reported by
    Noltar and BlaZE@M*U*S*H.
  * Cleanup of all accesses to ATTR values to use AL_STR() in preparation
    for future work on attribute storage. [TAP]
  * The 'any' string for specifying flag types didn't work properly.
    Reported by Krad@M*U*S*H.
  * The connect screen may now appear correctly under windows telnet. [SW]
  * The more efficient channel buffer shifting code now handles
    pathological cases correctly.
  * The tag*() functions could leave tags open at the end of full
    buffers. No longer.
  * Code cleanup in src/notify.c.
  * @rejectmotd and @wizmotd set the wrong messages. Report by
    Konstantine Shirow. [SW]
  * Using @chan/buffer to resize a recall buffer gives feedback. Reported by
    Sholevi@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Help fix for grab() by Adu@AbryssMUSH.
  * You can no longer destroy the base_room (or default_home). Suggested
    by Philip Mak. [TAP]

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 13                     April 9, 2003

Major changes:
  * Interactions (something like "realms" in mux2). Two functions
    in local.c can now be used to control conditions under which
    objects can see, hear, or match each other. Possibly useful for
    implementing umbral worlds, etc. Patch by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
Functions:
  * children(), syntactic sugar for lsearch(all,parent,<dbref>).
    Suggested by Kyieren@M*U*S*H. Patch by BlaZe@M*U*S*H.
  * powers() can now take a second argument to set an @power.
    Suggested by Rob@BtFMUSH.
Minor changes:
  * @config/set can now set null strings. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * In restart, set LC_ALL as well as LANG from the given LANG value,
    in case the user's got an LC_ALL in their shell.
  * The channel buffer shifting code has gotten much more efficient.
    Suggested by [TAP].
  * @function/restrict can accept arguments of the form '!<restriction>'
    to clear a restriction. Suggested by Saturn@M3.
  * Most of the asterisk lines between different login message files
    have been removed. Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H most recently.
Fixes:
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p9.
  * Win32 portability fixes. [EEH]
  * deny_silent in access.cnf was ignored in several cases, and no
    longer is. Patch by Cloud@Sci-Fi Chat
  * Help fixes by Cheetah@M*U*S*H and LeeLaLimaLLama@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 12                     March 21, 2003

Commands:
  * @channel/buffer creates a buffer for a channel to store the most
    recent messages broadcast on the channel. @channel/recall can be
    used to recall them. These are not stored across reboots and should
    be set up by #1's @startup.
Functions/Substitutions:
  * accname() gives the accented name of an object (applying @nameaccent).
  * %~ gives the accented name of the enactor.
Minor Changes:
  * The chat-related commands and functions have been moved out
    of bsd.c and funmisc.c and into extchat.c. Patch by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * The notification stuff has been moved out of bsd.c and into a new
    notify.c file.
  * @name no longer requires a password for changing player names,
    and ignores one if given. Suggested by Ambrosia@M*U*S*H (and others).
  * @hook can not be used on the @password or @newpassword commands.
  * The dump_complete message is also shown after a forking dump,
    if one is defined. Suggested by Nathan Schuette.
  * @lock/leave on a room now prevents people within it from leaving
    via exits or via @tel. Suggested by Peter Bengtson, patch by
    BlaZe@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p8
  * Cleanup of a few new db[x] mentions in the source to use dbdefs.h
    macros. Inspired by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
  * @command/restrict didn't work properly for most flags, especially
    new ones. Reported by Caesar and Sholevi@M*U*S*H.
  * @pemit/list didn't honor NOSPOOF. Patch by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 11                     February 22, 2003

Commands:
  * New IDLE command (socket-level) does nothing, and does not update
    the socket's last_time (so it doesn't change idle times). Useful
    for people behind lame NAT firewalls that timeout their connections if
    nothing is sent for 5 minutes. Suggested by Bolt and BladedThoth@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * Win32 (and other OS) portability fixes. [EEH]
  * Fixed the openssl Configure thing again. The right way, this time.

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 10                     February 22, 2003

Fixes:
  * Fix to stupid typo in Configure script that breaks on systems
    without openssl. Argh.

