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Documentation/faq.texi
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@ -1,317 +1,41 @@
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c A FAQ for GNUstep
@node Top, GNUstep General Information, (dir), (dir)
@node Top, Compatibility, (dir), (dir)
@chapter GNUstep Frequently Asked Questions with Answers
Last updated @today{}
Please send corrections to @email{gnustep-maintainer@@gnu.org}.
Last updated @today{}.
Please send corrections to @email{gnustep-maintainer@@gnu.org}. Also look
at the user FAQ for more user oriented questions.
@menu
* GNUstep General Information::
* Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX::
* Compatibility::
* Compiling and Developing::
* GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library::
* GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime::
* GNUstep Base Library::
* GNUstep GUI Library::
* GNUstep DisplayGhostScript Server::
@end menu
@node GNUstep General Information, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX, Top, Top
@section GNUstep General Information
@menu
* What is GNUstep?::
* What is the OpenStep standard?::
* What platforms does GNUstep run on?::
* Does GNUstep run on Windows?::
* What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?::
* Is the Objective C API for GTK related?::
* How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?::
* Which compiler can I use? Where can I get it?::
* Which Foundation Library can I use?::
* How do you use the gnustep-make package?::
* How can I get GNUstep?::
* How do you run GNUstep?::
* Is there a web site?::
* When is GNUstep intended to be available?::
* What is usable?::
@end menu
@node What is GNUstep?, What is the OpenStep standard?, GNUstep General Information, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is GNUstep?
GNUstep is the Free Software Foundation's effort to implement NeXT
Software Inc.'s (now Apple Inc.) OpenStep Standard. The project is not
finished, however some components are useable now.
The GNUstep project consists of the following sub-projects:
@itemize @bullet
@item GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library -
Although not actually a component of GNUstep, GCC and the GNU
Objective C Runtime Library are integral to GNUstep, since they are used
to make every GNU Objective C program.
@item GNUstep Base Library - Code for non-graphical objects, such as
strings, collections, archiving support and distributed objects
messaging. (Including functionality similar to OpenStep's
@samp{FoundationKit}.)
@item GNUstep GUI Library - Code for graphical objects used in making a
Graphical User Interface (GUI). This includes buttons, sliders, text
fields, windows, menus, etc. (Including functionality similar to
OpenStep's @samp{AppKit}.)
@item GNUstep DisplayGhostscript Server - A server that draws PostScript
graphics to the screen, and receives events from the keyboard and
mouse. It is based on GNU GhostScript. There is also an DPS extension to
Xfree*6 that is usable.
@item Various Tools and applications, including GORM, The GNUstep
interface builder for graphically assembling application interfaces, and
ProjectCenter, a project manager.
@end itemize
@node What is the OpenStep standard?, What platforms does GNUstep run on?, What is GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is the OpenStep standard?
OpenStep is an Application Programming Interface (API) for creating
applications using the Objective C language. It was published by NeXT
Computer Inc. in 1994.
OpenStep consists of three parts: the @samp{FoundationKit}, a library of
non-graphical objects; the @samp{AppKit}, a library of objects usful in
creating graphical applications; and @samp{Display Postscript}, an
interface for drawing to the screen using the PostScript graphics
language.
You can obtain a copy of the OpenStep standard from the GNUstep web site
@url{http://www.gnustep.org} or it's mirror sites.
@node What platforms does GNUstep run on?, Does GNUstep run on Windows?, What is the OpenStep standard?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What platforms does GNUstep run on?
See the list of supported platforms at
@url{http://www.gnustep.org/information/machines_toc.html} for
information on what machines GNUstep builds on and what the status of
the ports is. Probably a few days porting to any other Unix system where
current gcc/egcs compilers and gdb debugger work.
@node Does GNUstep run on Windows?, What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, What platforms does GNUstep run on?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Does GNUstep run on Windows?
The primary targets for GNUstep are free 'Unix' platforms such
as GNU/Linux.
That being said, the base library should run on Windows-NT,98 with the
Cygwin unix emulation library from Cygnus
(http://sourceware.cygnus.com/cygwin/) or the MinGW libraries. At
present there are a few problems with networking (Distributed Objects)
support, but the library is believed to work.
The gui library needs a win32 backend library to work under
Windows-NT. The backend library is a thin layer that converts the
GNUstep methods to handle drawing of GUI elements to calls to the
win32 api. This is a project looking for a volunteer.
The application-wrapper used for GNUstep already allows for multiple
binaries to be stored for different systems, so you should be able
to write once, deploy anywhere.
@node What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, Does GNUstep run on Windows?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?
You can use GNUstep with GNOME and/or KDE. GNUstep displays
on top of X11. You can still do programming in C (since Objective-C
is just a superset of C), and when (if?) GCC gets around to it,
you'll be able to mix C++ and Objective-C code in the SAME file.
GNUstep, is much more than a window manager or desktop environment.
It frees you to develop cross-platform applications without the
work of developing an OS independent framework from scratch. It
gives you lots of basic functionality, from Font Panels to Unicode
strings to Distributed Objects.
@node Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?, What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Is the Objective C API for GTK related?
