While TABLES v2.0 does not require IRAF 2.11 to work properly, the same is NOT true for STSDAS v2.0. IRAF 2.11 is necessary for many of the new tasks to work properly. This means that STSDAS v2.0 can only be used on Sun computers until NOAO releases IRAF 2.11 for other platforms.
STSDAS v2.0 incorporates a number of important changes, some of which will be seen directly by users and others only indirectly. Perhaps the most apparent changes in STSDAS v2.0 is the appearance of the STIS and NICMOS packages including the calibration pipeline programs used to calibrate STIS and NICMOS data. Also new is the Paper Products task which is used to produce summary printouts of observations including tabular and graphical (or greyscale) summaries of HST exposures. Normally these tasks are run at STScI to produce paper products for all observers. They may be used at other institutions to do the same for both new and old data (including FOS and GHRS).
There have been a number of changes to synphot including the addition of tasks to create simulated images and spectra. A new package has been added to make it easier to manipulate image extensions in FITS files including the IMSETS generated by STIS and NICMOS (toolbox.imgtools.mstools).
Less apparent to users is that many of the new tasks have been written in the C language instead of the usual IRAF SPP language. The elements to compile and link such C programs with IRAF have been included with the delivery. In order to compile and link such programs, user sites will need to have an appropriate C compiler. Only a selected subset of the IRAF programming libraries have a C interface supplied currently. Look in stsdas/lib/cvos/doc for documentation regarding these C interfaces.
We expect to release STSDAS v2.1 in 3 to 4 months to incorporate bug fixes and new tasks that did not make it into this release. Some packages, notably stis and nicmos will be updated frequently and thus it is our intent to make the most current version of these packages available outside of regular STSDAS/TABLES releases so long as they have no dependencies on system level changes not yet released in STSDAS/TABLES. The availability and status of these packages can be found on the web page for this release (http://stsdas.stsci.edu/Updates.html). Users are also encouraged to check the web page for this release occasionally for information regarding updated documentation for various tasks and packages (a number of the newer tasks and capabilities need better documentation than is supplied with the release) and a list of known problems with suggestions for workarounds. We also expect to provide updated manuals for STSDAS, synphot and igi in the next few months.
Users are warned that packages in the contrib package may not work properly under IRAF 2.11. Since we do not support these packages, we must await updates from the authors. These will be included in the next release when available. We will make them available on our ftp site when they become available.
Packages or tasks that have seen significant changes include:
analysis.nebular analysis.isophote stplot.igi stplot.sgraph hst_calib.ctools.specalign hst_calib.ghrs.calhrs fitsio
Packages or tasks that have had minor enhancements or bug fixes include:
analysis.restore.lucy
.fitting
gasp.pltsol
hst_calib.ctools.ckwhrs
.calpar
.fos
.hrs (calibration header templates)
.zwaveid
.calhrs
.zcalib
.focusz
wfpc.bjdetect
.calwp2
playpen.hstpos
.jimage
toolbox.imgtools.imcalc
.gcopy
.moveheader
.pixlocate
.header.iminfo
.convfile
A number of tasks that have been in sobsolete for a while have been removed. The r49fits task (formerly in fitsio) has been moved to sobsolete since it is not necessary for recent versions of IRAF.
Parameter files that have changed (new parameters or new default values)
analysis.gasp/sgscind.par - 'index' default changed
.isophote/ellipse.par - 'inellip','icommands','gcommands'
added.
/geompar.par - 'ellip0' default changed
/controlpar.par - 'wander' added
.timeseries/delaytime.par - 'earth_ephem' default changed
hst_calib.ctools/ckwhrs.par - 'saahfile','ccre','bmd_corr' added
/specalign.par - 'resamp_func' added
.fos.y_calib/linefind.par - 'template' default changed
/tarestore.par - 'magic_y','magic_x' defaults changed
.hrs/waveoff.par - 'linetab' default changed
/fitpars.par - 'offlib' default changed
/findpars.par - 'lines' default changed
In addition the following packages have added parameter files
analysis.nebular - many additions analysis.isophote - isoexam.par hst_calib.ctools.specalign - specalign.par graphics.stplot.psikern - psikern.par
Perry Greenfield, perry@stsci.edu