CIDCorp Home Page


Welcome to the CIDCorp Home Page. This page describes the CIDLib Class Libraries for Windows NT and Visual C++, current versions, upcoming versions, and how to download them.

The CIDLib Class Library System is a freeware C++ class framework for Windows NT 4.x and the Visual C++ development system. CIDLib provides a fully object oriented, very typesafe, and vastly simplified way to program to the Win32 API set. You may download CIDLib and use it in any non-commercial application without charge. The source code is available as is the whole build environment so you can modify the system for your own needs, or use it to experiment and learn about C++ frameworks development.


CIDLib provides the following broad categories of functionality:

Check here for a list of beta issues and new stuff for this version.

Downloading

To download via anonymous FTP, you need to connect to ng.netgate.net. Log on as anonymous and give your internet address as the password. You will be in the main FTP directory. Underneath this directory is the 'u' subdirectory, which is Netgate's root directory for the individual FTP directories. Change to the u/droddey/CIDLib subdirectory, i.e. type cd u/droddey/CIDLib. Then type dir to see the available files. Unix is case specific so type it exactly as written!
* Make sure to download Zip files in binary mode and text files in ascii mode or the results won't be pretty sometimes!

The currently available files are:
The CIDLib Class Libraries This is the full CIDLib Class Libraries beta distribution file. It contains all the source code, header files, build environment, and offline documentation, i.e. all of the stuff you need to build and use the CIDLib programming environment.

The file for the current version is: CIDLib_0_510.Zip

The CIDLib Offline Documentation This is the tutorial reference material for the CIDLib Class Libraries. The class and method reference material is in Html, but this information is is written in Microsoft Word 6.0 form. So it can, at minimum, be viewed and printed via the Write Pad utility that comes with NT 4.0. Of course if you have Word 6.0, then you can use it to read or print the material.

This documentation covers the large scale issues of C++ class framework development and the big issues behind the development of CIDLib. This is its second, still quite rough, draft so its not all there and not nearly as nice as it will be. But it contains very important information, so definitely don't ignore it.

If you download the full distribution file, it will contains this stuff also!

The file for the current version is: CIDLib_0_510_Docs.Zip


Quick Start Information

Here is the quick and dirty "how to get going" documentation, if you just want to download and play before you commit to any serious reading of documentation.

Quick Start


Class and Member Documentation

This is a link to the class and member documentation for the CIDLib system. You can browse here to find out the details of the functionality provided by CIDLib.

Class and Member Docs


Articles By The Author

Here are links to some online articles of mine that you might want to read:

EDM/2 OS/2 Development FAQ.Unfortunately this one has not been updated yet to HTML format and the whole issue is just in text format.

EDM/2 Article on C++ enumerations.

Here are some hard copy articles of mine that you might also want to read if you are into OS/2 and/or C++.

OS/2 Developer July/August 1994, "An Example OS/2 C++ Class Library System"

OS/2 Developer Nov/Dec 1994, "A Peek At Taligent: The Graphics SubSystem"

OS/2 Developer March/April 1995, "Talking The Plunge: Converting an OS/2 Application To 32 Bits"

OS/2 Developer May/June 1995, "Writing Exceptionally Robust Software"


Acknowledgements

First of all I'd like to thank our killer crop of new rock artists. Many an hour I've spent pounding the keys furiously with Tori Amos, The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Joan Osborne, U2, Stone Temple Pilots, Blues Traveler, Pearl Jam, No Doubt, Fiona Apple, Nirvana, Jewel, etc... blasting on the stereo. That's when I'm happiest. Don't get me wrong, I like the classics too, but its nice to be close to 35 and still loving what's coming out of the radio. Out here in Mountain View, CA almost every day is glorious, so I just love to open the windows in the morning and sit down to my machine with a steaming cup and epic music and just code like a maniac. As close to comfortably numb as I get (or that I'm willing to discuss here anyway.)

And, although this is discussed elsewhere, I'd like to acknowledge the inspiration I got from the FractInt and DKB/POV shareware programs. These were very influential in developing my interests in fractals and ray tracing, respectively. You will see some passing resemblences in my fractal and ray tracing engines, in spite of the massive implementation differences between their procedural systems and my full bore object oriented architecture.