diff --git a/AERN-Real.cabal b/AERN-Real.cabal
--- a/AERN-Real.cabal
+++ b/AERN-Real.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:           AERN-Real
-Version:        0.9.7.2
+Version:        0.9.8
 Cabal-Version:  >= 1.2
 Build-Type:     Simple
 License:        BSD3
@@ -42,19 +42,19 @@
   if flag(containers-in-base)
     if flag(use-hmpfr)
       Build-Depends:
-        base < 3, binary >= 0.4, hmpfr == 0.1.1
+        base < 3, binary >= 0.4, html >= 1.0, regex-compat >= 0.71, stm, hmpfr == 0.1.3
       cpp-options: -DUSE_MPFR
     else
       Build-Depends:
-        base < 3, binary >= 0.4
+        base < 3, binary >= 0.4, html >= 1.0, regex-compat >= 0.71, stm
   else
     if flag(use-hmpfr)
       Build-Depends:
-        base >= 3, containers, binary >= 0.4, hmpfr == 0.1.1
+        base >= 3, containers, binary >= 0.4, html >= 1.0, regex-compat >= 0.71, stm, hmpfr == 0.1.3
       cpp-options: -DUSE_MPFR
     else
       Build-Depends:
-        base >= 3, containers, binary >= 0.4
+        base >= 3, containers, binary >= 0.4, html >= 1.0, regex-compat >= 0.71, stm
   Exposed-modules:
     Data.Number.ER,
     Data.Number.ER.Real,
@@ -76,8 +76,10 @@
     Data.Number.ER.Real.Approx,
     Data.Number.ER.Real.DomainBox,
     Data.Number.ER.Real.DomainBox.IntMap,
+    Data.Number.ER.ShowHTML,
     Data.Number.ER.PlusMinus,
     Data.Number.ER.BasicTypes,
     Data.Number.ER.Misc,
+    Data.Number.ER.MiscSTM,
     Data.Number.ER.ExtendedInteger
  
diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+0.9.8: 1 December 2008
+    * added instance of the HTML class for intervals
+    * added syntactic comparison of variable-indexed domain boxes
+    * some extra miscellaneous functions
+    * moved miscellaneous facilities for STM from AERN-RnToRm-Plot to here so that they can be used by AERN-Net
+
 0.9.7.2: 7 October 2008
     * hmpfr interface now uses a faster toDouble conversion
 
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/Misc.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/Misc.hs
--- a/src/Data/Number/ER/Misc.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/Misc.hs
@@ -49,6 +49,17 @@
     | x == y = compareLex xs ys
     | otherwise = compare x y
 
+compareListsWith ::
+    (a -> a -> Ordering) ->
+    [a] -> [a] -> Ordering
+compareListsWith _ [] [] = EQ
+compareListsWith _ [] _ = LT
+compareListsWith _ _ [] = GT
+compareListsWith compareVals (x:xs) (y:ys) =
+    case compareVals x y of
+        EQ -> compareListsWith compareVals xs ys
+        res -> res
+
 mapFst :: (a1 -> a2) -> (a1,b) -> (a2,b)     
 mapFst f (a,b) = (f a,b)
 mapSnd :: (b1 -> b2) -> (a,b1) -> (a,b2)     
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/MiscSTM.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/MiscSTM.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/MiscSTM.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+{-|
+    Utilities related to concurrency.
+-}
+module Data.Number.ER.MiscSTM where
+
+import Control.Concurrent as Concurrent
+import Control.Concurrent.STM as STM
+
+modifyTVar tv update =
+    do
+    value <- readTVar tv
+    writeTVar tv $ update value
+
+modifyTVarGetOldVal tv update =
+    do
+    value <- readTVar tv
+    writeTVar tv $ update value
+    return value
+
+modifyTVarHasChanged tv update =
+    do
+    value <- readTVar tv
+    let newValue = update value
+    if value == newValue
+        then return False
+        else 
+            do
+            writeTVar tv $ update value
+            return True
+    
+    
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Approx/Interval.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Approx/Interval.hs
--- a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Approx/Interval.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Approx/Interval.hs
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 
 import Data.Ratio
 
+import qualified Text.Html as H
+
 import Data.Typeable
 import Data.Generics.Basics
 import Data.Binary
@@ -319,6 +321,15 @@
             "[" ++ showBase l ++ "," ++ showBase r ++ "]"
     showBase = B.showDiGrCmp numDigits showGran showComponents
         
