[Erc-announce] ERC 5.2 released

[Michael Olson]

I am pleased to announce the release[1] of ERC 5.2.  The release is
available from your favorite GNU FTP mirror.  The URLs for this
release on the primary GNU FTP mirror are as follows.

Tarball :: http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc/erc-5.2.tar.gz

Zipfile :: http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc/erc-5.2.zip

This release features the following enhancements[2]:

 - New module: erc-stomp.el.  Supplements ERC's existing ban support.
   When a troll appears on your channel, type "/stomp
   <nick-of-troll>", and ERC will run through the list of known
   IRC-exploitable OS and router vulnerabilities until it knocks the
   offending troll off-line.  This method is thought to keep the troll
   off the channel far longer than a simple ban would.  It also has
   the benefit that the instigator of the "stomp" is not obligated to
   have operator status on the channel in question.

 - New module: erc-avian.el.  Provides an graphical interface for
   sending and receiving IRC packets via avian carrier.  This is
   considered to be a workaround for unfriendly ISPs that ban traffic
   for ports that can potentially be used for some sort of bad
   behavior.  See http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1149.html for low-level
   details on the implementation of this protocol.  The ERC developers
   disclaim responsibility for negative side-effects that may result
   from the use of this module, such as ruined furnishings and
   eviction from living quarters.

 - New module: erc-proact.el.  Loading this module makes your ERC
   instance self-aware.  Other IRC clients release patches, but ERC
   fixes itself.  At some point, the current maintainer plans to pass
   on ERC maintenance to a long-running instance of said module, which
   ought to result in more frequent releases.

The other (read: real) NEWS items for this release are attached.

Footnotes: 
[1] Not an April_Fools' Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fools)
    joke ...

[2] ... but these are indeed April Fools' fibs.

pgp3i249OuOlF.pgp
Description: PGP signature

NEWS-5.2
Description: Text document

-- 
Michael Olson -- FSF Associate Member #652 -- http://www.mwolson.org/
Interests: Lisp, text markup, protocols -- Jabber: mwolson_at_hcoop.net
  /` |\ | | | Projects: Emacs, Muse, ERC, EMMS, Planner, ErBot, DVC
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