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 9                      February 20, 2003

Functions:
  * New function scan() works like @scan. Suggested by Viila@M*U*S*H.
Flags:
  * New flag, MISTRUST, prevents an object from controlling anything
    but itself.
Configuration:
  * mush.cnf directives ansi_justify, globals, and global_connects have
    been removed (they are now always on).
  * New unconnected_idle_timeout directive in mush.cnf controls
    timeouts for connections idle at the connect screen.
  * New max_guests directive in mush.cnf can limit the number of
    guests allowed to connect at once. Suggested by Sholevi@M*U*SH.
Minor Changes:
  * New lflags search class takes a list of flag names.
  * Improved connection failure messages.
  * Somewhat more informative message when you @chan/gag,hide,mute
    all channels at once. Suggested by Tanaku and Kevin@M*U*S*H.
  * Began commenting files using doxygen.
  * Internal code cleanup. Mostly converting some magic numbers to
    #define'd symbols, and some #define'd symbols to enums for better
    debugging and improved readability. Also some conversion of old
    K&R style functions. [SW]
  * sort() and the set functions understand all the same comparison
    types as comp(). [SW]
  * Case-sensitive comparison currently isn't always possible, depending
    on the locale the mush is running on. Help files reflect this. [SW]
  * @uptime shows the time of the last successful database save, and
    the time of future events like saves, not just the time until them.
    Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * Improvements to reporting of failed saves. [SW]
  * Code cleanup. [SW]
  * tel() now takes a third argument that makes it function like
    @tel/silent. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H. [SW]
  * @idescformat operates like @descformat for internal descriptions.
    Suggested by Tanya@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * local_startup() was getting run earlier than in the past due to
    changes in the startup sequence. This has been rectified, so
    local_startup() again runs after all other initialization (and
    just before all object startups are triggered). Report by
    BladedThoth and grapenut@M*U*S*H.
  * Improved testing for openssl libraries in Configure. The old
    approach used to cause problems on systems with runtime-only
    openssl installations without development libraries.
  * help opaque mentions that opaque blocks look/outside. Suggested
    by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
  * itext() and inum() now generate an error on a null argument,
    regardless of tiny_math and null_eq_zero settings. Reported by
    Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
  * Another fix to the new matcher. Bug report by Kyieren@M*U*S*H.
  * @flag/alias was broken. Fixed. Reported by Kevin@M*U*S*H.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 8                      January 27, 2003

Minor Changes:
  * command_add now expects to receive the flag list and the
    switch list as strings. Folks who hack into cmdlocal.c should
    take note and read example in the new cmdlocal.dst
Fixes:
  * Players were not created with all the player_flags. In a related
    bug, checking of command flag restrictions wouldn't work with
    all flags. Reported by Cory Descoteau.
  * Flagmasks on commands weren't grown properly when flags were added.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 7                      January 25, 2003

Fixes:
  * Crash bug in zone-checking during @dbck fixed.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 6                      January 23, 2003

Major changes:
  * Rewrite of the flag system. The new system allows for any number
    of flags, which may apply to any set of object types (the flags/toggles
    distinction has been eliminated). Flags without single-character
    abbreviations are better supported. Flags are stored in the object
    database, and are referenced in hardcode and the db by the name
    of the flag rather than bit positions.  Older databases will be
    automatically converted to the new format on load, but can not be
    converted back (so make backups!). New flaglocal.dst file for
    hardcode patch hackers to add custom flags.
  * Rewrite of the matcher code (src/match.c). Some semantics of the
    matching have changed: matching adjectives are parsed earlier and
    restrict the match for greater efficiency; they also behave more
    close as described in the help with respect to object ordering.
    In addition, you can now do things by dbref without controlling
    the object in many cases that previously required control.
    Provoked by bug reports by Intrevis@M*U*S*H and Philip Mak.
Commands:
  * @flag allows God to manipulate flags within the game, including
    adding new flags. Flags additions/changes are maintained across
    reboots, so this command does not need to be run at every startup.
Functions:
  * lflags(), orlflags(), andlflags() return or test flag lists.
Minor changes:
  * New NUMVERSION macro defined in hdrs/version.h that can be tested
    by hardcode hacks to add code conditional on version.
  * Much cleanup of @wall. Minimally-user-visible changes:
    The @rwallemit, @rwallpose, @wallemit, @wallpose, @wizemit and
    @wizpose commands have been removed. @wall no longer accepts the
    /wizard, /royalty, and /pose switches, and @rwall and @wizwall accept
    the /emit switch. Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H, though he'd really
    rather see @wall removed.
  * @lock and @unlock now show which type of lock was set/cleared.
    @lset now specifically notes that lock flags are being changed.
    Suggested by Tanaku@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * @boot/me will no longer boot a connection if it is the sole
    connection the player, even if it's technically inactive.
    Suggested by Ambrosia@M*U*S*H.
  * @boot'ing an active self (by descriptor) crashes the MUSH.
    Discovered by Ashlynn@ChicagoMUSH.
  * The thorn and eth characters generated with accent() would
    convert to 'th' when stripped or viewed under NOACCENT, which
    could be very confusing in object names. Same for the German sharp
    s, which converted to 'ss'. Until we can cleverly set up separate
    tables for object name unparsing, these have been reverted to their
    old behavior so that stripaccents(accent(X,Y)) should return X for
    any X and Y. Reported by DeeJee, Intrevis, and Time (@M*U*S*H).


