Q: Is 3.17 still the current stable version of Lout?

[Kevin Cole]

Hello again.  When I first learned of Lout, I sent mail to Jeff, who
mentioned that 3.17 was "very old".  However, it's still listed as the
current stable version.  I wanted to know if I should upgrade to a
preview "unstable" version or not.  Is there a list of the pros and
cons?

Also, is there a way to get the index to have a lead like the table of
contents?  I'm looking for a two-column index with dots between the
entry and page number, like:

Auburn University...........23   Tennessee University.............136
Baylor College..............24   Texas State University...........137
        .
        .
        .

And in one index, I'd actually like a paragraph between the heading and
the actual index entries.

(I hope I haven't missed something obvious in the User's Guide again.)