#LinuxOS on EFNet

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Linux Programming

• Web Development
• LinBot is a clone of LinkBot, the commercial webpage error checker. It checks for broken links and other common webpage errors. (I know, I know, HTML isn't exactly programming, but this is the best place for it)
• W3mir is a web mirroring program for setting up mirror web sites.
• Web Preproccessor Much like the C preproccessor, the Web Preprocessor allows you to make #include directives, declare #defined constants, make macros, and more to make your webpages smaller and easier to read.
• PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with a couple of unique PHP-specific features thrown in. The goal of the language is to allow web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.
• Project Coordination Utilities
• BugZilla is Mozilla's bugtracking system. The souce is of course freely available.
• Jitterbug "is a web based bug tracking system. It operates by receiving bug reports via email or a web form. Authenticated users can then reply to the message, move it between different categories or add notes to it. JitterBug is used by important software development projects like The Gimp, Gnome or the Linux Kernel." -- Jitterbug Homepage
• DOC++ is a documentation system simmaliar to JavaDoc, but for both C++ and Java. It generates documentation straight from your class files.
• PRCS is supposedly an easier to use version management system than CVS.
• CCF is is a collection of programs which enable remote collaborators to work together as if in the same room. It includes a shared virtual desktop which provides for simultaneous display of arbitrary X applications, a clearboard tool for annotating these shared application's windows, a shared dataspace for file/data sharing, and an audio conferencing tool.
• This is the CVS Tutorial CVS is a useful version control system that is included in most Linux distributions.
• CVSWeb is a Web based interface into a CVS tree. You can view log entires, changes from each revision, and you can hide old files from view.
• Aegis is an advanced version control program that provides the ability to install checks on changes made to the master source (ie, must compile, or even pass certain runtime tests)
• The Source Code to the Linux Cross Refrence has been made publicly available, and is now being used in projects like Mozilla and Glibc2. It allows you to put the entire contents of a project on the web, with each include file, function, and prototype completly cross refrenced and hyperlinked. It's uber-cool. Download it for use in your group project now! :)
• Bonsai is a utility brought to us by the wonderful Mozilla Project. It is basically an advanced CVS query/checkout tool for use with Tinderbox
• TinderBox was also created by Mozilla & co, and allows you to oversee the developments of a CVS tree. (Look at who, when, where the changes were made, how development progesses for each platform, etc). Very useful for large projects.
• Doxygen is a documentation system for C++ (and C). It generates a HTML class browser from a set of documented C++ source files. The documentation is extracted directly from the sources. Doxygen is compatible with the system used in the Qt source-code.
• General Linux Programming Information
• Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days is the C++ version of the book I learned C on at the ripe old age of 14 :) (My brother learned C using that book when he was 12) That says a good deal about the quality of this book. A note tho, if you're new to programming, the indentation in this online version is HORRIBLE. Don't follow it :)
• With C++ comes the Standard Template Library. Here is SGI's refrence page, and a more easy to follow STL tutorial.
• For those of you looking to learn a real language, we have several C pages for you. The best, I think, is this C tutorial. However, dozens of other C and C++ tutorials are all indexed here.
• A breif rundown on Programming POSIX Threads can be found here. The Linuxthreads interface found in glibc2 is POSIX compliant, so reading this document is your best bet on learning thread programming
• The comp.programming.threads FAQ is also available for your thread programming needs.
• This ncurses manual describes everything you need to know about writing console programs in this powerful standard library
• Tons of books are available online courtesy of itlibrary.com.
• MMX programming in Linux is explained here.
• Also available is the Linux Programmers Guide. Extensive introduction, laid out the way you'll need to use it, in html now.
• Socket programming is very hard to pick up from man pages and source code alone. The BSD socket interface is the Interet standard, so reading these docs is a good place to start
• Beej's Guide to Network Programming gives you the leg up you need for socket-based UNIX network programming. There is no other site as good. This page is fantastic. Totally clear, gets right to the point, doesn't wiffle waffle with tiddly details you don't need to be bothered with.
• The Perl Info Page. Contains a tutorial on using perl in the shell and for CGI web stuff.
• Speaking of CGI, here's a CGI guide, by the NCSA. (All hail my new employer! :)
• Need to learn how to do sound programming in Linux? Well the OSS provides this sound programming guide to help you along.
• Java Programming
• JavaBlue is a revolutionary new program from Monash University that aims to facilitate Java learning through it's IDE.
• TYA is a JIT that can be inserted into the standard issue JDK (which lacks a JIT compiler for Linux) merely by setting an environment variable.
• Kaffe is a complete GPL'ed, Sun-code free reimplementation of the JDK. It also includes a JIT for added performance.
• TurboJ is a Java ByteCode compiler, which means it converts standard Java ByteCode into native machine code for maximum performance.
• The Java to C converter claims to help avoid the bytecode slowdown of java. Anyhow, it's a nice educational device to help you learn C and/or Java.
• JDK Java is provided by several different groups who port Sun's JDK to Linux. This is the most prevalant one.
• The Java Tutorial -- straight from Sun themselves. This is the place to learn it, if you want your programs to be truly platform independant.
