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124 lines
4.8 KiB
Text
124 lines
4.8 KiB
Text
@c -*-texinfo-*-
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@chapter Frequently Asked Questions With Answers
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@ifset TEXT-ONLY
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@include version.texi
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@end ifset
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Maintained by Scott Christley @email{scottc@@net-community.com}.
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Last updated March 28 1997. The most up-to-date version of this FAQ
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is available at:
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@example
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@url{ftp://www.gnustep.org/Documentation/gnustep-gui/gnustep-gui_toc.html}
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@end example
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Please send corrections to @email{scottc@@net-community.com}.
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@enumerate
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@item @b{What is the GNUstep GUI Library?}
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The GNUstep GUI Library is a library of objects useful for writing
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graphical applications. For example, it includes classes for drawing
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and manipulating graphics objects on the screen: windows, menus,
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buttons, sliders, text fields, and events. There are also many
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peripheral classes that offer operating-system-independent interfaces to
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images, cursors, colors, fonts, pasteboards, printing. There are also
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workspace support classes such as data links, open/save panels,
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context-dependent help, spell checking.
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It provides functionality that aims to implement the @samp{AppKit}
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portion of the OpenStep standard. However the implementation has
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been written to take advantage of GNUstep enhancements wherever possible.
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@item @b{Explain the organization of the front and back-ends.}
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The GNUstep GUI Library is divided into a front and back-end. The
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front-end contains the majority of implementation, but leaves out the
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low-level drawing and event code. A back-end can override whatever
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methods necessary in order to implement low-level drawing event
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receiving. Different back-ends will make GNUstep available on various
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platforms. The default GNU back-end will run on top of the X Window
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System and the Display Ghostscript Server. Other back-ends could allow
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GNUstep to run on Mac, OS/2, and WIN32 graphics/event platforms.
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Much work will be saved by this clean separation between front and
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back-end, because it allows different platforms to share the large
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amount of front-end code.
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The front-end does not specify what mechanism to use in order to "plug
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in" the back-end; that is the back-end implementor's choice. At least
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two backends will use @samp{+poseAs:} method, for example, running
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@samp{[XDPSWindow poseAs: [NSWindow class]]}. Using @samp{+poseAs:} is
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more flexible than using Categories because it allows the the back-end
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implementor to choose what to override in the front-end, instead of
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having the interface between front and back-end fixed by the front-end.
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@item @b{What is the current state of development of the front-end?}
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A number of classes in the front-end are complete or almost complete;
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these include: NSActionCell, NSButtonCell, NSButton, NSCell, NSColor,
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NSColorWell, NSControl, NSCursor, NSEvent, NSFont, NSImage, NSImageRep,
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NSBitmapImageRep, NSResponder, NSSlider, NSScroller, NSTextField, and
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NSTextFieldCell.
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Other classes are complete enough to use, but still require some major
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additions before being considered almost complete: NSApplication, NSBox,
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NSFontManager, NSMatrix, NSMenu, NSMenuCell, NSPopUpButton,
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NSSliderCell, NSText, NSView, and NSWindow.
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You can review the most up-to-date status report at:
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@example
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@url{http://www.gnustep.org/Documentation/gnustep-gui/gnustep-gui_toc.html}.
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@end example
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@item @b{What back-ends are available?}
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The official back-end is the GNUstep X/DPS GUI Backend which runs
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under the X Window System and interfaces to the Display Ghostscript
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System. You can learn more at:
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@example
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@url{http://www.gnustep.org/Documentation/gnustep-xdps/gnustep-xdps_toc.html}
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@end example
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@item @b{Where can I get a copy?}
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@ifset GNUSTEP-GUI-FTP-MACHINE
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The gstep-gui-@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-VERSION}.tar.gz distribution
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file has been placed on @samp{@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-FTP-MACHINE}} in
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@samp{@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-FTP-DIRECTORY}}.
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@end ifset
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@ifclear GNUSTEP-GUI-FTP-MACHINE
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The gstep-gui-@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-VERSION}.tar.gz distribution
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file has not been made available by anonymous ftp.
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@end ifclear
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The program requires gcc @value{GNUSTEP-GUI-GCC} or higher.
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It requires the Display Ghostscript System version
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@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-DGS} and the TIFF Graphics library version
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@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-LIBTIFF}.
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It also requires a FoundationKit library as specified by the OpenStep
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specification. The FoundationKit libraries known to work are the GNUstep
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Base Library version @samp{@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-BASE}} and libFoundation version
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@samp{@value{LIB-FOUNDATION}}.
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The @samp{.tar} file is compressed with GNU gzip. Gzip can be obtained by
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anonymous ftp at any of the GNU archive sites.
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For info about FTP via email, send email to
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@email{ftpmail@@decwrl.dec.com} with no subject line, and two-line body
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with line one @samp{help} and line two @samp{quit}.
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The most recent (not necessarily tested) snapshots of the library will
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be placed in
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@url{ftp://@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-SNAP-FTP-MACHINE}/@value{GNUSTEP-GUI-SNAP-FTP-DIRECTORY}}.
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@end enumerate
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