README

DESCRIPTION
-----------
This archive contains an ISO C++ class implementing arbitrary length arrays
of bits.  The class is intended to be easy to follow and expand upon,
though it may be used without an understanding of its implementation.

FILES
-----
bitarray.cpp    - Class providing operations on arbitrary length arrays
                  of bits.
bitarray.h      - Header for bitarray class.
sample.cpp      - Program demonstrating how to use the bitarray class.
COPYING         - GNU General Public License
COPYING.LESSER  - GNU Lesser General Public License
Makefile        - makefile for this project (assumes gcc compiler and GNU make)
README          - this file

BUILDING
--------
To build these files with GNU make and gcc, simply enter "make" from the
command line.

USAGE
-----
sample.cpp demonstrates usage of each of the bitarray functions.

HISTORY
-------
08/03/04 - Initial release
04/30/06 - Improved performance by incorporating Benjamin Schindler's
           <bschindler@student.ethz.ch> changes to pass arguments as a
           reference.
08/02/07 - All methods that don't modify object have been made const to
           increase functionality of const bit_array_c.
           All assignment operators return a reference to the object being
           assigned a value so that operator chaining will work.
           Add >> and << operators.
02/03/10 - Replaced vector<unsigned char> with an array of unsigned char.
           If you want to use STL and vector you might as well use
           vector<bool>.  Nothing from STL is used in this version.

TODO
----
- Test on platforms with character lengths other than 8 bits.
- Consider implementing overloads that return const bit_array_c

AUTHOR
------
Michael Dipperstein (mdipper@alumni.engr.ucsb.edu)