• Optimizing Java might seem like somewhat of an oxymoron, but it can be done. This page runs through some good Java programming practices, and some Java tools, that will make your Java programs run faster.
• Java Foundation Classes are high level Java classes that extend the Abstract Window Toolkit.
• The BISS-AWT is an alternative Java AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit) providing a uniform Java Look and feel (as opposed to the standard "OS-based" Java AWT)
• X11/Graphics Libraries
• fltk is an extremely lightweight, easy to use, and lightening quick X11 toolkit. It's only flaw is that it's not much to look at.
• Qt is a great X11 library that was used in the creation of the KDE. Qt is now completely free in the Open Source sense, so now you can write all the Qt apps you want, guilt free :)
• Gtk-- is a C++ wrapper for GTK+. It's not quite finished yet, but it's possible (and easy) to port Qt applications to gtk--. My brother perfers gtk-- to gtk+, because he claims it's a heck of a lot easier to think object oriented in C++ than in C. Go figgure :)
• GTK+ is a very powerful object oriented LGPL'ed X development library. It's meant to compete with Qt, and was first created for use in the GIMP. It has since been utilized by the gnome project (another integrated X environment, like KDE), and may other X programs.
• Glade is an GUI based GUI builder that uses the GTK+.
• PTC is an LGPL'ed set of C++ classes that abstracts the platform specific details of mode setting, surface handling, pixel format conversion (assembly language) and display updates. This means that with PTC you can write graphics code once and recompile without change on all supported platforms.
• Imlib is the image displaying library used in Enlightenment. It is chock full of cool features too numerous to list here.
• Tcl/Tk is a scripting language that is extremely useful in binding programs together, and for creating graphical interfaces for programs.
• We are evenly split on the importance of the GGI Project to Linux. It promises to give video programmers a kernel level driver interface to the video hardware, eliminating the need for risky SUID X-servers and SVGAlib programs. Some say that it is the future of graphics in the UNIX world. Others (like myself) realize that the complexity of video drivers leaves them prone to error, and errors in the kernel are not good for uptime.
• JX is a free "C++ application framework and GUI class library for X Windows."
• LessTif is a freeware clone of Motif 1.2
• Mesa is a free alternative to the OpenGL (SGI's 3D rendering library). It uses the same API as OpenGL, and performs in the same fashion. What the hell, it's a clone of the OpenGL. :)
• Visual Tcl is a Tcl/Tk X interface for building X interfaces. Strange world, ain't it?
• The V C++ GUI development kit provides a framework for building GUI's in X.
• Not happy with any of the toolkits listed here? The GUI toolkit homepage lists most of these, and much more
• X11 Programming Info
• This OpenGL Tutorial provides an easy walk through of OpenGL programming
• The GTK+ Tutorial provides a step by step, comprehensive guide to programming in GTK+ 1.0
• The GTK Refrence is a HUGE listing of ALL widgets and functions in the GTK.
• In order to learn programming in GTK--, your best bet currently is to learn GTK+, then have a look at this GTK-- Class refrence and see how the GTK-- classes and methods compare to the GTK+ widgets and function calls.
• Qt documentation, from Class lists, to Inheritance Heirarchies, to Tutorials, this page has it all!
• The Imlib tutorial provides instructions on programming in the Imlib Graphics library
• X Programming with Motif (eeewww :) is layed out here.
• Here are a few chapters from Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk. You may also be able to glean some more info off of the Tcl/TK Manpages
• Game Development Kits and Libraries
• Allegro is a cross platform game development library (Windows and X11) written in C and assembler.
• Crystal Space is a free LGPL'ed 3D game engine. It supports true 6DOF, colored lights, mipmapping, portals, mirrors, alpha transparency, reflecting surfaces, 3D sprites, scripting, 8-bit and 16-bit display support, and much more. It currently runs on a score of platforms, from Amiga, to Linux, to Windows.
• The Linux Game Development HOWTO is a good place to start when writing new games for Linux or for porting existing games from lower quality operating systems.
• DUMB is a 3d game engine for GNU/Linux (and other OSes) distributed under the GPL. DUMB uses a gamefile format that is a superset of that of ID software's Doom engine, and in fact can play Doom and related games. (careful, the fact that it's GPL'ed means you may not use it in proprietary binary-only games, nor can you limit the redistribution of such games)
• The Linux Joystick Driver provides a /dev/js interface into the PC joystick that can be read and used in games
• GAMES is now beginning to take shape as a serious tool for writing games and other multimedia applications under graphical environments such as Unix/X and Java.
• For game programmers migrating to Linux: the PenguinPlay Project (Formerly GSDK) promises DirectX-like interface libraries for creating games easily in Linux. And they're almost there.
• The SDL is designed to make it easy to write games that run on Linux, Win32 and BeOS using the various native high-performance media interfaces, (for video, audio, etc) and presenting a single source-code level API to your application. This is a fairly low level API, but using this, completely portable applications can be written with a great deal of flexibility.
