TOPCAT v3.4

[Mark Taylor]

Dear Reader,

waiting under the Christmas tree for you is TOPCAT version 3.4.

Full details in the version history as usual
(http://www.starlink.ac.uk/topcat/sun253/versions.html)
but the main items are:

    SAMP:
       TOPCAT now talks either SAMP or PLASTIC for inter-tool communication.
       Everything that used to work in PLASTIC now works in SAMP, but
       in SAMP mode the messaging is more robust and there are much
       better facilities for seeing the current state of messaging.

    Registry Access:
       TOPCAT now uses current versions of the VOResource and Registry
       Interface standards.  It previously used a very out of date
       registry inerface and resource model.  This affects mainly the
       Cone Search (but also semi-supported SIAP and Registry query)
       table load dialogues.

    Also:
       - Help can now be viewed in a web browser
       - Columns can be addressed by Utype as well as name, index and UCD
       - Bug fixes and other small enhancements

More info and downloads from the usual place:

    http://www.starlink.ac.uk/topcat/

There is also an accompanying simultaneous release of STILTS (v2.0-1),
but the STILTS release doesn't contain very much that's new.

Merry Christmas one and all.

Mark

-- 
Mark Taylor   Astronomical Programmer   Physics, Bristol University, UK
m.b.taylor at bris.ac.uk +44-117-928-8776 http://www.star.bris.ac.uk/~mbt/