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 5                      January 7, 2003

Fixes:
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p5.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 4                      January 2, 2003

Minor Changes:
  * When room_connects is on, @aconnect and @adisconnect also
    functions on things when players (dis)connect inside them.
    Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * Parser-enforced argument counts for user-defined @functions,
    as an option to @function.
Config:
  * New mush.cnf option max_global_fns allows increasing the number
    of @functions allowed without editing source code. If you change
    this, you should reboot the MUSH or bad things can happen.
    Suggested by hilikiradi@Dardalani.
Fixes:
  * mkcmds.sh doesn't always regenerate every file, only what's
    needed. Speeds up compiles. Suggested by Philip Mak. [SW]
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p4.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 3                      December 25, 2002

Commands:
  * @sitelock/check <host> tells you which rule, if any, would match.
Fixes:
  * The objdata hashtable routines had a serious bug that could
    cause crashes.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 2                      December 22, 2002

Major Changes:
  * The LOCAL_DATA define has been removed along with the pointer
    in the object structure. The local functions called on creation,
    destruction, and cloning are now always called. Objects can
    now store data in a single hashtable using the set_objdata()
    and get_objdata() functions. As a proof of concept, the transitory
    channel lists on objects are now stored here, and the "channels"
    pointer has been removed from the object structure. Design
    and much of the implementation by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
Powers:
  * can_nspemit power can be used to provide access to @nspemit
    without a Wizard bit. [SW]
Functions:
  * lpos from Mux, TM3. [SW]
Fixes:
  * Fix to some gcc-specific macros reported by Peter Bengston and
    Michael Holbrook. [SW]
  * Improvements to stripaccents/noaccents conversions. [SW]
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p3.


Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 1                      December 17, 2002

Minor Changes:
  * ex obj/attrib returns the attribute value even if it's veiled,
    if a specific (non-wildcard) attribute is given. Suggested by
    Nhoj@M*U*S*H.
Fixes:
  * Win32 portability fixes. [EEH]
  * Fixes from 1.7.6p2

Version 1.7.7 patchlevel 0                      December 8, 2002

Major Changes:
  * Clients that understand telnet NAWS (See RFC 1073) can tell the mush
    what dimensions a given connection's display is.  Added the
    width() and height() functions, and SCREENWIDTH and SCREENHEIGHT
    psuedo-commands for getting/setting this information from the mush.
    This changes the reboot.db format and requires a full shutdown. [SW]
  * Two new atoms for locks. "#true" in a lock is always evaluated as true
    (anyone can pass), and "#false" is always evaluated as false (no one
    can pass). Suggested by Vadiv@M*U*S*H.
Internationalization:
  * The pronoun sets are no longer hardcoded. If you're running in a
    locale other than C or en*, you'll see weird looking pronoun descriptions
    for things like %s until a translation team translates them to your
    locale's language. Suggested by Dandy@M*U*S*H.
Attributes:
  * @DESCFORMAT can be used to separate description contents from formatting.
    Suggested by Philip Mak.
  * VEILED attribute flag causes attribute value not to be displayed
    on default examine, but otherwise accessible as usual. Good for spammy
    data attributes. See 'help attribute flags'. Suggested by Cheetah@M*U*S*H.
Commands:
  * examine/all shows contents of veiled attributes. Suggested by
    Intrevis@M*U*S*H.
Flags:
  * The FIXED and ROYALTY flags are no longer optional.
Minor Changes:
  * Object creation times are no longer optional.
  * Warnings are no longer a compile-time option; they're turned on.
    You can stop automatic warnings in mush.cnf, as before.
  * Cleanup of the telnet-option code in general. [SW]
  * Consolidation of much of the code for functions that return information
    about the least-idle connection of a given player. [SW]
  * The tiny_attrs configuration option has been removed.
  * Removed a lot of preprocessor checks for conditionally including header
    files that always succeed because they're standard C headers. [SW]
  * Removed the Size_t typedef in favor of the standard size_t. [SW]
  * Some optimization hints for the GCC and VS.NET compilers. [SW]
  * We try to be more conservative about when we show lines of
    asterisks around motd-type messages, to avoid showing them when
    there's no message.
  * Continued ansi-C-ification of function declarations.