$Header: /home/cvsroot/perlZ3950/README,v 1.2 2000/06/29 16:01:34 mike Exp $

Net::Z3950.pm -- What Is It?
----------------------------

This module provides a Perl interface to the Z39.50 information
retrieval protocol (aka. ISO 23950), a mature and powerful protocol
used in application domains as diverse as bibliographic information,
geo-spatial mapping, museums and other cultural heritage information,
and structured vocabulary navigation.


Building and Installation
-------------------------

There are two prerequisites to building the Net::Z3950 module:

    1.	You'll need the Event module (a generic event loop).  I've
	tested only with version 0.77 of Event, but later versions
	will most likely be fine; in fact, earlier version probably
	will be too, since I don't do anything clever with it.

    2.	You'll also need Index Data's Yaz toolkit, a set of C routines
	for manipulating, sending and receiving the Z39.50 data
	structures.  I've been using the current (May 2000)
	development version, but again, I am not doing anything
	unusual with it -- anything from version 1.5 upwards should be
	fine.  You can find it at http://indexdata.dk/yaz/

	I'm assuming that you've installed Yaz in the default places
	-- binaries in /usr/local/bin, libraries in /usr/local/lib,
	etc.  If you've installed it somewhere else, then you'll have
	to modify the LIBS and INC settings in ./Makefile.PL and the
	INC setting in yazwrap/Makefile.PL.

Apart from that, you know the drill:

	perl Makefile.PL
	make
	make test
	make install


Now What?
---------

All of the documentation except this file is in the "doc"
subdirectory.  Run "make" there to regenerate the HTML versions of the
POD documents, and start reading at doc/index.html.


Author
------

Mike Taylor <mike@tecc.co.uk>
http://www.staff.tecc.co.uk/mike/

With lots of help, encouragement, design input, etc. from

Sebastian Hammer <quinn@indexdata.dk> and
Adam Dickmeiss <adam@indexdata.dk>
http://indexdata.dk
