wxruby 1.9.10-x86-mingw32 → 2.0.0-x86-mingw32

data/INSTALL

@@ -0,0 +1,254 @@
+= Installing wxRuby
+
+wxRuby is fully supported on Ruby 1.8 and Ruby 1.9.1. There are two
+ways of installing wxRuby2:
+
+ * Using Rubygems to install a precompiled binary gem
+ * Obtaining the sources and compiling wxRuby yourself
+
+For most users (especially on Windows and OS X), using rubygems will be
+most convenient, and is recommended. Compiling may be needed on systems
+which have very varied configurations (in particular, Linux). You'll
+also need to compile yourself if you want to use the latest development
+code, rather than a numbered release.
+
+= Installing wxRuby using Rubygems
+
+On Windows and OS X, the only normal prerequisite is Ruby itself and
+rubygems. On Linux, you will need your distro's wx library
+installed. See below for platform-specific information.
+
+== Temporary instructions for gem installation
+
+As of February 2009, Rubygems has a serious bug which means that the
+latest version of specific gems are not correctly offered by the
+automatic installation procedure. This affects a variety of gems and
+ruby and rubygems versions. Please follow these temporary instructions
+until this is resolved:
+
+Download the correct gem file for your platform from the wxRuby download
+page: http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=35
+
+Gems for 1.8 are named: wxruby-[version]-[processor]-[os].gem
+Gems for 1.9 are named: wxruby-ruby19-[version]-[processor]-[os].gem
+
+Choose the latest version available for your processor and operating
+system: mswin32 or mingw32 for Windows, darwin for for OS X, linux for
+Linux.
+
+Save the file to your local hard drive. Open a command prompt or
+terminal, go to the directory where the gem file is saved, and do:
+
+ gem install <filename>
+
+For example:
+
+ gem install wxruby-1.9.10-x86-mswin32-60.gem
+
+On Linux and OS X, you may need to run this command as a privileged user, eg
+
+ sudo gem install <filename>
+
+== Proper instructions for gem installation
+
+To install wxRuby using Rubygems, open a command prompt and type:
+
+ gem install wxruby           # Ruby 1.8
+ gem install wxruby-ruby19    # Ruby 1.9 
+
+If you are on Linux or OS X, you will likely need to run this as a
+privileged user, something like:
+
+ sudo gem install wxruby
+
+Wait whilst rubygems updates its gem list. You will then be offered a
+choice of gems to install. Choose the most up-to-date one available for
+your platform. Rubygems will download and install the desired gem.
+
+On Linux, you should also install your distro's wxwidgets 2.8
+libraries. On Windows and OS X, the gem contains everything needed to
+create and run wxRuby applications; you're ready to go.
+
+=== Gem Installation Notes - Microsoft Windows
+
+* x86-mswin32 gems are for ruby on Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista on Intel-32,
+  built with the Microsoft compiler. This includes current releases of
+  the One-Click Installer.
+
+* x86-mingw gems are compatible with ruby built on Windows using the
+  MingW compiler
+
+* If using NT or 2000, you may need to install the free library
+  gdiplus.dll in your Windows/system32 directory.
+
+* If using a recent fresh install of NT, 2000 or XP, you may need to
+  install the dll msvcp71.dll. This can be downloaded for free.
+
+* To get native XP-style widgets on XP you need to create a manifest.exe
+  file for ruby; see here for more information:
+  http://rubyonwindows.blogspot.com/2007/10/windows-xp-visual-style-controls-with.html
+
+* Unfortunately, wxRuby2 does not currently work on Windows 3.1, 98 or
+  Me, as these do not have adequate unicode support. The old
+  wxruby-0.6.0 release should work (to the best of its limited
+  abilities) on these platforms.
+
+=== Gem Installation Notes - OS X
+
+* Gems are provided as single universal binary for both Intel and
+  PowerPC Apple machines
+
+* wxRuby binary gems are compatible with versions 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5
+  (Leopard)
+
+=== Gem Installation Notes - Linux
+
+* The wxRuby gems for Linux are intended to work with your system's
+  existing packages and libraries. Therefore, you should install the
+  wxwidgets-2.8 package(s) for your system, eg libwx-2.8
+
+* The gems are built on recent versions of Ubuntu; due to the wide
+  variation between the configuration of different distros, they may not
+  work correctly with other distributions and versions. If you
+  experience errors after installing the gem, you will need to compile
+  your own version of wxRuby.
+
+* On some systems libselinux1-related shutdown crashs are reported with
+  wxRuby. On Ubuntu Hardy, this workaround fixed it:
+  http://www.libavg.de/wiki/index.php/Libavg_on_Ubuntu#8.04_known_issue
+
+= Compiling wxRuby from Source
