[ANN] Release 8.1.0 DP 2

[Peter TB Brett]

Dear list members,

We are pleased to announce the release of LiveCode 8.1.0-dp-2, a 
development preview of LiveCode 8.1.

Developer Preview Release
=========================
Warning: this is not a stable release.  Please ensure that you back up 
your stacks before testing them.


Getting the Release
===================
You can get the release at 
https://downloads.livecode.com/livecode/#8_1_0 or via the automatic updater.


Release Contents
================
Full release notes: 
https://downloads.livecode.com/livecode/8_1_0/LiveCodeNotes-8_1_0_dp_2.pdf

Improved return command
-----------------------
You can now "return error <value>" and or "return error <value>" to set 
the "it" variable and/or "the result" directly from LiveCode Script 
commands and functions.

LiveCode "Infinite" improvements to LCB
---------------------------------------
* Out parameters are now initialized by default
* Variables now have lexical scope
* You can now include hand-written LCB bytecode in "bytecode" blocks
* Foreign handlers are now unsafe by default; the language now has 
"unsafe" blocks and handlers

New mobile GPS support on Android & iOS
---------------------------------------
* Location history is now available, so that detailed location 
resolution over time can be tracked even if the processing of the 
"locationChanged" message is delayed.
* The accuracy of Android GPS timestamps has been improved

New Windows player control
--------------------------
* Several problems with the new Windows player control have been 
addressed, including the default set of codecs supported, and some 
rendering and control issues
* Important changes to the default value and interpretation of the 
"dontUseQT" property

More!
-----
* Get synchronous modifier key state with the "eventAltKey", 
"eventShiftKey" (etc.) functions
* New "vectorDotProduct()" function
* Improved dictionary user interface, including clear indication for 
deprecated entries
* More than 50 bugs fixed, including many crashes

Known issues
============
* HTML5 standalones do not currently work when they contain extensions 
with dependencies
* 64-bit standalones for Mac OS X do not have support for audio 
recording or the revVideoGrabber external
* The default video is in .mov format which is not supported by the new 
Windows player (bug 17696), and several player properties have
not yet been implemented (see release notes)


Feedback
========
Please report any bugs encountered either to our support team 
<support at livecode.com> or on our Bugzilla at http://quality.livecode.com/


Have fun!
The LiveCode Team