No. GNUstep applications provide their GUI via the OpenStep
API, which provides fully object-oriented access to GUI manipulation.
The object-oriented nature of the libraries and language make it much easier
for new users to create their own subclasses rather than simply using the
supplied widgets as in other frameworks.
@node How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?, Which compiler can I use? Where can I get it?, Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?
Yes and No - The GNUstep architecture provides a single,
platform-independent, API for handling all aspects of GUI interaction
(implemented in the gstep-gui library), with a backend architecture
that permits you to have different display models (display postscript,
X-windows, win32, berlin ...) while letting you use the same code
for printing as for displaying. Use of GTK in the frontend gui
library would remove some of those advantages without adding any.
That being said, a backend library could be implemented using gtk
if anyone wanted to do so. Since the frontend library handles most
of the work involved in implementing the OpenStep API, the backend
is a relatively thin layer and the advantages of GTK over direct
xlib or win32 calls is likely to be minimal. If/when GTK is ported
to more systems, a backend written using it could be a valuable
asset - volunteers are, as always, wecome.
@node Which compiler can I use? Where can I get it?, Which Foundation Library can I use?, How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Which compiler can I use? Where can I get it?
Use gcc-2.8.1 or later, from any GNU ftp site or, on some
platforms you must use egcs-1.1.1 or later, from http://egcs.cygnus.com/
@node Which Foundation Library can I use?, How do you use the gnustep-make package?, Which compiler can I use? Where can I get it?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Which Foundation Library can I use?
That depends ...
If you only want to use the database package - gnustep-db, you can
use either the gnustep base library or libFoundation.
If you want to develop/use GNUstep gui applications, you must use
the gnustep-base library since libFoundation is (13-Feb-2000)
missing much essential functionality.
@node How do you use the gnustep-make package?, How can I get GNUstep?, Which Foundation Library can I use?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection How do you use the gnustep-make package?
Good question. Read the tutorials at the GNUstep web site. Also, use the
makefiles in the libraries, tool directories, and test applications as
examples.
@node How can I get GNUstep?, How do you run GNUstep?, How do you use the gnustep-make package?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection How can I get GNUstep?
Get the HOWTO from
@url{http://www.gnustep.org/resources/documentation/GNUstep-HOWTO}
Get the latest release from @url{ftp://ftp.gnustep.org}. If you're
really adventurous, get the latest snapshot by anonymous ftp from
@url{ftp://ftp.gnustep.org:/pub/daily-snapshots}
Use anonymous CVS to keep up to date - instructions are in the
HOWTO.
@node How do you run GNUstep?, Is there a web site?, How can I get GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection How do you run GNUstep?
You are presumably under the misapprehension that GNUstep is
some sort of window manager.
It isn't.
GNUstep is a whole load of things - primarily a set of libraries
for developing software.
At present, it's those libraries, plus various command-line based
support tools and service providing daemons. In the future, it
will be the libraries, plus the support tools, plus various GUI
development tools, a GUI desktop/workspace application etc.
At no stage will you ever 'run' GNUstep - you will run applications
and tools and will make use of it's services (though at some point
you may well find packages distributed as 'GNUstep' systems in the
way that you get 'Linux' systems packaged today).
Current tools are -
@example
The makefiles package
To make building GNUstep tools and apps simple.
The 'openapp' script
To start up a GUI application from the command line.
The defaults tools
To read, create, delete, and modify user defaults from the command
line.
The name server
To permit applications and tools to locate each other and
communicate.
The pasteboard server
To permit cut-and-paste, drag-and-drop, and to let applicationsm
and tools transparently provide services to each other.
The distributed notification center
To permit applications and tools to be notified of arbitrary
external events.
The 'make_services' program
To locate (and cache information about) applications that are
willing to provide services to other applications.
The 'set_show_service' program
A command-line utility to determine what services an application
should be permitted to offer on it's 'services' menu.
@end example
If you want to see a sample GUI application running you need to build
GNUstep and look at the example applications in the gstep-examples
package. Build 'Finger' or 'Ink' and start it with 'openapp Finger.app'
or 'openapp Ink.app'
To look best - use WindowMaker (the currently preferred GNUstep
window manager) as your window manager.
@node Is there a web site?, When is GNUstep intended to be available?, How do you run GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Is there a web site?
See @url{http://www.gnustep.org/}.
@node When is GNUstep intended to be available?, What is usable?, Is there a web site?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection When is GNUstep intended to be available?
It's usable now. Releases are made about every six months. However, if
you are a serious developer, it's probably best to use the latest
snapshots. See the GNUstep web site for a release schedule.
@node What is usable?, , When is GNUstep intended to be available?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is usable?
@itemize @bullet
@item gstep-make does pretty much what the makefiles in NeXTstep do.
@item gstep-base (Foundation) stuff should work fine for almost all projects.
@item gstep-db is only EOF-1.0 compatible but should work ok.
@item gstep-gui (AppKit) has a lot working but there is still stuff missing.
@item DGS (Display Ghostscript) is usable but slow.
