doc/intro.sgml

   1 <!-- -*- DocBook -*- -->
   2
   3 <chapter>
   4   <title>Introduction</title>
   5   <sect1>
   6     <title>Purpose</title>
   7     <para> This reference guide describes
   8       &hyperobject;, which provides an object representation
   9       library for Common Lisp programs.
  10     </para>
  11   </sect1>
  12
  13   <sect1>
  14     <title>Supported Implementations</title>
  15     <para>The primary tested and supported platforms for &hyperobject; are:
  16     </para>
  17     <itemizedlist mark="opencircle">
  18       <listitem><para>&acl; v6.2</para></listitem>
  19       <listitem><para>&lw; v4.2</para></listitem>
  20       <listitem><para>&cmucl; 18d</para></listitem>
  21       <listitem><para>&sbcl; 0.7.10</para></listitem>
  22       <listitem><para>&scl; 1.1.1</para></listitem>
  23     </itemizedlist>
  24   </sect1>
  25
  26   <sect1>
  27   <title>Installation</title>
  28   <sect2>
  29     <title>Download</title>
  30     <para>
  31 You need to download the &hyperobject; package from its web
  32 <ulink url="http://hyperobject.b9.com"><citetitle>home</citetitle></ulink>.
  33 Other require packages are:</para>
  34 <itemizedlist mark="opencircle">
  35 <listitem><para>&kmrcl; from it's <ulink url="ftp://kmrcl.b9.com"><citetitle>home</citetitle></ulink>.</para></listitem>
  36 <listitem><para>&uffi; from it's <ulink url="http://uffi.b9.com"><citetitle>home</citetitle></ulink>.</para></listitem>
  37 <listitem><para>&clsql; from it's <ulink url="ftp://clsql.b9.com"><citetitle>home</citetitle></ulink>.</para></listitem>
  38 <listitem><para>&asdf; from it's home  <ulink url="http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/cclan"><citetitle>CCLAN</citetitle></ulink> package. You can download
  39 the file <filename>asdf.lisp</filename> from the CVS
  40 <ulink url="http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/cclan/asdf/asdf.lisp"><citetitle>tree</citetitle></ulink>.</para></listitem>
  41 </itemizedlist>
  42   </sect2>
  43   <sect2>
  44     <title>Loading</title>
  45     <para>
  46       After downloading and installing &asdf;, simply
  47       <function>push</function> the
  48       directories containing &hyperobject;, &kmrcl;, &uffi;, and &clsql; onto
  49       <varname>asdf:*central-registry*</varname> variable. Whenever you
  50 want to load the &hyperobject; package, use the function
  51       <computeroutput>(asdf:oos 'asdf:load-op :hyperobject)</computeroutput>.
  52     </para>
  53   </sect2>
  54 </sect1>
  55
  56     <sect1>
  57       <title>Design</title>
  58       <sect2>
  59         <title>Overview</title>
  60         <para>
  61           &hyperobject; was designed as a cross-implementation
  62           compatible <emphasis>Foreign Function Interface</emphasis>.
  63           Necessarily,
  64           only a common subset of functionality can be
  65           provided. Likewise, not every optimization for that a specific
  66           implementation provides can be supported. Wherever possible,
  67           though, implementation-specific optimizations are invoked.
  68         </para>
  69       </sect2>
  70
  71       </sect1>
  72 </chapter>