[IRCServices] Version 5.0 alpha release available

[Andrew Church]

     Well, it's taken a while, but Services 5.0 has finally begun to take a
reasonable shape (other than "completely jumbled and in little teensy bits")
and I've decided to release a public alpha test version.

     Before you all start jumping for joy, bear in mind that this is an
ALPHA TEST VERSION--this means that it is known to have bugs, and quite a
few of them, and is absolutely NOT for use on a production network.  About
the only thing that should work is compiling, and I won't even guarantee
that.  DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS VERSION unless you intend to help find (and
fix!) bugs, or translate the new language files.  If I get any complaints
about an alpha release being broken, causing problems on someone's network,
or anything like that, I won't release any more alpha versions, and you'll
just have to wait longer.

     Furthermore, all discussion on the 5.0 alpha release should go to the
ircservices-coding list (information and subscription directions available
at http://www.ircservices.za.net/mailman/listinfo/ircservices-coding).
Discussion (except possibly feature requests, if I'm in a good mood) about
the alpha release on this list will NOT be tolerated, and offenders may be
forcibly removed from the list.  This will be the only announcement about
5.0 on this list until a beta (or final) version is released.

     If you still want to download the alpha version, visit the Services
home page (http://www.ircservices.za.net/) for information.  (I won't post
a download link here because (1) it will change as versions go up, or if I
take it down entirely, and (2) I want people to see the warnings I put up
before downloading it.)

     Also, I'll be busy or out of town with year-end activities for most of
the rest of the year, so I may not be able to respond quickly to mail;
please be patient, as always.

  --Andrew Church
    achurch at achurch.org
    http://achurch.org/