ftp.nice.ch/Attic/openStep/developer/resources/MiscKit.2.0.5.s.gnutar.gz#/MiscKit2ftp.nice.ch/Attic/openStep/developer/resources/MiscKit.2.0.5.s.gnutar.gz#/MiscKit2Copyright © 1996 , 1997 Don Yacktman. All Rights Reserved. Version 2.0.5 (pre alpha). Important Release Notes Because this release is to be considered incomplete, be request that it not be put on any CDROM distributions! We expect new releases to happen within weeks of each other, and any CDROM collection that tries to keep up with us before we reach 2.1.0 status will be hopelessly out of date before the disc is even pressed! This is the MiscKit version 2.0.5 pre alpha. It is recommended that you place this folder (ªMiscKit2º) in /LocalDeveloper/Source so that it is available to everyone who uses your system, though the MiscKit can be built and installed anywhere you like. Look in the ReleaseNotes folder for changes since version 2.0.2. This README file has not changed between 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 except for this paragraph. The significant changes for 2.0.2 include newer versions of several things that were included in the previous release and a few minor additions. Of note, however, is the addition of the MiscSupport.framework. Its existence is temporary and it will be folded into the MiscFoundation framework in the future. So depend upon the code, if you like, but not upon its location. Why is it like this? I haven't had time to fold it in yet (I've done a lot of travel lately) and I wanted to at least make this code availalbe to people who need it. Other than those updates, there's not much else changed that is worthy of note. The palette projects aren't yet properly integrated into the kit. The frameworks are the only thing that is guaranteed to be buildable. I hope to have the palette stuff in place very soon. There's a bunch of stuff in the Temp area which hasn't been folded in yet, either. I'm working on it... The MiscKit organization has changed dramatically. Instead of libraries, we now have ªframeworksº. Because a framework is dynamic and shared we are combining things together so that there are as few frameworks as possible. Therefore, we are more or less mirroring what NeXT's framework structure looks like. The MiscFoundation framework includes objects that depend upon NeXT's Foundation framework. MiscAppKit depends upon Foundation and MiscFoundation. MiscEOF depends upon Foundation, MiscFoundation, AppKit, MiscAppKit, and NeXT's EOF frameworks. (We may further break up the EOF framework into access, control, and interface layers, depending upon what we end up having to put into the framework.) The Palette projects all rely upon the MiscKit frameworks, and only include a palette object and inspector objects (the parts needed by IB). The palletized objects are located within the MiscKit frameworks. The frameworks themselves are laden with subprojects to help break them up into functional chunks and to aid in administration. One optional framework, MiscCompatability, is meant to ease the transition from NEXTSTEP to OPENSTEP MiscKit versions. It will contain as much as possible from the ªoldº MiscKit interface so that MiscKit reliant apps may be built without major overhauls. Over time, however, you should wean yourself from this interface and move to the new MiscKit 2 interface. Of course, until it actually exists in a stable form (MiscKit 2.1.0) you are probably better off leaning upon the compatability framework as much as you can. If someone would like to figure out tops and create scripts to convert from one MiscKit to the other, that would be terrific. Any takers? This version hardly has anything working in it, may have warnings and errors when you try to compile it, and it lacks the top level driver that will build and install the entire kit. You will have to use ProjectBuilder to build this kit one project at a time. To get started, build the frameworks and install them. once they are installed, you may then build the palettes. Note that the frameworks should be placed in /LocalLibrary if at all possible, to avoid problems. Future releases should be more fleixble with this. MiscKit versions 2.0.x are to be considered alpha versions. They may be useable, but may not be. The APIs are not yet stable and are subject to change. The full functionality of the 1.x.y MiscKits will not be present in a release numbered 2.0.x. MiscKit 2.1.0 will be the first ªrealº release of the true OPENSTEP MiscKit. All the rest of the releases before that should be considered more experimental and used with caution. Despite this, feedback and help with the port are greatly desired. We want to improve the APIs, stomp bugs, and generally improve the overall quality of the entire kit, which includes making it more ªNeXT-likeº. We want these objects to have designs that are as good asÐor better thanÐanything NeXT has done. Any feedback or help in the work will be very much appreciated. Be sure to contact Don Yacktman if you wish to participate. The job of porting the MiscKit to OPENSTEP is more difficult than it may first appear. This explains why we aren't further along. If you have some time to spare, please pitch inÐit will help to accelerate things even further! If you find any bugs or have any problems, please let us know! MiscKit Feedback (and mailing lists) To suggest improvements in the kit, direct your comments to the original author of the object(s) in question, as listed in Authors.rtf. Be sure to state the version number of the MiscKit and the resource (object, bundle, etc.). To suggest ideas for new objects or general comments for the entire development team, or to participate yourself, send mail to the MiscKit mailing list at misckit@listman.thoughtport.com (for list traffic) or, if you're not yet on the list, send mail to misckit-request@listman.thoughtport.com (to either get on or off the list). Items in the MiscKit will be useful to some, and very lacking for others. The best thing to do is to bug the various authors about features that you need fixed or implemented. Submissions of your own objects are welcome and we also welcome ideas for new objects that you would find useful. The areas most frequently requested will, of course, receive more attention. So if you find any bugs, or have any problems with portions of the MiscKit, please let us know. The mail list server, listman.thoughtport.com, has been very flaky as of late. We are in the process of moving the lists to yacktman.com and expect them to be up and running there sometime during August 1996. Other Notes In spirit, license and use is utterly free. Commercial, shareware, and freeware apps can all use this stuff as much as they want as long as they comply with the (very few) requirements detailed in the file License.rtf. That also means there's no warranty, no support, and you are on your own. (Of course, there are many helpful folk on the MiscKit mailing list, so support does exist, although it is not promised.) If you use the MiscKit, you should acknowledge that fact in your app somewhere, but you have no other obligation to meet in order to use the MiscKit. Despite the lack of official support, your feedback is very important. It would be appreciated if you would send any changes you make in the MiscKit source code to the original author of the modified resource so that others may benefit from your changes. Share and enjoy!² ±Don Yacktman (don@misckit.com) MiscKit administrator ________ ²Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. :-)
These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.