@end itemize
@c ****************************************************************
@c Compiling
@node Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX, Compiling and Developing, GNUstep General Information, Top
@section Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Compatibility, Compiling and Developing, Top, Top
@section Compatibility
@menu
* Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or Apple Rhapsody programs on GNUstep?::
* Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?::
* Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?::
* Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?::
* Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?::
* Can I use my original NIB files?::
* Will code without NIB files work?::
* Is GNUstep following Apple's Changes to OpenStep?::
* Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?::
* Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++"::
* Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?::
* What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?::
* Is the Objective C API for GTK related?::
* How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?::
@end menu
@node Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or Apple Rhapsody programs on GNUstep?, Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@subsection Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or Apple Rhapsody programs on GNUstep?
You can't run these programs on GNUstep, but if you have the source
code for the programs, you should be able to port them to GNUstep and
compile them. Whether or not you will be able to run them depends on how
complete GNUstep is at the time.
@node Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?, Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or Apple Rhapsody programs on GNUstep?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?, Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Compatibility, Compatibility
@subsection Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?
It is probably easy for simple programs. There are some portability
@ -321,7 +45,7 @@ or rewrite the Makefiles yourself. You will also have to
translate the NIB files (if there are any) to GNUstep model files using
the nib2gmodel program (from @url{ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/dev-apps}).
@node Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Is it easy to port OPENSTEP and Rhapsody programs to GNUstep?, Compatibility
@subsection Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?
Apple's archiving format is proprietary and not documented, so this
@ -341,13 +65,13 @@ tool, which has an archiver that works both on GNUstep and Cocoa. It
might be nice to split this off into a separate project to make it
easier for other people to do the same thing.
@node Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Can I transfer archived data from GNUstep to Cocoa?, Compatibility
@subsection Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?
See the answer to the previous question (on archive compatibility) for
why this won't work either.
@node Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Can I use my original NIB files?, Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Can I use my original NIB files?, Does distributed objects work between GNUstep and Cocoa?, Compatibility
@subsection Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?
There is an Interface Builder for GNUstep called Gorm, but it is
@ -355,7 +79,7 @@ in alpha release, so it may not work perfectly. You can download it from
the ftp site or via http.
The Project Manager ProjectCenter is also available.
@node Can I use my original NIB files?, Will code without NIB files work?, Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Can I use my original NIB files?, Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Is there an Interface Builder for GNUstep?, Compatibility
@subsection Can I use my original NIB files?
No - NeXT/Apple never documented their nib format, so GNUstep supports
@ -365,41 +89,16 @@ archive format (which can be edited by Gorm). There IS a conversion
tool called nib2gmodel that can be compiled under OPENSTEP to convert
OPENSTEP nib files to GNUstep gmodel files.
@node Will code without NIB files work?, Is GNUstep following Apple's Changes to OpenStep?, Can I use my original NIB files?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@subsection Will code without NIB files work?
Well, GNUstep implements the OpenStep API, not the old NeXTstep
API but, Yes - once the gui library is complete, OpenStep or MacOS-X
code should work without translation under GNUstep.
@node Is GNUstep following Apple's Changes to OpenStep?, Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, Will code without NIB files work?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@subsection Is GNUstep following Apple's Changes to OpenStep?
Yes - gstep-base already contains the documented changes in the
Foundation library. GNUstep aims to be compatible with both the
OpenStep specification and with MacOS-X It should be easy to write
an application that compiles cleanly under both GNUstep and Yellow
Box.
@node Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Is GNUstep following Apple's Changes to OpenStep?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@subsection Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?
Gnustep is aiming for something like the NeXTstep-3.3 look and
feel. This is mostly determined by the gui backend library. In the
case of the two existing backends (xdps and xgps), both are designed
to look like NeXTstep/OPENSTEP. If someone wants to write a backend
with a different look, they can. This would only be a few man-months
work.
@node Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, Can I use my original NIB files?, Compatibility
@subsection Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++"
that one could on the NeXT?
No - at present the GNU compiler (gcc) does not support
"Objective-C++" There are no specific plans to make it do so, but
any volunteers to do it would be welcome.
No. at present the GNU compiler (gcc) does not support
"Objective-C++". Apple has submitted patches for this, but it is up to
the GCC steering commitee to decide if they want to add them. If you
would like to see this, please politely and respectfully lobby them at
@url{gcc@@gnu.org}.
@node Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?, Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?, Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++", Compatibility
@subsection Is there a plan to support the Java/YellowBox Bindings?
Yes. The GNustep Java library/bridge called JIGS is available now. JIGS
@ -412,42 +111,77 @@ virtual machines inside GNUstep Objective-C code and access java objects
in the java virtual machine transparently, as if they were objective-C
objects.
@node What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?, , Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX
@node What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?, Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, Is there a plan to support Java/YellowBox Bindings?, Compatibility
@subsection What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?
No - GNUstep uses the X-windows display postscript extension
- the interface to that is not the same as the interface to the
GNUstep uses the X-windows display postscript extension.
The interface to that is not the same as the interface to the
OPENSTEP/MacOS-X windows server. While someone could write a
backend library to provide the interface, nobody has bothered to
date.
Also, the GNUstep base library is still being ported to Darwin.
@node Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?, What if I compile GNUstep under OPENSTEP/MacOS X Server?, Compatibility
@subsection Is the Objective C API for GTK related?
No. GNUstep applications provide their GUI via the OpenStep
API, which provides fully object-oriented access to GUI manipulation.
