XForms: Open Source -- Finally

From: spl@ncmir.ucsd.edu
Date: Mon Apr 01 2002 - 13:24:08 EST


# To subscribers of the xforms list from spl@ncmir.ucsd.edu :

Ta dah!

This is *NOT* an April Fools prank. This is not a test. This is an actual
provisional release of XForms as Open Source.

Appended is the README file.

Rock and roll.

                                                        spl

                                = = =

                        XForms Version 0.9999

This is the first Open Source distribution of the XForms Libreary, a
graphical user interface toolkit for X Window Systems. It should be
considered "provisional". Hence the Version 0.9999. There should be
several more 9's following the decimal point.

It should work under X11 R4, R5 & R6. XForms is free and unrestricted
for non-commercial and non-profit use. It is licensed under the LGPL
(Lesser Gnu Public License) version 2.1.

Some of the demos won't compile without the xpm library. You can
get it from ftp://avahi.inria.fr/pub/xpm or ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib.
It is also included in the distribution for your convenience. It is
not to be considered part of XForms and is not included under the
LGPL.

                                - - -

To build, unpack the distribution in the standard manner into your
favorite subdirectory.

Take a look at the `Imakefile' in the top level directory. At the
very top, you should find a collection on "#define" statements. These
should be the only items you should need to edit. Your choices are
"YES" and "NO".

  Turns on -O4 level compiler optimization (or whatever optimization
  level you choose with the `OptimizationLevel' "#define").

        #define Optimize YES

  If your system has the XPM library already installed, you can define
  this to "YES". Otherwise, define to "NO" and the `make' process
  will build, use, and install it as appropriate

        #define UseSystemXpm YES

  Most systems have the strerror() function nowadays, so this should
  probably be left as "YES". Consult your system documentation.

        #define HaveStrerror YES

  You may wish to link `fdesign', `fd2ps', and the Demos statically.
  Setting this to "YES" will allow this.

        #define StaticLink YES

  Some loaders will require the OpenGL or Mesa3D libraries to be
  linked even if no OpenGL calls are made in the program if
  `glcanvas.c' is built and included in the library. Setting this to
  "NO" will prevent `glcanvas.c' from being built. Applications which
  require a GLCanvas object will need to have `glcanvas.c' built
  separately then.

        #define BuildGL YES

  If you have a Solaris system and are running the 64 bit version of
  `gcc' you'll probably need to define this as "YES".

        #define Solaris64Bit NO

   Optimization level -- set this as you wish.

        #define OptimizationLevel -O4

You will find the following subdirectories:

        NT - stuff apparently needed to build under NT[1]
        demos - the demos
        fd2ps - Forms Designer to Postscript converter
        fdesign - the Forms Designer
        lib - sources for the library
        vms - stuff apparently needed to build under VMS[2]
        xpm-3.4k - Xpm, the X Pixmap library.

To build, you should go to the top level directory. Type

        xmkmf -a

or, if your `xmkmf' doesn't support the `-a' option or your just
prefer to do things the long way, type

        xmkmf
        make Makefiles
        make includes
        make depend

(the `make includes' isn't actually necessary but since you're doing
things the hard way, it's included for "the sake of completeness".)

Then type

        make

and the library, the Forms Designer, the Forms Designer to Postscript
converter, and the Demos should be automagically built before your
very eyes.

Type

        make install

to install the package. Note that I like my stuff installed in
`/usr/local/...". This may be at variance with where `XForms' is
installed on some systems. Since this is a provisional distribution,
this will probably change or, more likely, in the Official Authorized
and Honest and For True Complete distribution there will be switches
or frobs in the top level `Imakefile' to install it where ever the
user darn well pleases.

                                - - -

If you have problems with this build procedure or you'd like some
special gadgets installed for some standard operating system which I
do not have access to, please post your comments, requests, brickbats,
or flames to the mailing list, as below.

Documentation on XForms is available from ncmir.ucsd.edu /pub/xforms
via anonymous ftp.

The entire XForms distribution plus the latest info is accessible via
http://world.std.com/~xforms

                                - - -

This Open Source distribution is available at

     ftp://ncmir.ucsd.edu/pub/xforms/OpenSource/xforms.0.9999.tgz

Note: For security reasons, `ncmir.ucsd.edu' does not accept
connections from IP addresses which do NOT map back to registered host
names. This may cause problems for users who are inside firewalls or
who are attaching from hosts using NAT or the like. Most or all of
the mirror sites no longer seem to work, either. If you would like to
act as a mirror for this distribution, please feel free to do so.

The binary distributions of XForms will at some time in the future be
deleted from the server. Effective immediately, they are considered
unmaintained deprecated versions.

                                - - -

There is also a mailing list for XForms. Send a message to
xforms-request@bob.usuhs.mil with one of the following commands

  sub****** xforms
  unsub****** xforms

to get on and off the list.[3]

To use the mailing list, send your message to
  xforms@bob.usuhs.mil

Remember your message will be sent to many people. Please DO NOT send
sub******/unsub****** messages to the list, send it to
xforms-request@bob.usuhs.mil

--

[1] I know zip about NT. I avoid Microsoft products whenever possible, so if you try to build this under NT and it breaks, you're on your own. Corrections, modifications, etc., are welcome, however.

[2] The same goes here. I used to know a lot about VMS but in the 13 years or so since I left the San Diego Supercomputer Center I've mercifully forgotten almost all of it. Enjoy.

[3] Obscured to make it past the mailing list filters. Fill in "scribe" for the "******".

_________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send the message "unsubscribe" to xforms-request@bob.usuhs.mil or see http://bob.usuhs.mil/mailserv/xforms.html XForms Home Page: http://world.std.com/~xforms List Archive: http://bob.usuhs.mil/mailserv/list-archives/



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