@c This is a generic INSTALL file for utilities distributions.
@c If this package does not come with, e.g., installable documentation or
@c data files, please ignore the references to them below.

@c set the vars GNUSTEP_BASE_VERSION and GNUSTEP_BASE_GCC_VERSION
@include version.texi

@node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)

@menu
* Introduction::                
* Configuration::               
* Compilation::                 
@end menu

@node Introduction, Configuration, Top, Top
@section Introduction

If you are installing this package as part of the GNUstep core packages,
read the file GNUstep-HOWTO for more complete instructions on how to
install the entire GNUstep package (including this library).
GNUstep-HOWTO is located in the gnustep-make package or at
@url{http://www.gnustep.org}

This version of gnustep-base requires gnustep-make version 2.0.0 or higher.

Other external libraries that you may need to install include:

@itemize
@item ffi (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
@item icu (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
@item gnutls (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
@item libxml2 (RECOMMENDED)
@item libxslt (OPTIONAL)
@item libavahi (RECOMMENDED for NSNetServices)
@item zlib (RECOMMENDED)
@item iconv (OPTIONAL, not needed if you have glibc)
@item openssl (OPTIONAL, not needed if you have gnutls)
@item libcurl (RECOMMENDED)
@item libdispatch (RECOMMENDED)
@end itemize

If you are installing the GNUstep libraries individually, make sure you
have installed the GNUstep Makefile package (gnustep-make) already, and
you have sourced the makefile script:
@example
. $GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ROOT/Library/Makefiles/GNUstep.sh
@end example
See the GNUstep-HOWTO for more information.

After installing this library you should install gnustep-gui if you are
going to use graphical applications.

When you configure this library, make sure you use the same
configuration options as with gstep-make. Some additional options to
configure are described below.

Quick installation instructions:

@example
./configure
make
make install
@end example

To make and install the documentation:

@example
cd Documentation
make
make install
@end example

@node Configuration, Compilation, Introduction, Top
@section Configuration

Configuration is performed by running the @file{configure} program at a
shell prompt. You may want to use some of the optional arguments to the
@file{configure} program. Type @code{configure --help}
for a list of these. It is not likely that you will need to use the
@code{--prefix} option, since gstep-base will automatically install in
the directory specified by the @code{GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ROOT} environment
variable (specified when you installed gnustep-make).

Some configuration options for the base library need to be specified
when configuring the gnustep-make package. In most cases, it is a good
idea to specify the same configuration options when configuring both
packages, just to make sure.

Also make sure you've read the machine-specific instructions for your
particular operating system and CPU. These instructions come with the
GNUstep-HOWTO and are also located at the GNUstep web site at
@url{http://www.gnustep.org}.

@menu
* Reading Command-Line Arguments::  
* FFI Library::                 
@end menu

@node Reading Command-Line Arguments, FFI Library, Configuration, Configuration
@subsection Reading Command-Line Arguments

There are two features that change how GNUstep gets access to 
command-line arguments and environment variables (normally passed to
the program in the @code{main()} function. These features are
@code{--enable-pass-arguments} and the @code{--enable-fake-main}
option(s). 

The fake-main option @emph{secretly} renames the @code{main()} function
and substitutes it's own function which stores the command line
arguments before calling the real main.

The pass-arguments option absolves GNUstep of any effort to get the
command-line arguments and instead forces the developer to insert the
line

@example
  [NSProcessInfo initializeWithArguments:argv count:argc environment:env];
@end example

in the @code{main()} function of their program.

Normally, the configure script will determine if a program
can read process information directly from the system (for use by the
class NSProcessInfo) and enable or disable the fake-main hack
automatically, but if you find that configure is not doing this
correctly, you can force the fake-main hack to be used, which will
always work. Note that if the fake-main hack is enabled, you need to
include the header file GSConfig.h in you main program -- this is done
by default if you include NSObject.h or Foundation.h. If you want to
avoid the whole idea of the fake-main hack, you can use the
pass-arguments option. In this case you will be forced to call the
NSProcessInfo initializeWithArguments method to pass the program
arguments to NSProcessInfo (This would be done automatically if you use
the NSApplicationMain function in a gui application).

@node FFI Library, , Reading Command-Line Arguments, Configuration
@subsection FFI Library

GNUstep's NSInvocations and Distributed Objects code involves detailed
manipulation of the stack and function calls using a library that
implements a Foreign-Function Interface (FFI), such as the 
libffi library. Use of libffi is automatically enabled if the libffi
library is found (and the same with ffcall, although libffi takes
precedence), unless specifically disabled with @code{--disable-do}.

@node Compilation,  , Configuration, Top
@section Compilation

To compile this library, type make. After this is complete, type make
install (make sure you are the root user). Some additional options you
can use with make are @samp{debug=yes} to make a debugging version of
the library and @samp{shared=no} to make a static version of the
library. See the gstep-make package for more information on these options.

If you can't install gstep-base as root, be sure to edit the
@file{Tools/gdomap.h} file and uncomment the last line.

@ifinfo
Copyright @copyright{} 2005 Free Software Foundation

Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
notice and this notice are preserved.
@end ifinfo

@bye