v8.17 blog post and front page

Author: jbclements

announcements/v8.17.txt

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Racket v8.17
   length 1 million.
 - TCP ports use `SO_KEEPALIVE`, instructing the kernel to send
   periodic messages while waiting for data to check whether the
-  connection is still responsive
+  connection is still responsive.
 - Racket code using a terminal in Windows can receive mouse events as
   virtual terminal characters after using SetConsoleMode. (This is
   also already possible on macOS and Linux.) See the tui-term package
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Racket v8.17
 - The http-client module no longer sends "Content-Length: 0" for
   requests without a body.
 - The demodularizer (`compiler/demod`) can prune more unused
-  assignments
+  assignments.
 - Several judgment rendering forms in Redex are replaced by functions,
   allowing more convenient abstraction.
 - When a distribution includes no teaching languages, DrRacket’s

blog/_src/posts/2025-05-15-racket-v8-17.md

@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
     Title: Racket v8.17
-    Date: 2025-05-15T13:28:24
-    Tags: DRAFT
+    Date: 2025-05-17T13:28:24
+    Tags: release-announcement
+    Authors: John Clements, Stephen De Gabrielle
+
+
+*posted by Stephen De Gabrielle*
+
 
 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -11,22 +16,22 @@ We are pleased to announce Racket v8.17 is now available from [https://download.
 
 - The new [`drracket-core`](https://github.com/racket/drracket/commit/ae16d6bc6e00a9498313cff035537ac98ef71194) package provides a version of drracket with a smaller set of dependencies.
 - Typed Racket has support for [treelists](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/treelist.html).
-- The package manager computes checksums for packages when required, allowing the use and automatic upgrade of packages without them.
-- The `bitwise-first-bit-set` function returns the smallest bit that is set in the twos-complement representation of the given number.
-- The updated `dynamic-require` function makes it easier to use syntax bindings by allowing a syntax-thunk (or 'eval) to be used for them.
-- The `error-module-path->string-handler` parameter allows the customization of the display of module-paths in error messages.
-- Precision of certain numeric functions (`sin`, `cos`, and others) is improved on Windows platforms by using the MSVCRT/UCRT libraries.
-- The `string-append` function has improved performance and reduced memory use for long lists of strings in the Racket CS implementation. Differences are clearly noticeable for lists of length 1 million.
-- TCP ports use `SO_KEEPALIVE`, instructing the kernel to send periodic messages while waiting for data to check whether the connection is still responsive
+- The package manager computes [checksums](https://docs.racket-lang.org/pkg/Package_Concepts.html) for packages when required, allowing the use and automatic upgrade of packages without them.
+- The [`bitwise-first-bit-set`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/generic-numbers.html#%28def._%28%28quote._~23~25kernel%29._bitwise-first-bit-set%29%29) function returns the smallest bit that is set in the twos-complement representation of the given number.
+- The updated [`dynamic-require`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/Module_Names_and_Loading.html#%28def._%28%28quote._~23~25kernel%29._dynamic-require%29%29) function makes it easier to use syntax bindings by allowing a syntax-thunk (or 'eval) to be used for them.
+- The [`error-module-path->string-handler`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/exns.html#%28def._%28%28quote._~23~25kernel%29._error-module-path-~3estring-handler%29%29) parameter allows the customization of the display of module-paths in error messages.
+- Precision of certain [numeric functions](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/generic-numbers.html) (`sin`, `cos`, and others) is improved on Windows platforms by using the MSVCRT/UCRT libraries.
+- The [`string-append`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/strings.html#%28def._%28%28quote._~23~25kernel%29._string-append%29%29) function has improved performance and reduced memory use for long lists of strings in the Racket CS implementation. Differences are clearly noticeable for lists of length 1 million.
+- [TCP ports](https://docs.racket-lang.org/reference/tcp.html) use `SO_KEEPALIVE`, instructing the kernel to send periodic messages while waiting for data to check whether the connection is still responsive.
 - Racket code using a terminal in Windows can receive mouse events as virtual terminal characters after using SetConsoleMode. (This is also already possible on macOS and Linux.) See the [tui-term](https://docs.racket-lang.org/tui-term/index.html) package for related example code.
-- The `#:replace-malformed-surrogate?` keyword can be used to specify a replacement for malformed unicode surrogates in JSON input
-- The http-client module no longer sends "Content-Length: 0" for requests without a body.
-- The demodularizer (`compiler/demod`) can prune more unused assignments
-- Several judgment rendering forms in Redex are replaced by functions, allowing more convenient abstraction.
+- The [`#:replace-malformed-surrogate?`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/json/index.html#%28part._.Parsing_.J.S.O.N_.Text_into_.J.S-.Expressions%29) keyword can be used to specify a replacement for malformed unicode surrogates in JSON input
+- The [http-client](https://docs.racket-lang.org/http-client/index.html) module no longer sends "Content-Length: 0" for requests without a body.
+- The [demodularizer](https://docs.racket-lang.org/raco/demod.html) (`compiler/demod`) can prune more unused assignments.
+- Several judgment rendering forms in [Redex](https://docs.racket-lang.org/redex/index.html) are replaced by functions, allowing more convenient abstraction.
 - When a distribution includes no teaching languages, DrRacket’s language-dialog configuration moves into the preferences dialog and the “Language” menu disappears.
-- The math library has better support for block-diagonal matrices, including both Racket and Typed Racket.
-- The math library contains improved implementations of acos and matrix-(cos-)angle.
-- The stepper again works for `big-bang` programs.
+- The [math library](https://docs.racket-lang.org/math/index.html) has better support for block-diagonal matrices, including both Racket and Typed Racket.
+- The [math library](https://docs.racket-lang.org/math/index.html) contains improved implementations of acos and matrix-(cos-)angle.
+- The [stepper](https://docs.racket-lang.org/stepper/index.html) again works for [`big-bang`](https://docs.racket-lang.org/teachpack/2htdpuniverse.html#(part._world._interactive)) programs.
 - There are many other repairs and documentation imprevements!
 
