Release notes

documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.md

@@ -16,6 +16,69 @@ should also be read to understand what has changed since earlier releases.
 
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+### `mbboDirectRecord` enhancements
+
+The bit fields `B0` - `B1F` of this record are now always updated and have a
+monitor posted when the `VAL` field is set and the record processed. It is now
+possible to initialize the record's value by setting the bit fields inside a
+database file as long as no other method was used to initialize it (suc as
+setting `VAL` directly, using `DOL`, or by an initial readback from device
+support). A new internal field `OBIT` was added to store information about
+monitors posted on the bit fields.
+
+### Minimum Perl Version is now 5.10.1
+
+Some scripts now make use of features that were introduced to this Perl version
+that was released in 2009.
+
+### DB Links to DBF_MENU fields fixed
+
+[GH:183](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/issues/183)
+These were broken in a previous release, but now work again.
+
+### Long String access to CALC fields fixed
+
+[GH:194](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/issues/194)
+This was broken in a previous release, but now works again.
+
+### Minor Changes
+
++ Many code comments have been spell-checked and corrected.
++ Passing a `-DDEBUG` compiler flag no longer breaks the build.
++ Parallel builds of RTEMS-mvme2100 and RTEMS-mvme2700 targets now work.
++ Illegal characters seen in JSON strings in a database file should now get a
+better error message.
+
+### Other Launchpad Bugs and GitHub Issues Fixed
+
++ [lp:1938459](https://bugs.launchpad.net/epics-base/+bug/1938459)
+  [GH:191](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/191) int64in only
+  checks lower 32 bits for change
++ [lp:1941875](https://bugs.launchpad.net/epics-base/+bug/1941875) Buggy
+  warning message "Record/Alias name '...' should not contain non-printable ...
++ [GH:187](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/issues/187) waveformRecord
+  missing PACT=true?
++ [GH:189](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/189) Fix a couple
+  memory leaks and a segfault
++ [GH:200](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/200) and
+  [GH:201](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/201) Fix timers on MS
+  Windows for non-EPICS threads
+
+### Compiler interface for epicsAtomic tidied up
+
+[GH:192](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/192)
+Both GCC and CLANG compiler intrisics used for the epicsAtomic APIs have been revised; implementations using CLANG should now run faster as they now use the compiler's built-in atomic functions instead of taking a mutex.
+
+### The epicsTime code has been reimplemented
+
+[GH:185](https://github.com/epics-base/epics-base/pull/185)
+This was done to simplify the code and may have improved performance slightly for some uses. Support for the old NTP-specific `struct l_fp` has been dropped but all other routines and methods of the `class epicsTime` function as before.
+
+### Updates to Record Reference documentation
+
+Many of the built-in record types have had improvements to their documentation with additional fields added to the tables, rewrites of descriptions and links to other documents added or fixed.
+
+-----
 
 ## EPICS Release 7.0.6