ANNOUNCE: GNU Hyperbole 6.0 Package for Emacs 25.1 is released for Emacs developers

[Robert Weiner]

GNU Hyperbole (pronounced Ga-new Hi-per-bo-lee), or just Hyperbole, is
an open, efficient, and programmable hypertextual information
management and hypertext system implemented as a GNU Emacs package.
It works well on GNU Emacs 24.3 or above.

It includes easy-to-use, powerful hypertextual button types without
the need to learn a markup language; a hierarchical, record-based
contact manager; a rapid window and frame control system; and a
powerful multi-level auto-numbered outliner.  All features are aimed
at making textual information management and display fast and easy.

Hyperbole allows hypertext buttons to be embedded within unstructured
and structured files, mail messages and news articles.  It offers
intuitive keyboard and mouse-based control of information display
within multiple windows.  It also provides point-and-click access to
World-Wide Web URLs, Info manuals, ftp archives, etc.

The GNU Hyperbole project home page gives a more extensive description:
"https://www.gnu.org/software/hyperbole/";.

The Hyperbole wiki page, "https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Hyperbole";,
explains the many ways it differs from and is complementary to Org mode.

Version 6.00 is set to be the first public release for any modern
version of Emacs
and has been tested throughout its development with Emacs version 25.  It
contains an extensive set of improvements that can greatly boost your
day-to-day productivity with Emacs and your ability to manage information
stored across many different machines on the internet.

Instructions follow on how to download, install and utilize GNU
Hyperbole as an Emacs package.  These are followed by What's New with
Hyperbole in 2016.


===========================================================================
*   Package Installation
===========================================================================

Once you have Emacs set up at your site, GNU Hyperbole may be
installed simply by using the Emacs Package Manager.  If you are not
familiar with it, see the Packages section of the GNU Emacs Manual,
"(emacs)Packages", or:
"https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Packages.html";.

If you have Hyperbole 5.10 or higher already installed and simply want to
upgrade it, invoke the Emacs Package Manager with {M-x list-packages RET},
then use the {U} followed by the {x} key to upgrade all out-of-date
packages, Hyperbole among them.  Then skip the text below and move on to
the next section, Invocation.

Otherwise, to download and install the Hyperbole package, add the following
lines to your personal Emacs initialization file, typically "~/.emacs".

(require 'package)
(setq package-check-signature nil
      package-enable-at-startup nil) ;; Prevent double loading of libraries
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("RSW-Packages" .
"http://www.plasmas.biz/rswe/";) t)
(package-initialize)
(unless (package-installed-p 'hyperbole)
  (package-refresh-contents)
  (package-install 'hyperbole))
(require 'hyperbole)

Then restart Emacs and if no errors occur, the latest version of Hyperbole
will be downloaded, installed and available for use.

===========================================================================
*    Invocation
===========================================================================

Once Hyperbole has been installed for use at your site and loaded into your
Emacs session, it is ready for use.  You will see a Hyperbole menu on your
menubar and {C-h h} will display a Hyperbole menu in the minibuffer for
quick keyboard-based selection.

You can invoke Hyperbole commands in one of three ways:

   use the Hyperbole menu on your menubar;

   type {C-h h} or {M-x hyperbole RET} to bring up the Hyperbole main menu
   in the minibuffer window, for fast keyboard or mouse-based selection;
   select an item from this menu by typing the item's first letter; use {q}
   to quit from the menu.

   use a specific Hyperbole command such as an Action Key click {M-RET} on
   a pathname to display the associated file or directory.

Use {C-h h d d} for an interactive demonstration of standard Hyperbole
button capabilities.

{C-h h k e} offers a interactive demonstration of the Koutliner,
Hyperbole's multi-level autonumbered hypertextual outliner.

To try out HyControl, Hyperbole's interactive frame and window control
system, use {C-h h s w} for window control or {C-h h s f} for frame
control.  {t} switches between window and frame control once in one of
them.

The above are the best interactive ways to learn about Hyperbole.  The
Hyperbole Manual is a reference manual, not a simple introduction.  It is
included in the "man/" subdirectory of the Hyperbole package directory in
four forms:

"man/hyperbole.info"   - online Info browser version
"man/hyperbole.html"   - web HTML version
"man/hyperbole.pdf"    - printable version
"man/hyperbole.texi"   - source form

The Hyperbole package installation places the Info version of this manual
where needed and adds an entry for Hyperbole into the Info directory under
the Emacs category.  {C-h h d i} will let you browse the manual.  For web
browsing, point your browser at "${hyperb:dir}/man/hyperbole.html",
wherever the Hyperbole package directory is on your system; often this is:
"~/.emacs.d/elpa/hyperbole-${hyperb:version}/".


===========================================================================
*     What's New in GNU Hyperbole V6.00
===========================================================================

  HYROLO

    - The Hyperbole contact manager has been renamed to HyRolo and all of its
      identifiers now begin with hyrolo-.  If you had a custom value of
      `rolo-file-list' in your ~/.emacs file, you should rename it to
      `hyrolo-file-list'.

  KEYS

    - Removed the {RET} key bindings of the Action Key in read-only modes since
      it was not consistent across all modes and probably was little used.  It
      also could interfere with mode-specific usage of this key.  Just use the
      standard Action Key bindings.

  MAIL

    - Implicit mail address buttons are recognized in many more programming
      modes.  See the value of `mail-address-mode-list'.

  VARIABLES

    - Hyperbole is now integrated with the Emacs option customization system,
      allowing for interactive editing and permanent setting of many Hyperbole
      options.  Use {M-x customize-browse RET} and find the Hyperbole group
      under Applications.  Hyperbole's options are divided into logical
      subgroups such as Rolo and Koutliner.  See "(emacs)Easy Customization"
      for details on the customization system and "(hyperbole)Configuration"
      for Hyperbole specifics.

    - Renamed any Hyperbole hook variables that had a colon in their names
      to use a hyphen instead.

  WINDOW CONFIGURATIONS

    - Similarly, the commands from the Win/ menu from Wconfig have been
      renamed to begin with hywconfig- and the library is now called
      hywconfig.el.

-- The End --