The SDTS++ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ); version 1.6; September 1, 1998

Part 1 of 1.

FAQ maintainer: sdts_owner@mailrmon1.er.usgs.gov

Thanks goes to Larry Moore, Jamie Moyers, Paul Craven, David
Hensinger, and Phyllis Altheide for comments on this FAQ.

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Contents of this FAQ

1.  What is SDTS++?
2.  Compilers
2.1 GNU g++ 2.8.1 and egcs 1.0.2
2.2 Visual C++
3.  Where can I get it?
4.  What version is current?
5.  Who wrote it?
6.  How much does it cost?
7.  What existing applications use SDTS++?
8.  What kind of support does it have?
9.  Does it use the STL?
10. How do I force the sdts++ build to use a compiler besides g++?
11. What's this builder stuff anyway?


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Changes from previous version:

* Version number changed to 0.5.3

2.2 Eliminated egcs version number as that's no longer relevent.

3. Changed file names and snipped old link references.

7. s/cr/er

11. Added builder layer information.


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1. What is SDTS++?

SDTS++ is a C++ toolkit that programmers can use to write applications
that can read or write SDTS datasets.


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2. Compilers


2.1 gcc 2.8.x and egcs.

sdts++ currently supports both GNU gcc 2.8.x and egcs.

gcc can be anonymous ftp'd from ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/
egcs can be found at http://egcs.cygnus.com/

The make files require GNU make, which can be anonymous ftp'd from
ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/


2.2 Microsoft Visual C++ 5.x

sdts++ also works with Microsoft Visual C++ 5.x for both Windows 95
and NT.

VERSION 0.5.3 MAY BE THE LAST OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED VERSION OF SDTS++
FOR MICROSOFT VISUAL C++.


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3. Where can I get it?

You can ftp SDTS++ from:

ftp://resdgw17.er.usgs.gov/pub/sdtsxx/libsdts++-0.5.3.tar.gz
http://www.clark.net/~mcoletti/sdts/libsdts++-0.5.3.tar.gz


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4. What version is current?

As of September 1, 1998, version 0.5.3 is the latest.


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5. Who wrote it?

Developers at the USGS Mid-Continent Mapping Center in Rolla,
Missouri.


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6. How much does it cost?

It's free.  There are no licensing fees or distribution
restrictions.  We would appreciate acknowledgment of the USGS
contribution in any applications the toolkit is used for, but
this is not legally necessary.


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7. What existing applications use SDTS++?

There are two applications so far -- a USGS DEM and a DLG-3 viewer.
You can go to the SDTS++ web page, http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/,
to find out more about these applications.  The USGS is also currently
developing new software that will use sdts++.


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8. What kind of support does it have?

Unfortunately not much.  There is a mailing list for SDTS related
software.  One purpose of this list is to provide peer support for
SDTS software development efforts.  Some of the SDTS++ development
team subscribe to this list and _may_ address problems related to the
toolkit.  After all, if you're having problems with the library,
chances are they are having the same problems, too.

You can subscribe to this list by sending e-mail to
'majordomo@mailrmon1.er.usgs.gov' with this line in the body of the
message:

subscribe sdts_software myname@my.host

Substitute your mailing address for 'myname@my.host'.  So if I were to
subscribe to the mailing list, I'd use:

subscribe sdts_software mcoletti@clark.net

"sdts_software" is a technical discussion list.  There is no guarantee
that questions posted to this list will be answered.  General
information about SDTS should be requested by sending mail to
sdts@usgs.gov.  sdts@usgs.gov is also a public mailing list, but it is
monitored by USGS personnel.  Questions sent to it will receive a
response.


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9. Does it use STL?

SDTS++ makes heavy use of the Standard Template Library.  If your C++
compiler doesn't support STL, then it won't work with SDTS++.  And,
just because a C++ compiler supports the STL, it may be broken in such
a way that SDTS++ won't work with it.  You've been warned.


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10. How do I force the sdts++ build to use a compiler besides g++?

The configure script will prefer to use g++ if it finds it in your
path, /usr/local/bin/, or in the path specified by a ``--prefix''
script parameter.  However, you can force the configure script to use
a different C/C++ compiler by specifying them with the CC and CXX
environment variables.  For example, if I wanted to use
``/usr/bin/cc'' and ``/usr/bin/CC'' for the C and C++ compilers,
respectively, I'd do this:

	% env CC=/usr/bin/cc CXX=/usr/bin/CC ./configure

[Thanks to David Hensinger of Sandia Labs for the inspiration behind
this question.]


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11. What's this builder stuff anyway?

There's now the beginnings of a convenience layer in the 'builder'
directory.  It's incomplete in that it's only good enough to
support the Raster Profile.  However, the included perl scripts should
make it easy to add new modules as necessary.  Please keep in mind
that this code is _highly_ experimental.  Caveat emptor!

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End of SDTS++ FAQ