 ## Thank you
@@ -44,16 +49,13 @@ Culpepper, Ryan Ficklin, Sam Phillips, Sam Tobin-Hochstadt, Shu-Hung
 You, sogaiu, Sorawee Porncharoenwase, Stephen De Gabrielle, Vincent
 Lee, and Wing Hei Chan.
 
-_Racket is a community developed open source project and we welcome new
-contributors. See 
-[racket/README.md](https://github.com/racket/racket/blob/master/README.md#contributing)
-to learn how you can be a part of this amazing project._
+**Racket** is a community developed open source project and we welcome new contributors. See [racket/README.md](https://github.com/racket/racket/blob/master/README.md#contributing)
+to learn how you can be a part of this amazing project.
 
 ## Feedback Welcome
 
-Questions and discussion welcome at the Racket community
-[Discourse](https://racket.discourse.group/invites/VxkBcXY7yL) or
-[Discord](https://discord.gg/6Zq8sH5) 
+Questions and discussion welcome at the Racket community on [Discourse](https://racket.discourse.group/invites/VxkBcXY7yL) or
+[Discord](https://discord.gg/6Zq8sH5).
 
 ## Please share
 

release-notes/release-notes.rkt

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
 @bullet{The @link[(dur "http-client/index.html")]{http-client} module no longer sends "Content-Length: 0" for
    requests without a body.}
 
-@bullet{The @link[(dur "raco/demod.html")]{demodularizer} (`compiler/demod`) can prune more unused assignments}
+@bullet{The @link[(dur "raco/demod.html")]{demodularizer} (`compiler/demod`) can prune more unused assignments.}
 
 @bullet{Several judgment rendering forms in @link[(dur "redex/index.html")]{Redex} are replaced by functions, allowing
    more convenient abstraction.}

www/index.html.pm

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 ◊special-section[#:class "one-column-body-text" #:style "font-size:77%" #:id "pull-quote"]{
 ◊div[#:class "container-fluid vertical-in-smartphones-horizontal-otherwise"]{
  ◊div[#:style "margin-left: 1em"]{
-   ◊link["https://blog.racket-lang.org/2025/03/racket-v8-16.html"]{Racket version 8.16} is available.}
+   ◊link["https://blog.racket-lang.org/2025/05/racket-v8-17.html"]{Racket version 8.17} is available.}
 
  ◊div[#:style "flex-grow:1"]{}