In confining this review to non-L.T.E. plasmas, it will be clear that the main emphasis, of relevance to beam-foil spectroscopy, is on separation of ion stages and line identification. Only rarely can lifetimes be determined. The majority of line classifications for highly-charged ions, carried out over the last forty years, have used the two-electrode vacuum spark, a source that is still in use today. Low inductance triggered vacuum sparks have produced spectra up to copper XXVIII and have some properties in common with the plasma focus source. Laser-generated plasmas with temperatures of 100 eV or higher offer unique facilities for separating neighbouring stages of ionization. Magnetically confined plasmas are more homogeneous in temperature and often allow ion separation in time, during the ionizing phase. Astrophysical plasmas have a particular interest for forbidden line studies. The forbidden coronal line identifications of nearly thirty years age are now being extended by new observations into the ultraviolet. Other new forbidden lines in the solar soft X-ray spectrum, have changed our understanding of helium-like ion lifetimes.