README file for libgda
======================

GNU Data Access (GDA) is an attempt to provide uniform access to 
different kinds
of data sources (databases, information servers, mail spools, etc).
It is a complete architecture that provides all you need to access
your data.
It is defined by a set of CORBA interfaces as generic as possible
(but very powerful at the same time) so that any kind of data source
can be accessed through them.

libgda is an interface to the GDA architecture, providing a nice
wrapper around the CORBA interfaces, for both the client and the server
parts. It also provides a bunch of tools to help you both in the
development and management of your data sources, all done through
the GDA model's set of CORBA interfaces.

libgda was part of the GNOME-DB project (http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-db),
but has been separated from it to allow non-GNOME applications to be
developed based on it.

Dependencies
------------
To compile libgda, you must have the following packages installed:
glib       ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/stable/sources/glib/glib-1.2.8.tar.gz< gtk+       ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/stable/sources/gtk+/gtk+-1.2.8.tar.gz< gnome-xml
gnome-libs ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/stable/sources/gnome-libs/gnome-libs.1.2.3.tar.gz
ORBit      ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/stable/sources/ORBit/ORBit-0.5.3.tar.gz
oaf        ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/unstable/sources/oaf/oaf-0.4.0.tar.gz<
For glib, gtk+, and gnome-libs, probably any older version since 1.0 will be ok.
You have these packages installed already if you are using the Gnome Desktop.
gtk+ and gnome-libs dependence will be removed as soon as glib 1.4 is available.

ORBit Version 0.5.1 or newer is needed.
OAF Version 0.4.0 or newer is needed.

Subdirectories
--------------
bindings: language bindings for other languages than C
doc: the libgda api documentation
idl: CORBA idl files
intl: the gettext package needed for internationalization
lib: the actual libgda library
po: translation files for other languages than English
providers: some GDA service providers
tools: useful helper programs
testing: tools for testing and test programs

Checking your Installation
--------------------------
libgda comes with a test program (gda-test, under the testing/ directory)
which can be used to see if libgda and the providers work correctly. It
is going to be a complete test suite for the libgda installation, and a
diagnostic system that even tells you some hints on how to proceed if an
error occurs.
Use it if, after a successful installation, you're having problems making
libgda work.

Further information
-------------------
libgda comes with a automatic installation tool. For a guide on how to
install libgda, see the file named INSTALL.

libgda comes with NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. You may
redistribute copies of libgda under the terms of the GNU General
Public License. For more information about these matters, see the file
named COPYING.

For errors you find in the code or the documentation, please contact
gnome-db-list@gnome.org or the author of the file.