+
+The remainder of this document covers compiling ruby from source.
+
+Compiling wxRuby is recommended if you wish to use the latest
+development version, or if you want to work with a specific
+configuration of wxWidgets - for example, that provided by a Linux
+distro. You may also need to compile wxRuby if a binary gem is not
+available for your platform.
+
+== Compilation prerequisites
+
+* A C++ compiler: MSVC or MingW for Windows; gcc (g++) for Linux and OS X
+* A recent version of SWIG, especially for Ruby 1.9. 
+* rake 
+* A compiled wxWidgets library, either built yourself or installed from 
+  via a package manager
+
+wxWidgets has a huge range of compile-time options, and wxRuby tries to
+support as many of these as possible. In particular, both debug and
+release builds are supported; a debug build is recommended if you're
+interested in working on wxRuby. On windows, only static builds are
+supported; on Linux and OS X, either statically or dynamically linked
+libraries can be used.
+
+wxRuby will skip several optional features if they are not supported by
+your wxWidgets library; these include StyledTextCtrl, GraphicsContext
+and OpenGL classes.
+
+== Obtaining wxRuby source code
+
+Tarballs containing the wxRuby source for released versions can be
+downloaded from the wxRuby Rubyforge pages:
+http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=35
+
+If you wish to use the latest development code, it's hosted in
+Subversion at rubyforge.org. Note that this code may be incomplete or
+buggy. To check it out do
+
+ svn co svn://rubyforge.org/var/svn/wxruby/trunk/wxruby2
+  
+== Setting build options
+
+If you're compiling on Windows, you *must* set an environment variable
+to indicate where the WxWidgets libraries and header files can be found:
+
+ set WXWIN=C:/path/to/wxMSW-2.8.9
+
+The path should be the top-level directory of the unpacked wxWidgets
+tarball; it's recommended that the path does not contain spaces.
+
+If you have multiple parallel versions of wxWidgets installed, you may
+influence which build is selected by setting or unsetting the
+environment variables WXRUBY_DEBUG, WXRUBY_RELEASE, WXRUBY_STATIC and
+WXRUBY_DYNAMIC. eg
+
+ export WXRUBY_DEBUG=1 
+
+Forces wxRuby to be built against a -debug version of wxWidgets.
+
+Lastly, you may specifically exclude certain classes; this is most often
+useful if a particular class is causing problems:
+
+ export WXRUBY_EXCLUDE=ThisClass,ThatClass
+
+== Running the compile task
+
+From the top-level directory of the unpacked or downloaded wxRuby
+directory, just start the rake build with the command:
+
+ rake
+  
+There is no ./configure step, nor do you need to run ruby
+extconf.rb. wxRuby has approaching 300 classes to generate, compile and
+link, so the process may take some time. 
+
+== Using a compiled library
+
+To run a wxRuby program using the newly compiled library, you can run
+ruby with the -I flag pointing to the lib directory. For example, a
+quick test of a newly compiled library might be:
+
+ ruby -Ilib samples/minimal/minimal.rb
+
+== Installing a compiled library
+
+Rubygems has emerged as the standard for managing user ruby libraries,
+so you may wish to create a gem from your compiled code and install
+it. To create a gem, do:
+
+ rake gem
+
+This will create a gem file, which you can install as above.
+
+If you do not wish to use Rubygems, you can also do
+
+ rake install
+
+This will install wxRuby into your site_ruby directories. As with gem
+commands, you may need to be root do this. Note that as Rubygems has
+become the standard installation method for Ruby libraries, the
+'install' task is no longer regularly maintained and tested.
+
+= Porting to other platforms
+
+The instructions above cover all the platforms that are in current use
+for wxRuby. It should however be possible to use wxRuby on any platform
+supported by wxWidgets and Ruby:
+
+http://wiki.wxwidgets.org/Supported_Platforms
+
+Platform-dependent rakefiles are used to set up compiler-specific
+settings. The following platforms are currently fully supported:
+
+  Mac OSX (gcc):        rakemacosx.rb
+  Linux (GTK2 + gcc):   rakelinux.rb
+  Windows (shared):     rakewindows.rb
+  Windows (MSVC):       rakemswin.rb
+  Windows (MingW):      rakemingw.rb
+
+For other platforms, you will need to create or edit the appropriate
+platform-dependent rake file if your system is not yet supported, or if
+it is unusual. These files are found in the rake subdirectory, for
+example:
+
+  NetBSD:               rakenetbsd.rb
+
+The existing rake files should provide a starting point. When editing a
+platform-dependent rakefile, you might merely need to set one or more of
+the following variables:
+
+    $extra_cppflags
+    $extra_ldflags
+    $extra_objs
+    $extra_libs

