What is JIGS ?
==============

JIGS stands for Java Interface for GnuStep. It is a package allowing
integration between Java and Objective-C. The main purpose of JIGS is
to allow Java programmers to use the GNUstep libraries from Java.

JIGS is more than a set of bindings for GNUstep from Java; JIGS takes
advantage of the fact that Objective-C and Java are very similar
languages to make it possible to use Objective-C classes from Java
using exactly the same API (and vice versa). You have to learn the
GNUstep API only once, and then you can use it both from Objective-C
and from Java in the same way! Moreover, JIGS can generate
automatically wrappers for your own Objective-C GNUstep libraries.

JIGS allows you to write optimized classes and components in
Objective-C, and make them available to Java developers. In the
typical configuration, fast Objective-C components and libraries are
used in the backend, and JIGS is used to integrate them smoothly in a
Java front-end. Moving from one language to the other is as easy as it
can possibly be with two different languages.

JIGS is free software and part of the GNU project, freely available
from the Free Software Foundation under the GNU LGPL license.

Authors
=======

JIGS was brought to you by Nicola Pero <[email protected]>

Brainstorm Computer Solutions (http://www.brainstorm.co.uk) funded
most of the development of JIGS.

SKYRiX Software AG (http://www.skyrix.de) funded most of the
developments of JIGS 1.3.x and 1.4.x, including number object
morphing, libFoundation support, and other improvements.

Maintainers
===========

JIGS is currently maintained by Nicola Pero <[email protected]>.

Software Needed to Use JIGS
===========================

To use the JIGS, you need: 

  * A version of the Objective-C runtime library compiled as a shared
  library (and working with GNUstep).  Please refer to the INSTALL
  file for more information on how to compile and install it.  This is
  needed only to load objective-C libraries into a running java
  virtual machine, while you don't need it to start a java virtual
  machine inside an already running objective-C app or tool.  Please
  note that there are no examples yet of doing the latter in JIGS 
  though, so if you want to play comfortably, getting a shared
  Objective-C runtime library is recommended.

  * GNUstep make package and base library.

  * A java development environment supporting JNI 1.2.

Special Thanks
==============

To Richard Frith-Macdonald <[email protected]> for countless
discussions and help during development of JIGS 0.1.

Obtaining JIGS
==============

JIGS is available at http://www.gnustep.it/jigs/Download/
New releases and snapshots can usually be found on the JIGS homepage, 
http://www.gnustep.it/jigs/.
You may always get the latest version of JIGS from the GNUstep CVS -
the module is called 'java'.

Bug Reports
===========

The best way to submit bug reports and fixes is to email them to 
<[email protected]>.