This document will hopefully answer most questions regarding tintin++ (tt++).

I'll refer to this version as tintin++ 2.0. Due to heavy modifications, over
50% of the source code, all questions and requests should be addressed to
Igor van den Hoven, my email is scandum@hotmail.com, I doubt previous tintin++
authors would know how to go about this version without reading up on 5000 lines
of code.

Last updated: 03/10/2004

Q00) I'm new to tintin, how do I get started?

A00) Quite easy, start tintin using ./tt++, to connect to a mud type:

     #session <name> <mud address> <mud port>

     The name can be whatever you want it to be. If you start up 2 or more
     sessions you can switch between the sessions using #<name> or use
     #<name> [command] to have that session execute a command keeping the
     session in the background.

     Type #help for a list of help subjects, #help <subject> for more
     information.

Q01) What machines does tintin work on?

A01) Tintin should compile on almost any UNIX machine.  The following
     distributions are known to work:

     SuSe 8.0
     Slackware 8.0
     Cygwin 1.5 (needs readline to be installed)
     OS X (needs readline to be installed)

     Pretty much any UNIX machine with a (modern) compiler and the "readline"
     library available should work.


Q02) What version should I use 1.50 or 1.86 or 1.90+ ?

A02) 1.90+ but realise 1.90 is not 100% compatible with scripts from previous
     tintin versions. 1.86 and 1.90 use readline which might give trouble
     installing, 1.50 should run on most unix machines. 1.86 has a build in
     chat client, but it's not confirmed it actually works. Version 1.90 has
     many extra features and bug fixes, and has more in common with version
     1.50 than 1.86


Q03) Where can I get the readline library?

A03) You can get the readline library from many ftp sites.  The main ftp
     site for the readline library is ftp.gnu.org.  The most recent version
     should be available there.  Tintin has been tested with readline 4.0,
     4.1 and 4.3
     It has been reported that readline 2.0 does not work, so make sure you
     get a recent version of readline.

Q04) When I do a ./configure, it complains that it can't find the readline
     library.  How do I fix that?

A04) Configure normally only checks the standard default directories for
     the readline library and the readline header files.  If you don't have
     them there, you need to tell configure where to find them.  You can
     (as if tintin version 1.82) do a 

     "./configure --includedir=<directory name> --libdir=<directory name>"

     to tell ./configure where to find them.  

     If you put readline in /tmp/readline-4.1 then you would need to do the 
     following:

  1) rename it to be called readline (mv readline-4.1 readline)

  2) tell configure to look there (./configure --includedir=/tmp --libdir=tmp)

  3) You must use the full path when specifying the directory.


Q06) I can't get tintin compiled still.  Where can I get more help?

A06) You can get help from a couple of places.  The first place to start
     is to take a look at the message board, there should be a link to this
     message board on the tintin++ website.

     Check to see if your problem has been asked before and if there is a
     solution.  If you don't see anything that looks like your problem, post
     a note and ask.  Please provide as much information as possible (such as
     the OS, compiler, error messages, etc).


Q07) I can't get tintin compiled, can't you send me a binary of tintin?

A07) There may be precompiled versions of tintin avail by other tintin users,
     but they may or may not work. Try to find them with google, or ask on
     the web board.

Q08) I would like to help, how can I contribute to tintin?

A08) There is a need for people willing to write documents and to write sample
     tintin script files.  You can submit those on the tintin message board,
     make sure to include the version it was written for. Another way to help
     is assisting people on the message board. And give bug reports or
     suggestions.

     Currently there is no development team, just a few individuals
     working on seperate versions of tintin++, if you feel the urge to write
     code for tintin++ try to get in touch with one of these individuals or
     write your own version.

Q09) Tintin is so awesome, how can I thank you guys for spending all that time
     to write tintin for free?? :)

A09) Fan mail is always welcomed :)


Q11) Can I use code from tintin?

A11) Yes, provided that you follow the terms of the license.  The license
     used for tintin is GPL.  Any questions/requests regarding the license,
     please contact me (Davin Chan).

Q12) I contributed code X, why isn't my name listed in the CREDITS file?

A12) Most likely your name slipped by before Davin Chan started
     maintaining tintin and adding people to the CREDITS file. If you
     believe you have contributed code to tintin, please email me and
     let me know. Make sure to see if your code is still existant in this
     version. I'll make an attempt sometime to get the credits sorted
     out as good as I can.


Q13) I would like to put all of my tintin files in a common directory,
     how can I do that?

A13) You can set enviroment variables for the history file with the
     TINTIN_HISTORY variable.  The syntax  depends on your shell, but for csh
     it's TINTIN_HISTORY <path to help file> and for bash it's 
     TINTIN_HELP=<path to help file>;export TINTIN_HELP.

     The #read and #write command allow you to specify a path beside the
     filename. So just set your scripts/aliasses to write to specific dirs

Q14) I've seen some nifty code and would like to use it in a different program.

A14) If you read the COPYING file you will see you are allowed to modify and
     redistribute this version as long as you make it clear you made changes,
     and what those changes are. If you want to use tintin code in another
     program not licensed under GPL you need to get permission from the author.
     Make sure to see if the exact code you want to use isn't existant in older
     tintin++ versions before contacting me, because I obviously cannot give
     permission for code I didn't write :) Also notice that older tintin++
     versions are not licensed under GPL.

Q15) My old script files do not work, is this a bug?

A15) Possible, more likely your old script files do not work because a lot has
     changed in this version. Try reading #help <command> about the subject.
     Also the new script parser resembles the working of common scripting
     languages. Also try to look through the examples, they are supposed to
     work, and you might find out what you are doing wrong. Feel free to
     report bugs though, or make suggestions about the best possible way
     tintin should parse a script.

Q16) #prompt {string} does not work

A16) That's because the new syntax is: #prompt {search string} {substitution}
     Read the help for the substitute command for more information.

     Please let me know, if you think there is a common question that isn't
     answered by this FAQ, but should be.

