0.18.6

Added

• The C API now exposes serialisation functions for opaque values.

• The C API now lets you pick which stream (if any) is used for
  logging prints (#1214).

• New compilation mode: --server. For now used to support faster
  benchmarking and testing tools, but can be used to build even
  fancier things in the future (#1179).

• Significantly faster reading/writing of large values. This mainly
  means that validation of test and benchmark results is much faster
  (close to an order of magnitude).

• The experimental futhark literate command allows vaguely a
  notebook-like programming experience.

• All compilers now accept an --entry option for treating more
  functions as entry points.

• The negate function is now neg, but negate is kept around
  for a short while for backwards compatibility.

• Generated header-files are now declared extern "C" when
  processed with a C++ compiler.

• Parser errors in test blocks used by futhark bench and futhark test are now reported with much better error messages.

Fixed

• Interaction between slice simplification and in-place updates
  (#1222).

• Problem with user-defined functions with the same name as intrinsics.

• Names from transitive imports no longer leak into scope (#1231).

• Pattern-matching unit values now works (#1232).