The object-oriented nature of the libraries and language make it much easier
for new users to create their own subclasses rather than simply using the
supplied widgets as in other frameworks.
@node How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?, , Is the Objective C API for GTK related?, Compatibility
@subsection How about implementing parts of the Application Kit with GTK?
Yes and No - The GNUstep architecture provides a single,
platform-independent, API for handling all aspects of GUI interaction
(implemented in the gstep-gui library), with a backend architecture
that permits you to have different display models (display postscript,
X-windows, win32, berlin ...) while letting you use the same code
for printing as for displaying. Use of GTK in the frontend gui
library would remove some of those advantages without adding any.
That being said, a backend library could be implemented using gtk
if anyone wanted to do so. Since the frontend library handles most
of the work involved in implementing the OpenStep API, the backend
is a relatively thin layer and the advantages of GTK over direct
xlib or win32 calls is likely to be minimal. If/when GTK is ported
to more systems, a backend written using it could be a valuable
asset - volunteers are, as always, wecome.
@c ****************************************************************
@c Compiling
@node Compiling and Developing, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library, Compatibility with OPENSTEP/Cocoa/MacOSX, Top
@node Compiling and Developing, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime, Compatibility, Top
@section Compiling and Developing
@menu
* How can I get started programming?::
* How can I help with GNUstep?::
* How do I start writing code?::
* How do I start writing documentation?::
* Helping develop GNUstep::
* Helping document GNUstep::
* How do I update the task list?::
* How do I start writing tests?::
* How do I start writing applications?::
* How can I help with the GNUstep website?::
* How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? ::
* Are there any precompiled packages available?::
* What are these type and size warnings?::
@end menu
@node How can I help with GNUstep?, How do I start writing code?, Compiling and Developing, Compiling and Developing
@node How can I get started programming?, How can I help with GNUstep?, Compiling and Developing, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How can I get started programming?
Good question. Read the tutorials at the GNUstep web site. Also look at
Apple's documentation (pointers in the Resources section on the GNUstep web
site.
@node How can I help with GNUstep?, Helping develop GNUstep, How can I get started programming?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How can I help with GNUstep?
@enumerate
@item Write/debug library code
@item Write documentation
@item Update the TODO list and library headers
@item Update the task list and library headers
@item Write applications
@end enumerate
@ -477,10 +211,10 @@ that begin with a slash and two asterices). But PLEASE, do not copy from
the Apple documentation or any other copyrighted documentation.
@node How do I start writing code?, How do I start writing documentation?, How can I help with GNUstep?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How do I start writing code?
@node Helping develop GNUstep, Helping document GNUstep, How can I help with GNUstep?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection Helping develop GNUstep
There is plenty of unimplemented stuff in the gui library and
There is plenty of unimplemented stuff in the gui library and
backend libraries that volunteers can work on - just browse through
the code and see if it conforms to the documentation.
@ -490,8 +224,8 @@ website.
Once you have coded something, you could always write a testcase
and documentation for it :-)
@node How do I start writing documentation?, How do I update the task list?, How do I start writing code?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How do I start writing documentation?
@node Helping document GNUstep, How do I update the task list?, Helping develop GNUstep, Compiling and Developing
@subsection Helping document GNUstep
All class documentation is written directly in the source code itself
and translated using the autogsdoc program. See the source code and
@ -514,22 +248,24 @@ format into gsdoc.
GNUstep documentation should have copyright assigned to the Free
Software Foundation.
@node How do I update the task list?, How do I start writing tests?, How do I start writing documentation?, Compiling and Developing
@node How do I update the task list?, How do I start writing tests?, Helping document GNUstep, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How do I update the task list?
The task list (@url{http://www.gnustep.org/developers/tasks.html}) is
supposed to tell people what jobs are waiting to be done.
The task list (@url{http://savannah.gnu.org/pm/?group_id=99}) is
supposed to tell people what jobs are waiting to be done. Feel free to
add to it or update the tasks that are there (you need to create a login
for yourself first).
One job of major importance that pretty much anyone can do is to
look for jobs to add to the task list. In the case of methods from
the OpenStep specification or the MacOS-X documentation not being
present in the GNustep libraries, it is also helpful to add the
present in the GNUstep libraries, it is also helpful to add the
method prototypes to the library header files.
Send any changes or additions to @email{bug-gnustep@@gnu.org}.
A beginner can look through the MacOS-X documentation, the OpenStep
specification and the GNUstep source and contribute TODO items.
specification and the GNUstep source and contribute task items.
If a class or method is in MacOS-X and OpenStep but is not in
GNUstep - it's a high priority TODO and should at least be added
@ -558,8 +294,8 @@ latest GNUstep snapshots you can find. Then checkout the 'tests'
module from CVS. In the 'tests' directory, you will find a
regression testing framework.
In order to use this you will also need a recent (v 1.3.2 or later) copy of
Guile (you can get this from a GNU ftp site) and will need to hacke checked
out, built, and installed the 'guile' package from the GNUstep CVS repository.
Guile (you can get this from a GNU ftp site) and will need to check-out,
built, and installed the 'guile' package from the GNUstep CVS repository.
