Welcome to MGRX 0.9!

MGRX is a 2D graphics C library derived from the GRX library. GRX was
originaly written by Csaba Biegl for DJ Delorie's DOS port of the GCC
compiler.

Supported platforms
===================

MGRX supports the following four platforms:

  DOS using DJGPP v2.03; with EGA, VGA, VESA and memory drivers
  Linux console using gcc; with framebuffer and memory drivers
  Linux X11; x11(windowed) and memory drivers
  Win32 using Mingw; w32(windowed) and memory drivers

  Both i386 and x86_64 architectures are supported for the linux
  console and the linux X11 versions. See bellow.

Why MGRX
========
MGRX (mgrx.fgrim.com) is a fork of GRX (grx.gnu.de). Because I liked the
GRX C API interface, I began to maintain GRX when it was orphaned at the
end of 2000. But GRX has not only the C API, it has a Pascal API, a BGI
compatibility API, support for Turbo C, Wattcom, MSC and some X11
implementations over mainframes. At the end it no was must fun, to easy
to break things I don't know (and don't want to know). So I stoped my job
maintaining GRX at the end of 2003. At the time I write this, GRX is still
orphaned.

But in the mean time I developed a fork for my own use, only the C API,
no Pascal, no BGI, no Turbo C support, only the 4 platforms I can test. And
a new (and better I think) input API. And now I have released it, only for
fun.

MGRX installation instructions
==============================

Requirements:
-------------

  The source files and fonts:  mgrx09.tar.gz or mgrx09.zip
  This document:               readme

A. Unpacking the MGRX archive
-----------------------------

  1) Choose and download the .tar.gz or .zip package. You can use either.
     The .zip is intended for dos and win32 users, specialy for DJGPP users,
     because it expand to the contrib subdir and has manifest files.

  2) 'cd' to a directory where you want the MGRX file tree to be created
     as a subdirectory. Examples are:

       DJGPP : cd C:\DJGPP
       Mingw : cd C:\MINGW
       Linux : cd /usr/local/src

  3) unpack the MGRX archive:

         tar xzvf mgrx09.tar.gz  (1)
     or
         unzip mgrx09.zip        (2)

     (1) This will create the subdirectory 'mgrx09'.
     (2) This will create the subdirectory 'contrib/mgrx09'.

B. Compiling MGRX
-----------------

  1) Go to MGRX base dir and edit "makedefs.grx" to customize it for
     your system. The file is well comented.

  2) Switch to the "src" sub dir

  3) run 'make -f <your makefile>':

     makefile.dj2 for DOS/DJGPPv2
     makefile.w32 for Win32/Mingw
     makefile.lnx for Linux/console
     makefile.x11 for Linux/X11

     This process generates the MGRX lib in the "lib/---" (where ---
     is dj2, w32, lnx or x11) subdir and some utility programs in the
     "bin" subdir.

     Note for DJGPP/Mingw users: Do _not_ use an environment variable
     `SHELL' leading to `bash', e.g. `SHELL=/djgpp/bin/bash.exe'.
     Some parts of the DJGPP/Mingw Makefiles require `command.com'.

C. Testing MGRX
---------------

  1) Switch to the "test" sub dir

  2) run 'make -f <your makefile>'

  3) run the 'demomgrx' program

D. Installing MGRX lib for your compiler
----------------------------------------

  Copy the library from <MGRX base>/lib/<your system> to the compiler
  library directory.
  Copy the header files mgrx.h and mgrxkeys.h from <MGRX base>/include
  to your compiler include directory.

  Or you can let makefiles do it for you, switch to the "src" sub dir and
  run 'make -f <your makefile> install'. You can uninstall the library
  running 'make -f <your makefile> uninstall'.

  Note for Linux users: probably you must be root to do that. Don't forget
  to run 'ldconfig' to register the shared libraries.

E. Installing MGRX utility programs
-----------------------------------

  MGRX come with some utility programs like modetest. They are compiled
  with the library and stored in the "bin" sub dir. To install they in
  your system run 'make -f <your makefile> install-bin'

  You can uninstall them running 'make -f <your makefile> uninstall-bin'

  Note for Linux users: probably you must be root to do that.

F. Installing MGRX fonts
------------------------

  Only if you have defined a default font directory in "makedefs.grx"
  you can install them running 'make -f <your makefile> install-fonts'

  You can uninstall them running 'make -f <your makefile> uninstall-fonts'

  Note for Linux users: probably you must be root to do that.

Support for the x86_64 architecture
===================================

  By default, on linux, the makefiles build the library for the i386
  architecture even in a x86_64 cpu. To build the x86_64 library (in
  a x86_64 compatible cpu of course) you must set to 'y' the BUILD_X86_64
  variable in the makedefs.grx file.

Environment variables for using MGRX programs
=============================================

  1) set the default driver and graphics mode info (very useful but not
     required), in DOS or Windows:

       SET MGRXDRV=<driver> gw <width> gh <height> nc <colors>

     in Linux:

       export MGRXDRV="<driver> gw <width> gh <height> nc <colors>"

     Available drivers are for:

       DOS  : stdega, stdvga, VESA, memory
       Linux: linuxfb, memory
       X11  : xwin, memory
       Win32: win32, memory

     Values for gw and gh can be by example 640,480 or 800,600
     Values for nc can be 2, 16, 256, 64K or 16M.

  2) set the GRX font dir, in DOS or Windows:

       SET MGRXFONT=<directory for the MGRX fonts>

     in linux:

       export MGRXFONT=<directory for the MGRX fonts>

     This is required for GRX graphics text output. Path: <MGRX base>/fonts

     NOTE: You can define a default font directory when compiling MGRX.
           Check the "makedefs.grx" file. 

  3) the linux framebuffer driver opens the "/dev/fb0" device file by
     default, if you want to open an alternate device file, set the
     $FRAMEBUFFER environment variable:

       export FRAMEBUFFER=<device file>

Help
====

  Read the programmer's guide in the "doc/grx246um.htm" file.

  See the MGRX site (mgrx.fgrim.com) for updates, tips, ... 

  Send me a mail (malfer at telefonica.net)

License
=======

  MGRX is a derived work of GRX, so MGRX uses the same license as
  GRX. The MGRX graphics library is free software; you can redistribute
  it and/or modify it under some conditions; see the "copying.grx" file
  for details.

Credits
=======

  If you think MGRX is a good library, it is thanks to the people who
  wrote and maintained GRX:

  Csaba Biegl <csaba at vuse.vanderbilt.edu> who wrote it.
  Michael Goffioul <goffioul at emic.ucl.ac.be> who released 2.1
  Hartmut Schirmer <hsc at techfak.uni-kiel.de> who released 2.2 and 2.3
  and other people, see the "doc/credits.doc" for details.


Enjoy, M.Alvarez <malfer at telefonica.net>

