This document will hopefully answer 95% of all questions regarding
tintin++ (tt++).  Please let me (Davin Chan - tintin@newclear.net)
know if you have any corrections, comments or suggestions regarding
this document.

Last updated: 3/28/01


Q1) What machines does tintin work on?

A1)	Tintin should compile on almost any UNIX machine.  The following
machines are known to work (tested by myself):

	Irix 6.5.X
	Linux 2.0.X/2.2.X
	Solaris 2.X
	FreeBSD

Platforms that others compiled tintin on:
	HP-UX
	Mac OS X
	Linux 2.4.X

Addition OSs work but have not been verified by myself.  Pretty much any
UNIX machine with a (modern) compiler should work.


Q2) What version should I use 1.5pl9 or 1.8.0+?

A2)	Use 1.8.0+ unless you have a particular reason for using 1.5pl9
(If you do, let me know as I would like to get everybody to running 1.8.0+).
1.5pl9 is not supported (but I will help if I can) and all the bug fixes
and new features are going into 1.8.0+.


Q3) Where can I get the readline library?

A3)	You can get the readline library from many ftp sites.  The main ftp
site for the readline library is ftp.gnu.org.  The most recent version
should be available there.  Tintin has been tested with readline 4.0 and 4.1.
It has been reported to me that readline 2.0 does not work, so make sure you
get a recent version of readline.


Q4) When I do a ./configure, it complains that it can't find the readline
   library.  How do I fix that?

A4)	Configure normally only checks the standard default directories for
the readline library and the readline header files.  If you don't have them
there, you need to tell configure where to find them.  You can (as if tintin
version 1.82) do a 

"./configure --includedir=<directory name> --libdir=<directory name>"

to tell ./configure where to find them.  

If you put readline in /tmp/readline-4.1 then you would need to do the 
following:

   1) rename it to be called readline (mv readline-4.1 readline)

   2) tell configure to look there (./configure --includedir=/tmp --libdir=tmp)

NOTE: You must use the full path when specifying the directory.



Q5) I was able to configure it but I'm getting an error when I'm compiling.
    The error message says 
    "utils.c:81: `sys_errlist' undeclared (first use in this function)"

A5)	 This problem should go away as of 1.82, but if you are running this
    before 1.82 (Please report if you get this error message if you are running
    1.82 or later), you need to modify utils.c. Start up your favorite
    text editor and open the utils.c file.  Goto line 75 of the file and you
    will see something like this:


	void syserr(const char *msg)
	{
  		extern int errno, sys_nerr;
 
		  /*#if !defined(BSD) || (BSD < 199306)
		  extern const char *const sys_errlist[]; 
		  #endif
  		  */
	<continues on>

	
    Remove the /* and the */, so that it reads like this:




	void syserr(const char *msg)
	{
  		extern int errno, sys_nerr;
 
		  #if !defined(BSD) || (BSD < 199306)
		  extern const char *const sys_errlist[]; 
		  #endif
  		  
	
    and then save the file and recompile.



Q6) I can't get tintin compiled still.  Where can I get more help?

A6)	You can get help from a couple of places.  The first place to start
is to take a look at the webboard (there is a link from the tintin homepage, 
www.newclear.net/tintin).  Check to see if your problem has been asked before
and if there is a solution.  If you don't see anything that looks like your
problem, post a note and ask.  Please provide as much information as possible
(such as the OS, compiler, error messages, etc).  If you still can't solve
the problem, you can use the "gripe" command in tintin++/src to send an email
to the developers of tintin.  


Q7) I can't get tintin compiled, can't you send me a binary of tintin?

A7)	No, the machines that I have available are limited and I may not have
access to the same version of the OS or machine type that you are trying to
run tintin on.  There may be precompiled versions of tintin avail by other
tintin users, but they may or may not work.  I am more than happy to help
you try to get tintin to compile on your machine.  Or if you can give me
access (check with your sysadmin first!), I may be able to log in and try
to get it compile for you.  Please note that my time is limited and I may
not have time to help people individually, but feel free to ask and I'll see
what I can do.


Q8) I would like to help, how can I contribute to tintin?

A8) If you can code and would like to fix bugs or add new features, you can
do that.  You can submit patches to me at tintin@newclear.net and I'll be
happy to look them over and add them.  There is also a (great) need for people
willing to write documents and to write sample tintin script files.  You can
submit those as well to me at tintin@newclear.net.  I don't always have the
time to write documents (and keep them up to date) and this would be a great
help.  Another way to help is to assist people that post on the webboard
if you know the answer to the question. Submitting bug reports and suggestions
for addition features would be welcomed.



Q9) Tintin is so awesome, how can I thank you guys for spending all that time
    to write tintin for free?? :)

A9) Fan mail is always welcomed :)  It means alot to hear that people use and
    enjoy tintin.  It helps alot on those days when I just don't feel like
    working on tintin.


Q10) How do I disable the chat feature?

A10) To disable the chat feature, edit the tt.conf file and change the line
     that says ENABLE : 1~ to ENABLE : 0~.


Q11) Can I use code from tintin?

A11) Yes, provided that you follow the terms of the license.  The license
     used for tintin is GPL.  Any questions/requests regarding the license,
     please contact me (Davin Chan).

Q12) I contributed code X, why isn't my name listed in the CREDITS file?

A12) Most likely your name slipped by before I (Davin Chan) started
     maintaining tintin and adding people to the CREDITS file.  If you
     believe you have contributed code to tintin, please email me and
     let me know.

Q13) I would like to put all of my tintin files in a common directory,
     how can I do that?

A13) You can set enviroment variables for the help files and the configuration
     files with the TINTIN_HELP, TINTIN_CONF and TINTIN_HISTORY.  The syntax 
     depends on your shell, but for csh it's 
       setenv TINTIN_HELP <path to help file>
     and for bash it's 
      TINTIN_HELP=<path to help file>;export TINTIN_HELP.

Please let me know, if you think there is a common question that isn't
answered by this FAQ, but should be.