@node How do I start writing applications?, How can I help with the GNUstep website?, How do I start writing tests?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How do I start writing applications?
@ -568,16 +304,16 @@ out, built, and installed the 'guile' package from the GNUstep CVS repository.
applications that have been started, and email their owners to
volunteer to help, or you can start your own project.
@node How can I help with the GNUstep website?, How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? , How do I start writing applications?, Compiling and Developing
@node How can I help with the GNUstep website?, , How do I start writing applications?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How can I help with the GNUstep website?
Talk to Adam Fedor @email{fedor@@gnu.org}, the maintainer.
The GNUstep website is kept as a CVS module, but the largest portions
of it (the FAQ, the TODO list, and the Documentation) are actually
of it (the FAQ and the Documentation) are actually
generated from files in the individual GNUstep packages.
If you want to update the FAQ or TODO list or documentation - grab
If you want to update the FAQ or documentation - grab
the latest snapshot of the GNUstep core you can find, update it
from the CVS repository, and work with the contents of the appropriate
documentation directory.
@ -590,47 +326,19 @@ to do that.
The main task with the website is to figure out which bits are
out-of-date (or wrong) and update/mark-as-outdated as required.
@node How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? , Are there any precompiled packages available?, How can I help with the GNUstep website?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection How do I compile GNUstep on my machine?
Read the file @file{GNUstep-HOWTO}, which comes with the GNUstep
distribution, and also is available separately on the GNUstep web
site.
@node Are there any precompiled packages available?, What are these type and size warnings?, How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? , Compiling and Developing
@subsection Are there any precompiled packages available?
Check @url{http://www.gnustep.org/resources/sources.html} for links
to sites with RPMS, and perhaps in the future, Debian packages.
In some cases. You can check the debian site for preconfigured GNUstep
packages. Also check the BSD sites for GNUstep ports.
@node What are these type and size warnings?, , Are there any precompiled packages available?, Compiling and Developing
@subsection What are these type and size warnings?
These warnings:
@example
/usr/bin/ld: warning: type and size of dynamic symbol
`__objc_class_name_NSConstantString' are not defined
@end example
are a common occurence and are due to a mismatch between gcc and
ld. They don't do any harm so they can be safely ignored. Apparently no
one has bothered to fix them yet.
@c -------------------------------------------------------------------
@node GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library, GNUstep Base Library, Compiling and Developing, Top
@section GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library
@node GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime, GNUstep Base Library, Compiling and Developing, Top
@section GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime
@menu
* What is the Objective C Runtime Library?::
* What is the Objective C Runtime?::
* Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++::
* Where can I find more information?::
@end menu
@node What is the Objective C Runtime Library?, Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library
@subsection What is the Objective C Runtime Library?
@node What is the Objective C Runtime?, Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime
@subsection What is the Objective C Runtime?
The Objective C Runtime Library provides C functions and data structures
required to execute an Objective C program.
@ -671,28 +379,15 @@ objects implementations, (see GNUstep Base Library Section, below).
corresponding NeXT functions; the GNU names conform to the GNU coding
standards.
@item NeXT's compiler, @samp{cc}, is based on an old version of
@samp{gcc}. GNU's compiler is, of course, the latest version of
@samp{gcc}, and therefore contains all the latest enhancements.
@end itemize
@node Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, Where can I find more information?, What is the Objective C Runtime Library?, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library
@node Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, Where can I find more information?, What is the Objective C Runtime?, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime
@subsection Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++?
No. Unlike NeXT's @samp{cc}, GNU GCC does not support source files
containing both Objective C and C++. Apple seems to be willing to
merge their code back into the main GCC project, but this may take some
convincing of the GCC maintainers due to the large number of changes
necessary. Send
email to @samp{discuss-gnustep@@gnu.org} if you are interesting in
pushing this issue, so that the efforts of all those people interested
can be coordinated.
No.
See @pxref{Can one use the hybrid "Objective-C++"}
Also, unlike NeXT's @samp{cc}, GNU GCC does not support the @samp{extern
"Objective-C"} construct.
@node Where can I find more information?, , Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library
@node Where can I find more information?, , Does it allow a mixture of Objective C and C++, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime
@subsection Where can I find more information?
The FAQ associated with the newsgroup @samp{comp.lang.objective-c}
@ -700,7 +395,7 @@ contains more information about GNU Objective C.
@c ------------- GNU Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library -------
@node GNUstep Base Library, GNUstep GUI Library, GNU Objective C Compiler and Objective C Runtime Library, Top
@node GNUstep Base Library, GNUstep GUI Library, GNU Objective C Compiler and Runtime, Top
@section GNUstep Base Library
@menu
@ -745,7 +440,7 @@ as NeXT's; be warned, however, that they are not compatible with each
other. They have different class heirarchies, different instance
variables, different method names, different implementation strategies
and different network message formats. You cannot communicate with a
NeXT NSConnection using a GNU Connection.
NeXT NSConnection using a GNU NSConnection.
