$Id: README 3731 2001-07-31 12:44:17Z rafa $

Multi-Purpose Class Library (MPCL)
==================================
This is a multi-purpose set of C++ libraries that provides a solid framework to
help the developer to focus to the  main issue of every application, and not on
the side issues.


Platforms
=========
It REQUIRES fully support for name-spaces and exceptions.  These libraries have
been compiled and tested on the following platforms (maybe not recently):

  Architecture GNU canonical name
  ------------ -----------------------------------------
  i586         i586-pc-cygwin (without threads nor DLLs)
  i586         i586-pc-linux-gnu
  i686         i686-pc-linux-gnu
  sun4u        sparc-sun-solaris2.6

  Tools used on platform: i586-pc-cygwin
  --------------------------------------
  egcs-c++    2.91.57  GNU Experimental C++ support for gcc
  libtool     1.3.3    GNU libtool
  m4          1.4      GNU macro processor
  make        3.75     GNU make

  Tools used on platform: i586-pc-linux-gnu
  -----------------------------------------
  autoconf    2.13     GNU autoconf
  automake    1.4      GNU automake
  gcc-c++     2.96     GNU C++ support for gcc
  libtool     1.3.5    GNU libtool
  m4          1.4.1    GNU macro processor
  make        3.79.1   GNU make

  Tools used on platform: i686-pc-linux-gnu
  -----------------------------------------
  autoconf    2.13     GNU autoconf
  automake    1.4      GNU automake
  gcc-c++     2.96     GNU C++ support for gcc
  libtool     1.3.5    GNU libtool
  m4          1.4.1    GNU macro processor
  make        3.79.1   GNU make

  Tools used on platform: sparc-sun-solaris2.6
  --------------------------------------------
  autoconf    2.12     GNU autoconf
  automake    1.3      GNU automake
  gcc-c++     2.7.2.1  GNU C++ support for gcc
  libtool     1.2      GNU libtool
  m4          1.4      GNU macro processor
  make        3.76.1   GNU make


Libraries
=========
Includes the next libraries.

  Name   Description                     Corresponding libraries
  ------ ------------------------------- -----------------------
  ADT    Abstract Data Types             adt
  ALG    Algorithm encapsulation         hashalg
  CG     Code Generator                  pbcg
  CGIL   CGI Layer                       cgil
  CP     Configuration Processor         cp
  DFA    Deterministic Finite Automaton  dfa
  EL     Exception Layer                 el
  HTMLL  HTML Layer                      htmll
  OSL    Operating System Layer          osl, osl_thread
  REM    Regular Expression Matcher      rem
  IV     Invariant Verifier              iv


Guidelines for version numbering
================================
The next documentation come from the libtool info document:

  Updating library version information 
  ------------------------------------

  If you want to use libtool's versioning system, then you must specify the
  version information to libtool using the `-version-info' flag during link
  mode (Link mode.). 

  This flag accepts an argument of the form `CURRENT[:REVISION[:AGE]]'. So,
  passing `-version-info 3:12:1' sets CURRENT to 3, REVISION to 12, and AGE
  to 1.

  If either REVISION or AGE are omitted, they default to 0.  Also note that
  AGE must be less than or equal to the CURRENT interface number.

  Here  are  a  set  of rules  to  help  you update  your  library  version
  information:

  1. Start with version information of `0:0:0' for each libtool library.

  2. Update  the  version  information  only  immediately before  a  public
  release of your software. More frequent updates are unnecessary, and only
  guarantee that the current interface number gets larger faster. 

  3. If  the library source code has changed at all since the last  update,
  then increment REVISION (`C:R:A' becomes `C:r+1:A').

  4. If any interfaces have been added,  removed, or changed since the last
  update, increment CURRENT, and set REVISION to 0. 

  5. If any interfaces have been added  since the last public release, then
  increment AGE. 

  6. If  any interfaces have been  removed  since the last public  release,
  then set AGE to 0. 

  **Never** try to set the interface numbers so that they correspond to the
  release  number of  your  package.  This  is an abuse  that only  fosters
  misunderstanding  of the  purpose of library versions.  Instead, use  the
  `-release'  flag (Release numbers.), but be warned that every release  of
  your package will not be binary compatible with any other release.