                                    BOBCAT

                             Brokken's Own Base
                            Classes And Templates

This library contains C++ classes (and header files) I frequently use in my
programs. Practically all its entities are defined in the namespace FBB. Those
that are not are, e.g., overloaded versions operator<<, which should normally
be defined as a free function.

To use the library in your programs, add `-lbobcat' to your link-command, to
include a header file for the class `Class' include 'bobcat/class' unless
advised otherwise.

To compile and install this library unpack the tar.gz file, and follow the
instructions in the INSTALL file.

If you want to use the .deb precompiled binaries, do as follows:
    - to use the bobcat library to run executables depending on the bobcat
      shared library, bobcat_*.deb must be installed.
    - to compile programs using the bobcat library, and to have the
      class-manual pages you must install the bobcat-dev_*.deb package.
This distinction is not made if you compile and install the bobcat library
yourself. 

When installing the bobcat-dev*.deb version, or when installing bobcat
according to the instructions in the INSTALL file, accepting the settings
in INSTALL.im, 

    - html versions of the manual pages are found in the directory
      /usr/share/doc/bobcat-dev/man/
    - man bobcat          - will show the main class-index 
    - man -e bobcat xxx   - shows the man-page for class `xxx'

Frank
f.b.brokken@rug.nl
