xNightR00T File Manager

This is to announce gpm-1.0, available by ftp from

iride.unipv.it:/pub/gpm/gpm-1.0.tar.gz              (my site) and
sunsite.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/Incoming/gpm-1.0.tar.gz  its final destination
on sunsite and mirrors will be /pub/Linux/system/Daemons


	What's gpm?

Gpm ("general purpose mouse") is a user-level daemon in charge of mouse
management. It can deliver mouse events to clients on a per-console basis.
Its client library eases writing mouse-sensitive application which will run
under both the Linux console and xterm. 

Gpm is part of slackware since November 1994 (gpm-0.90).

From 0.98.x onward it supported two mice running concurrently (like you
do with "MultiMouse") and it can repeat events to an external fifo
(like you do with "mconv"). 


	What's new?

What made me switch to 1.0 is the availability of the high-level library,
a useful tool for mouse programmers, together with a sample application
using that library ("hltest").

"mouse-test" is available as well -- it is a tiny utility meant to
help you in detecting what protocol does your mouse speak. Not too
smart (it has to run attended), but useful when you change mouse.
It works well with serial mice, and is otherwise untested.

gpm-root is now capable to draw recursive menus. Console locking is still
missing, lazy me.

The daemon is able to manage two mice running concurrently, 
this should be useful for those owning a laptop.

t-mouse.el is enhanced, in mode-line and vertical-line management (not by
me, actually).

The alpha architecture is supported.


	What about the future, after 1.0?

Most likely I'll release bug-fix updates in the near future (I only
own one mouse :-).

After that I'll consider making gpm a kernel module, implementing a
mouse-type independent mouse driver. The device driver will be
completely compatible with applications linked with libgpm version 1.0
or later. In this sense 1.0 is incompatible with previous versions:
applications linked with older libraries won't run with the kernel module.


	I never use text consoles.

Then, gpm is not important for you (unless you write mouse-sensitive
curses-based application).