This is mainly a bug fix release. We hope the changes will make the Cytoscape user experience more pleasant and consistent.
We have improved the memory detection and allocation process that occurs when Cytoscape is first installed and launched. The process attempts to optimize memory settings based on your hardware. The new process avoids system crashes that were occurring with 2.8.1.
We've overhauled the user interfaces controlling the mapping of continuous values to visual styles, like Node Size and Node Color, to provide more intuitive and consistent controls.
We revamped the behavior of CytoPanels so that each plugins preferred panel size will be automatically fit when the user switches to them. A global minimum size is set for all panels so that users can manually resize no matter which panel they are viewing.
If your Cytoscape session starts acting funny, go to Help > Error Console. You can now Save the console output as a single html file and attach it to your helpdesk and discussion list posts.