AfterStep 2.0 comes with many changes and improvements over the previous 1.8* series of AfterStep, yet everything you've come to expect and love in AfterStep is still there.

Some of the new features and improvements are:

     AfterStep 2.0beta1:

1. New high performance and high quality image handling engine.
2. Support for TrueType fonts.
3. Text antialiasing.
4. Support for UTF-8, UNICODE and numerous locales.
5. XML image scripting.
6. Improved Window hints handling supporting new Extended WM specs.
7. Rewritten and consolidated GUI rendering engine with support for shaped windows and complex layouts.
8. Better theme support.
9. More background image types with support for scaling, shaped images, alpha-blending, and other blending algorithms.
10. More powerfull pattern matching algorithm in database.
11. Shaped titlebars and frame decorations.
12. More options to frame decorations.
13. Arbitrary layout of the titlebar buttons.
14. Built in screenshot command :).
15. Designer quality colorschemes.
16. Configuration reading-writing library, allowing for easier implementation of GUI control panel.
17. Menus are treated as regular windows, allowing for moving, resizing, shading, iconification of menus.
18. Used options from submenus could optionally be displayed in parent menus for faster menu selection.
19. Thumbnail icons could be shown in menus.
20. WinList menu shows application icons.
21. Shaped Pager and WinList.
22. 2D WinList with more flexible layout options.
23. Pager's desks could be shaded.
24. Wharf allows labels in buttons.
25. Numerous layout options in Wharf.
26. Wharf performs checks for application availability.
27. Additional options in database settings for comprehensive windows configurations.
28. AvoidCover is able to move other windows away as they move/resize themselves.
29. Optional snapping to edges while moving/resizing windows.
30. Proper window switching (alt-tabbing).
31. Powerfull initial window placement policies using window boxes.
32. Tiled and cascaded initial window placement.
33. Shaped balloons.
34. Self diagnostic code allowing to properly report segfaults in AfterStep, and gracefully recover from most failures.

     AfterStep 2.0beta2:

1. Added CursorFore and CursorBack settings to look to adjust color of the mouse cursor
2. Cursor settings now must be in look and not in feel.
3. Improved algorithm behind saving desktop state and restoring it on startup. To enable it add the following line to autoexec : Function "WorkspaceState"
4. new <color domain="ascs" name="name" argb="color_value"/> tag to ASImage XML. Could be used to define color aliases at the beginning of the xml script.

     AfterStep 2.0beta3:

1. Added WinTabs module - to swallow windows with Class matching specified pattern and arrange them in single window using tabs.

     AfterStep 2.0beta4:

1. Reverted cursor settings back to feel file.
2. Used ascompose as new Banner module
3. Added to ascompose ability to process files tag by tag, allowing for animation.
4. Added to look config animation settings for root background:

[DontAnimateBackground0|1]
[CoverAnimationSteps   ]
[CoverAnimationType]

     AfterStep 2.0beta5:

1. Improved image storage memory manager cutting down memory usage by 90%
2. Focusable Wharf buttons.
3. Outlined text.
4. WinList menu can be sorted in alpha order.
5. New centralized XML based documentation system.
6. Faster desktop switching using background image caching