gnucash/README.dependencies

GnuCash Compiler Dependency
---------------------------

The GnuCash developers use gcc (http://gcc.gnu.org) for developing and
testing GnuCash.  For convenience, we have relied on certain features
of gcc that are not part of any official standard and may not be
available with other standard-compliant compilers.  Anyone desiring to
compile GnuCash with some other compiler may have to remove these
"gcc-isms", some of which are documented here.

  Pointer-typed NULL sentinel values
  ----------------------------------

  Gcc provides an implementation of `stddef.h' that defines NULL to
always expand to a pointer-typed null constant.  This is precisely
what is needed in order to make sentinel value arguments to variadic
functions correct for both 32 and 64 bit platforms.  However, another
implementation may define NULL to expand to `0'.  In that case, all
sentinel value arguments must have an explicit `(void *)' cast.

  C++ style comments
  ------------------

  C++ style comments (`// comment to end of line') are discouraged but
not actively eradicated.

  Variadic Macros
  ---------------

  GnuCash uses variadic macros for debugging and logging support (via
qof).

  Declarations after Code
  -----------------------

  The use of declarations after code (`int i; i = 0; char *foo;') is
strongly discouraged and actively removed whenever it's caught.


Important notice
----------------
You can find the most recent version of the following part at 
http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Dependencies.

GnuCash Library Dependency Policy
---------------------------------

GnuCash desires to only depend on library versions and packages that are
practically available.  Specifically, we choose to depend only on versions
that have been in the major distributions for 6 months. (This is motivated in
part by the 1.6 release, which required a large set of relatively-recent
dependencies.  Specifically, as most user's (distributions) did not have the
required versions packaged, it was exceedingly painful for end users to
upgrade to the anticipated release, leading to a reputation that gnucash
still has.)

This document serves to keep track of the major distributions, the date of
their major release[s], and the relevant library versions as part of that
release (or an official package-upgrade path)

Libraries/Deps
--------------
  required		Version
  --------		_______
glib2			2.40.0
gtk+3			3.14.0
guile			2.2.0 or 2.0.0
libxml2			2.5.10
libxslt, including xsltproc
ICU                                             International Compnents for
                                                Unicode
boost			1.50.0                  locale and regex libs must be
                                                built with ICU support.
swig			2.0.10			Only required to build from git
						or SVN.
webkit			webkitgtk-3.0 (Windows, Mac)
                        webkit2gtk-3.0 (Everything Else)

  optional
  --------
aqbanking		4.0.0			 online banking; also requires
						 gwehywfar and ktoblzcheck

libdbi			0.8.3			 SQL backend; also requires at
						 least one of libdbd-sqlite3,
						 libdbd-mysql, or libdbd-pgsql

libofx			0.9.0			 OFX/QFX import

python			2.4.0			 python bindings; headers
						 required, not just binaries.

makeinfo                                         Not really needed, it
                                                 just builds the
                                                 mostly obsolete
                                                 design documentation
                                                 (superceded for the
                                                 most part in Doxygen
                                                 docs).

  at runtime, required
  ---------------------
a gsettings backend to store the gnucash global preferences in
This backend is platform dependent.
- linux:        dconf
- windows:      registry
- osx/quarz:    plists

Note that the osx and windows backends are built-in in gio for their
respective platforms. On linux and similar systems, the dconf package
should be installed.

  at runtime, suggested
  ---------------------
isocodes: translation of currency names