Here are some differences between GNU distributed objects and NeXT's
distributed objects: NeXT NSDistantObject asks it's remote
@ -796,12 +491,11 @@ front-end contains the majority of implementation, but leaves out the
low-level drawing and event code. A back-end can override whatever
methods necessary in order to implement low-level drawing event
receiving. Different back-ends will make GNUstep available on various
platforms. The default GNU back-end will run on top of X Windows and
the DisplayGhostScript Server. Other back-ends could allow GNUstep to
run on OpenGL, OS/2, and WIN32 graphics/event platforms. Much work
will be saved by this clean separation between front- and back-end,
because it allows different platforms to share the large amount of
front-end code.
platforms. The default GNU back-end will run on top of X Windows.
Other back-ends could allow GNUstep to run on OpenGL and WIN32
graphics/event platforms. Much work will be saved by this clean
separation between front- and back-end, because it allows different
platforms to share the large amount of front-end code.
@node What is the current state of development of the front-end?, What is the current state of development of the X/DPS back-end?, Explain the organization of the front- and back-ends, GNUstep GUI Library
@subsection What is the current state of development of the front-end?

305
Documentation/userfaq.texi
View file

@ -4,32 +4,116 @@
@node Top, GNUstep General Information, (dir), (dir)
@chapter GNUstep Frequently Asked Questions for Users
Last updated @today{}
Please send corrections to @email{gnustep-maintainer@@gnu.org}.
Last updated @today{}.
Please send corrections to @email{gnustep-maintainer@@gnu.org}. Also look
at the (developer) FAQ for more developer oriented questions.
@menu
* GNUstep General Information::
* Compiling and Installing::
* Compatibility and Layout::
* Troubleshooting::
@end menu
@node GNUstep General Information, Troubleshooting, Top, Top
@node GNUstep General Information, Compiling and Installing, Top, Top
@section GNUstep General Information
@menu
* What is GNUstep?::
* What is the OpenStep standard?::
* What platforms does GNUstep run on?::
* Does GNUstep run on Windows?::
* What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?::
* Which Foundation Library can I use?::
* How can I get GNUstep?::
* How do you run GNUstep?::
* Is there a web site?::
* When is GNUstep intended to be available?::
* What is usable?::
@end menu
@node What is GNUstep?, How can I get GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information, GNUstep General Information
@node What is GNUstep?, What is the OpenStep standard?, GNUstep General Information, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is GNUstep?
GNUstep is the Free Software Foundation's effort to implement NeXT
Software Inc.'s (now Apple Inc.) OpenStep Standard. The project is not
finished, so some parts are not as polished as they could be.
@node How can I get GNUstep?, How do you run GNUstep?, What is GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@node What is the OpenStep standard?, What platforms does GNUstep run on?, What is GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is the OpenStep standard?
OpenStep is an Application Programming Interface (API) for creating
applications using the Objective C language. It was published by NeXT
Computer Inc. in 1994.
OpenStep consists of three parts: the @samp{FoundationKit}, a library of
non-graphical objects; the @samp{AppKit}, a library of objects useful in
creating graphical applications; and @samp{Display Postscript}, an
interface for drawing to the screen using the PostScript graphics
language.
You can obtain a copy of the OpenStep standard from the GNUstep web site
@url{http://www.gnustep.org} or it's mirror sites.
@node What platforms does GNUstep run on?, Does GNUstep run on Windows?, What is the OpenStep standard?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What platforms does GNUstep run on?
See the list of supported platforms at
@url{http://www.gnustep.org/information/machines_toc.html} for
information on what machines GNUstep builds on and what the status of
the ports is. Probably a few days porting to any other Unix system where
current gcc/egcs compilers and gdb debugger work.
@node Does GNUstep run on Windows?, What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, What platforms does GNUstep run on?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Does GNUstep run on Windows?
The primary targets for GNUstep are free 'Unix' platforms such
as GNU/Linux.
That being said, the base library should run on Windows-NT,98 with the
Cygwin unix emulation library from Cygnus
(http://sourceware.cygnus.com/cygwin/) or the MinGW libraries. At
present there are a few problems with networking (Distributed Objects)
support, but the library is believed to work.
The gui library needs a win32 backend library to work under
Windows-NT. The backend library is a thin layer that converts the
GNUstep methods to handle drawing of GUI elements to calls to the
win32 API. This is a project looking for a volunteer.
The application-wrapper used for GNUstep already allows for multiple
binaries to be stored for different systems, so you should be able
to write once, deploy anywhere.
@node What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, Which Foundation Library can I use?, Does GNUstep run on Windows?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?
You can use GNUstep with GNOME and/or KDE. GNUstep displays
on top of X11. You can still do programming in C (since Objective-C
is just a super-set of C), and when (if?) GCC gets around to it,
you'll be able to mix C++ and Objective-C code in the SAME file.
GNUstep, is much more than a window manager or desktop environment.
It frees you to develop cross-platform applications without the
work of developing an OS independent framework from scratch. It
gives you lots of basic functionality, from Font Panels to Unicode
strings to Distributed Objects.
@node Which Foundation Library can I use?, How can I get GNUstep?, What is GNUstep's position towards KDE and the GNOME project?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Which Foundation Library can I use?
That depends ...
If you only want to use the database package - gnustep-db, you can
use either the gnustep base library or libFoundation.