+instance (B.ERRealBase b, H.HTML b) => H.HTML (ERInterval b)
+    where
+    toHtml (ERInterval l r) 
+        | l == r =
+            H.toHtml $ show l
+        | otherwise =
+            H.simpleTable [] [] [[H.toHtml l],[H.toHtml r]]
+    toHtml i = H.toHtml $ show i 
+
 instance (B.ERRealBase b) => Num (ERInterval b) where
     fromInteger n =
         normaliseERInterval $ ERInterval (fromInteger n) (fromInteger n)
@@ -530,3 +541,4 @@
 
 instance (B.ERRealBase b, RealFrac b) => RAEL.ERApproxElementary (ERInterval b)
 -- all operations here have appropriate default implementations
+
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Base/MPFR.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Base/MPFR.hs
--- a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Base/MPFR.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/Base/MPFR.hs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
     isPlusInfinity x = M.isInfinite x && x > 0
     plusInfinity = 1/0
     fromDouble = M.fromDouble M.Up 53
-    toDouble = fromRational . toRational
+    toDouble = M.toDouble M.Up
     fromFloat = B.fromDouble . fromRational . toRational  
     toFloat = fromRational . toRational . B.toDouble
     showDiGrCmp numDigits _showGran _showComponents f = 
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox.hs
--- a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox.hs
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@
     fromAscList :: [(varid, val)] -> box
 --    toMap :: box -> Map.Map varid val
 --    fromMap :: Map.Map varid val -> box
+    compare :: (val -> val -> Ordering) -> box -> box -> Ordering
     insert :: varid -> val -> box -> box
     insertWith :: (val -> val -> val) -> varid -> val -> box -> box
     delete :: varid -> box -> box
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox/IntMap.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox/IntMap.hs
--- a/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox/IntMap.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/Real/DomainBox/IntMap.hs
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 import qualified Data.Number.ER.Real.DomainBox as DBox
 import Data.Number.ER.Real.DomainBox (VariableID(..), DomainBox, DomainBoxMappable, DomainIntBox)
 
+import Data.Number.ER.Misc
+
 import qualified Data.IntMap as IMap
 import qualified Data.Set as Set
 
@@ -51,6 +53,16 @@
     fromAscList = IMap.fromAscList
 --    toMap = id
 --    fromMap = id
+    compare compareVals b1 b2 =
+        compareListsWith comparePairs (IMap.toList b1) (IMap.toList b2)
+        where
+        comparePairs (k1,v1) (k2,v2) =
+            compareComposeMany
+                [
+                    compare k1 k2,
+                    compareVals v1 v2
+                ]
+             
     insert = IMap.insert
     insertWith = IMap.insertWith
     delete = IMap.delete
diff --git a/src/Data/Number/ER/ShowHTML.hs b/src/Data/Number/ER/ShowHTML.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Data/Number/ER/ShowHTML.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+{-|
+    Module      :  Data.Number.ER.ShowHTML
+    Description :  Misc facilities for HTML rendering.
+    Copyright   :  (c) Michal Konecny
+    License     :  BSD3
+
+    Maintainer  :  mik@konecny.aow.cz
+    Stability   :  experimental
+    Portability :  portable
+    
+     
+-}
+module Data.Number.ER.ShowHTML where
+
+import qualified Text.Html as H
+import Text.Regex
+
+{-|
+    Render HTML is a way that can be inlined in 
+    Javascript strings etc.
+-}
+showHTML :: 
+    (H.HTML t) =>
+    t -> String
+showHTML v =
+    escapeNewLines $
+    renderHtmlNoHeader $ 
+    H.toHtml v
+    where
+--    stripHeader s =
+--        (splitRegex (mkRegex "-->") s) !! 1
+    escapeNewLines s =
+        (subRegex (mkRegex "([^\\])$") s "\\1\\\\")  
+
+abovesTable attrs cells =
+    H.table H.! attrs H.<< (H.aboves $ map (H.td H.<<) cells)
+besidesTable attrs cells =
+    H.table H.! attrs H.<< (H.aboves [H.besides $ map (H.td H.<<) cells])
+
+renderHtmlNoHeader :: H.Html -> String
+renderHtmlNoHeader theHtml =
+         foldr (.) id (map (H.renderHtml' 0)
+                           (H.getHtmlElements theHtml)) "\n"
+
+toHtmlDefault :: (Show a) => a -> H.Html
+toHtmlDefault = H.toHtml . show
+
+instance (H.HTML a) => H.HTML (Maybe a) where
+    toHtml Nothing = H.toHtml $ "[Nothing]"
+    toHtml (Just a) = H.toHtml a
+