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Hi, Normally we don't report on successive loe level improvements in the engine or the core of context (we do so in articles and wrapups), and much goes unnoticed anyway (which is good). But ... the last couple of weeks we have been playing with some adapted functionality in lmtx and some of the experimental low level code has now made it in core. Normally users will not notice this but who knows. There are already features in lmtx that are not (and are unlikely to be) in mkiv (most significant in the metapost related part). When possible new macros and additions to mechanism will be in both mkiv and lmtx, but lmtx users will be better off in the end. We're mostly talking of the more tricky mechanisms here, those that currently have limitations due to all kind of possible interferences. To summarize: mkii : frozen (seldom patches) lmtx : cutting edge mkiv : when possible following lmtx, otherwise frozen Because we develop lmtx and luametatex alongside it is no problem if we have experimental (and even temporary imperfect) code in the engine: context knows about it and especially with experiments, we try to make sure it doesn't hit users (who we don't expect to use those, often undocumented, new tricks anyway). It's sometimes the only way to go forward (stepwise testing). So, here is an example of where lmtx can do better than mkiv: \placefigure[left]{}{} \input ward \par \placefigure[left]{}{} {\bf \input ward} \par Another area is in using footnotes. As a first step to more robust handling of deeply nested notes, lmtx now defaults to (the more than a decade optional in mkiv) \automigrateinserts, but with less overhead (for performance reasons, it was never enabled in mkiv, apart from occasional side effects). It is features like these that will stepwise be improved, at least that is what we hope for. So, the current upload has some new stuff, hopefully without too many side effects, but if so, we'll deal with it as usual. As a result, the latest lmtx could be a little slower, but I wonder if someone will notice it in practice. Hans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | www.pragma-ade.nl | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------