If you want to develop/use GNUstep gui applications, you must use
the gnustep-base library since libFoundation is (13-Feb-2000)
missing much essential functionality.
@node How can I get GNUstep?, How do you run GNUstep?, Which Foundation Library can I use?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection How can I get GNUstep?
Get the HOWTO from
@ -45,7 +129,7 @@ HOWTO.
@subsection How do you run GNUstep?
You are presumably under the misapprehension that GNUstep is
some sort of window manager.
some sort of program or window manager.
It isn't.
@ -53,9 +137,8 @@ GNUstep is a whole load of things - primarily a set of libraries
for developing software.
At present, it's those libraries, plus various command-line based
support tools and service providing daemons. In the future, it
will be the libraries, plus the support tools, plus various GUI
development tools, a GUI desktop/workspace application etc.
support tools and service providing daemons, plus various GUI
development tools, a GUI desktop/workspace application, etc.
At no stage will you ever 'run' GNUstep - you will run applications
and tools and will make use of it's services (though at some point
@ -63,35 +146,208 @@ you may well find packages distributed as 'GNUstep' systems in the
way that you get 'Linux' systems packaged today).
If you want to see a sample GUI application running you need to build
GNUstep and look at the example applications in the gstep-examples
GNUstep and look at the example applications in the gnustep-examples
package. Build 'Finger' or 'Ink' and start it with 'openapp Finger.app'
or 'openapp Ink.app'
To look best - use WindowMaker (the currently preferred GNUstep
window manager) as your window manager.
@node Is there a web site?, , How do you run GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@node Is there a web site?, When is GNUstep intended to be available?, How do you run GNUstep?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection Is there a web site?
See @url{http://www.gnustep.org/}.
@node When is GNUstep intended to be available?, What is usable?, Is there a web site?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection When is GNUstep intended to be available?
It's usable now. Releases are made about every six months. However, if
you are a serious developer, it's probably best to use the latest
snapshots.
@node What is usable?, , When is GNUstep intended to be available?, GNUstep General Information
@subsection What is usable?
@itemize @bullet
@item gnustep-make does pretty much what the makefiles in NeXTstep do.
@item gnustep-base (Foundation) stuff should work fine for almost all projects.
@item gnustep-db is only EOF-1.0 compatible but should work OK.
@item gnustep-gui (AppKit) has a lot working but there is still stuff missing.
@item DGS (Display Ghostscript) is usable but slow.
@end itemize
What does this mean for users? Many applications will run quite well.
Applications that require very complex drawing and some unusual features may
not.
@c ****************************************************************
@node Troubleshooting, , GNUstep General Information, Top
@node Compiling and Installing, Compatibility and Layout, GNUstep General Information, Top
@section Compiling and Installing
@menu
* How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? ::
* Are there any precompiled packages available?::
* What are these type and size warnings?::
@end menu
@node How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? , Are there any precompiled packages available?, Compiling and Installing, Compiling and Installing
@subsection How do I compile GNUstep on my machine?
Read the file @file{GNUstep-HOWTO}, which comes with the GNUstep
distribution (gnustep-make), and also is available separately on the
GNUstep web site.
@node Are there any precompiled packages available?, What are these type and size warnings?, How do I compile GNUstep on my machine? , Compiling and Installing
@subsection Are there any precompiled packages available?
Check @url{http://www.gnustep.org/resources/sources.html} for links to
RPMS. Debian packages are also available. You can check the debian
site(s) for preconfigured GNUstep packages. Also check the BSD sites for
GNUstep ports.
@node What are these type and size warnings?, , Are there any precompiled packages available?, Compiling and Installing
@subsection What are these type and size warnings?
These warnings:
@example
/usr/bin/ld: warning: type and size of dynamic symbol
`__objc_class_name_NSConstantString' are not defined
@end example
are a common occurence and are due to a mismatch between gcc and
ld. They don't do any harm so they can be safely ignored. They have been
fixed in GCC version 3.1.
@c ****************************************************************
@node Compatibility and Layout, Troubleshooting, Compiling and Installing, Top
@section Compatibility and Layout
@menu
* Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or MacOSX programs on GNUstep?::
* Is GNUstep following Changes to OpenStep and MacOSX?::
* Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?::
* What's up with the directory structure?::
* Why not use Frameworks?::
@end menu
@node Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or MacOSX programs on GNUstep?, Is GNUstep following Changes to OpenStep and MacOSX?, Compatibility and Layout, Compatibility and Layout
@subsection Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or MacOSX programs on GNUstep?
You can't run these programs on GNUstep, but if you have the source
code for the programs, you should be able to port them to GNUstep and
compile them. Whether or not you will be able to run them depends on how
complete GNUstep is at the time.
@node Is GNUstep following Changes to OpenStep and MacOSX?, Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, Can I run NeXT OPENSTEP or MacOSX programs on GNUstep?, Compatibility and Layout
@subsection Is GNUstep following Changes to OpenStep and MacOSX?
Yes, gnustep-base already contains the documented changes in the
Foundation library. GNUstep aims to be compatible with both the
OpenStep specification and with MacOS-X It should be easy to write
an application that compiles cleanly under both GNUstep and Cocao.