• Other Linux Libraries
• OrbIt is a Corba 2.2 compliant C library. Corba provides a centralized place (an ORB) for applications to communicate with and find out data about the network.
• InstallFest is a graphical front end to ./configure that you can include in your programs to make compiles less intimidating to your users
• WIDD is a GUI interface to creating and managing SQL databases
• AVFS is a userspace C library add-on, which enables all programs to look inside compressed files (gzip, tar, etc.).
• Audio File Library is an implementation of SGI's Audio File Library, which provides an elegant API for accessing a variety of audio file formats, such as AIFF/AIFF-C, WAVE, and NeXT/Sun .snd/.au. This version implements all of the commonly used calls of SGI's version. Many of the more esoteric API calls have not yet been implemented.
• Intel has released some high performance FFT, extended precision, and performance monitoring libraries for Linux.
• Zlib is a free compression library that implements the same algorithm used in gzip and PKZIP 2.0.
• LinuxThreads is an implementation of the POSIX 1003.1c thread spec for Linux. LinuxThreads is included in glibc2 by default, but LibAIO: the POSIX.1b compliant asynchronous I/O library for Linux, which uses LinuxThreads, is not.
• MySQL is the channel's favorite free SQL database.
• Also available is MiniSQL, another SQL system.
• PostgreSQL is a ORDBMS system based on Berkeley Postgres Database management system. It replaces the PostQuel query language with SQL.
• Willows Software prides itself on libraries and tools to port Windows applications to UNIX. They also provide a free Windows 3.1 emulator. (I like Wine better though).
• Linux Kernel Programming
• The Linux Module Programmer's Guide is a new document from the LDP.
• Linux Cross Refrence is the BEST way to browse kernel source. Everything is completely hyperlinked, all datatypes, instantation, functions. Real nice to read along side one of the kernel books (especially since 2.2 is out, and there are as of yet no books that cover the changes)
• For those of you really wishing to get your hands dirty, here's the Linux Kernel Hacker's guide. Parts of it are old, but still relevant to at least v2.0.
• Also pertainant to Kernel Coders is the Kernel Device Driver Writer's Guide.
• Another Writing Linux Device Drivers guide is provided by the good folks at UnixWorld
• The Linux Kernel is a recent and extremely comprehensive Kernel information source. It provides more emphasis on explaining concepts than code itself. More targeted at the advanced user or potential kernel programmer than Joe Newbie.
• The LDDK (Linux Driver Development Kit) is a helpful toolkit for building character devices for your Linux kernel
• Linux IDE's
• Xref-Speller is a plugin/extension for Xemacs that does cross referencing of your code on the fly.
• The JDE is an Emacs Lisp extension thet provides full integrated Java language support from compilers to debuggers to syntax highlighting and more. Works with standard GNU Emacs, and the almighty Xemacs
• The ultimate free IDE, and probably the ultimate IDE ever is Xemacs. Xemacs is an extension on emacs, but unlike standard emacs, it is incredibly easy to use. Yet, like emacs, it still has everything and the kitchen sink :)
• If Xemacs is too bloated for you, look into xwpe/wpe - the Borland Turbo C++ clone. Most distributions install it by default.
• The makers of JX have created the Code crusader - a free C/C++ IDE (Psst, it's a clone of Metrowerks CodeWarrior)
• Non-GNU Compilers and Assemblers
• NASM is an assembler that produces straight code for numerous archetectures. It differs from other assemblers in that it assembles code EXACTLY as you write it, without optimizations and reordering, providing you with maximum control.
• Tired of GCC? Try LCC, a free ANSI C compiler that can interface with NASM.
• EGCS 1.0 was released December 3rd, and is now stable. EGCS is an ongoing development project that merges various patches and processor specific optimizations to the Intel GCC compiler.
• The Pentium Compiler Group provides highly optimizing Pentium compilers. s0nic regretably had to switch back to standard GCC around pgcc-ss-970622, because pgcc was beginning to produce unpredictible code. s0nic at one time ran fully Pentium optimized kernels, libs, xv, and even XFree 3.3 and AfterStep with no problems
• Debugging and Code checking utils
• Ltrace is simmalair to strace, except it traces library calls, so you can debug programs you don't have the source for (or for some odd reason don't want to attach a gdb to)
• Ahh, memory leaks, the bane of every experianced programmer. Plumber will help you track down those pesky leaks by telling you how much memory was allocated, how much was freed, which blocks, if any, were not freed, and where.
• C and C++ Garbage Collection is just a click away. I'm not sure what to think of this little utility... But I tend to be against anything that allows programmers to be lazy and sloppy. I recommend just learning to free your memory, and tracking down mem leaks with something like Plumber.
• The Data Display Debugger Page is the homepage of an excellent commercial quality debugger for numerous languages. Another little hidden treasure of the site is its "See Also" section, which lists a whole slough of related debugging material
• Lclint is a great source code checker.
• Parasoft provides Insure++, a GREAT runtime debugger. Users say it blows Purify away. It's commercial, but trial versions are available.
• Also in the runtime debugger line are Checker and Electric Fence, and Libmem test, which detect memory leaks, writing out of bounds, etc. These are all free.