@node Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, What's up with the directory structure?, Is GNUstep following Changes to OpenStep and MacOSX?, Compatibility and Layout
@subsection Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?
GNUstep is aiming for something like the NeXTstep-3.3 look and feel.
Although we don't want to force anyone into this, a lot of the power and
ease of use comes from this feel. The look of GNUstep is something
different - buttons and other widgets can look different but still act
the same way. We hope to implement themes which will allow
this. Actually we're hoping someone will volunteer to do it.
@node What's up with the directory structure?, Why not use Frameworks?, Do we have to have the NeXTstep look and feel?, Compatibility and Layout
@subsection What's up with the directory structure?
First of all, GNUstep uses a slightly different directory structure than
NeXT or MacOSX. Part of this is historical, part is because we can't do
things the same way (see @pxref{Why not use Frameworks?}).
GNUstep also stores libraries and binaries in subdirectories based on
the operating system and cpu. This is so you can compile and store
binaries for different systems in the same directory structure. MacOSX
uses Fat binaries to accomplish this (another reason we do it
differently). If you want, you can get rid of this using the
@samp{--enable-flattened} option to the gnustep-make package.
@node Why not use Frameworks?, , What's up with the directory structure?, Compatibility and Layout
@subsection Why not use Frameworks?
Frameworks are much more difficult to port and to use, and are very
unnatural on a unix system - extremely unnatural on Windows. In a
framework, the shared dynamic library is inside a framework wrapper
directory. Because of this, the dynamic linker can't find it.
We have frameworks, so how do we work around that? Well, we build dynamic
links from a directory inside the dynamic linker path into the framework,
which work, but then you can't move the framework anywhere else on
the system, otherwise you break the link, and nothing will find the
framework any longer!
On systems without dynamic links, like Windows, we can't even do this!
We have to copy the library from the framework into the dynamic linker
path, but that is simply a shared library then! Absolutely @emph{no}
difference. You put the dynamic library in a system directory in the
dynamic linker path, and associate with that library a resource directory.
I think OpenStep for Windows did that, and still called them frameworks.
Oh well we can do the same then, and call our libraries frameworks.
In a shared library, the shared dynamic library is in a directory which is
in the path to the dynamic linker. the dynamic linker can find it very
easily. this is how all shared and static libraries work on Unix systems,
on Windows systems and possibly on most system at all.
Moreover, the OpenStep API requires us to provide some stuff for
frameworks, like creating and registering automatically a framework
object each time a framework is used (linked at runtime, or linked into
the app), and attaching to it the list of classes inside the framework -
which are not particularly trivial to implement - they depend on playing
with the linker and the object file format - and might produce troubles
when porting. And we never use these facilities.
For Apple MacOSX sure it's easier. They can modify
the system linker, compiler, the system dynamical linker. They
always know on which platform they are working (their own), etc. They can
modify the system to support frameworks natively. Easy that way.
But GNUstep is meant to run on many different platforms, platforms which
we don't control (Windows, Sun Solaris, Darwin, GNU/Linux, Unix
variants) and which have different linkers and do not support frameworks
natively. On some systems it's difficult to just load a bundle or
compile a shared library!
So building the core libraries as 'libraries' means that it's much
easier to port them, and it's much more difficult to break them.
Sure, frameworks have a bundle of resources associated with it - but we
can very easily associate a bundle of resource with a shared library, no
reason why not. We are doing it.
So please note that GNUstep libraries are meant to be much similar to
MacOS X frameworks. They are composed of a shared library and
associated with a bundle of resources. There is a difference in
terminology, in where the resources are installed, and possibly a slight
difference in the NSBundle API to get to the resource bundle (anyway,
it's a one line difference between MacOSX and GNUstep, so it looks like
very easy to #ifdef).
In other words, GNUstep libraries are meant to basically do the same as
frameworks do on MacOSX, but to be portable to strange platforms (such as
Windows).
@c ****************************************************************
@node Troubleshooting, , Compatibility and Layout, Top
@section Troubleshooting
@menu
* Problems compiling::
* Problems with Alt key::
@end menu
@node Problems with Alt key, , Troubleshooting, Troubleshooting
@subsection Problems with Alt key
If you are using WindowMaker, it's possible it is grabing this key and
using it for itself. To check, open Window Maker's WPrefs and go to the
Mouse Preferences. Then use another value for the "Mouse grab modifier"
(bottom right). That will allow you to alt-drag things.
@node Problems compiling, , Troubleshooting, Troubleshooting
@node Problems compiling, Problems with Alt key, Troubleshooting, Troubleshooting
@subsection Problems compiling
If you get something like
@ -111,6 +367,13 @@ make LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
You could also be having problems with gcc. gcc 2.96 does not work
(Mandrake 8.1, perhaps others). Use a different compiler, like gcc 3.x.
@node Problems with Alt key, , Problems compiling, Troubleshooting
@subsection Problems with Alt key
If you are using WindowMaker, it's possible it is grabing this key and
using it for itself. To check, open Window Maker's WPrefs and go to the
Mouse Preferences. Then use another value for the "Mouse grab modifier"
(bottom right). That will allow you to alt-drag things.
@bye
\bye