data/README

@@ -1,297 +1,198 @@
-README for wxruby2
+= README for wxRuby version 2.0
 
-Version 1.9.x
+== Introduction
 
-This is wxruby2, the second generation of wxRuby, a library 
-that allows Ruby programs to use the wxWidgets GUI toolkit. 
-It is released under a permissive MIT-style license
-(see the LICENSE file for details).
+wxRuby is a cross-platform GUI library for Ruby, based on the wxWidgets
+GUI toolkit for C++. It uses native widgets wherever possible, providing
+the correct look, feel and behaviour to GUI applications on Windows, OS
+X and Linux/GTK. wxRuby aims to provide a comprehensive solution to
+developing professional-standard desktop applications in Ruby. 
 
-This version is a beta release, in preparation for a stable release of
-wxruby version 2.0.
+== Installing wxRuby
 
-------------------------FAQ---------------------------
+wxRuby is distributed as pre-compiled binaries and source from the
+project's site on Rubyforge: http://wxruby.rubyforge.org/
 
-- What platforms and operating systems are supported in wxRuby2?
+For the majority of users, installation simply requires running 'gem
+install wxruby' on the command line. See INSTALL for further
+information.
 
-  Currently the following are fully supported:
+== wxRuby licence
 
-  Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista (i686)
-  OS X 10.4+ (i686 and PowerPc)
-  Linux (i686 + AMD-64)
+wxRuby is free and open-source. It is distributed under a liberal
+licence which is compatible with both free and commercial development.
+See LICENSE for more details.
 
-  It is unlikely that support for old Windows OS's (3.1, 95, 98, ME)
-  will be added to wxRuby2 in the near future, as these operating
-  systems have very limited support for Unicode.
+== FAQ
 
-- Why would I choose wxruby over FXRuby, Ruby/GTK, or one of the other 
-   GUI toolkits? Isn't wxruby arriving "too late"?
-   
-   There are several great GUI toolkits available for Ruby, but we 
-   like wxruby better because it has a combination of features that no 
-   other toolkit has:
-   
-     - Cross-platform (MSWindows, Mac OS X, Linux)
-     - Native widgets when possible
-     - Provides a wide selection of widgets
-     - Simple license that is compatible with proprietary and Free Software 
-     - Mature foundation (wxWidgets has been around for over 10 years)
-
-   The really big feature is native widgets. The only other cross-platform 
-   toolkits that use native widgets are either limited (Tk) or expensive if 
-   you want to develop proprietary software (Qt). We are not saying that 
-   those toolkits are bad! Just that wxruby offers a unique set of 
-   features.
-   
-- Why are native widgets important or helpful?
-
-   For one thing, it means that end-users do not have to adjust to a 
-   "foreign" interface. It also ensures maximum compatibility with 
-   "assistive technology" such as screen readers for blind users. 
-   It also allows apps to respect any themes the user may have chosen 
-   through their operating system. No matter how hard a toolkit may try 
-   to emulate a particular UI, there will always be differences in the 
-   look or behavior.
-   
-- How does wxruby2 relate to wxruby (and the wxruby 0.6.0 release)?
+=== What platforms and operating systems are supported in wxRuby2?
 
-   wxruby2 is the "next generation" of wxruby. It is being developed 
-   by the same wxruby team, and is intended to replace the older 
-   code base. wxruby2 is built using SWIG, a powerful tool that makes 
-   it much easier to create and maintain wrappers around C/C++ libraries.
-   
-- Why should I use wxruby2 instead of wxruby?
+Currently the following are fully supported:
 
-   First, because development on the original wxruby codebase has stopped. 
-   Everyone is working on wxruby2, so it will continue to improve. Beyond 
-   that, wxruby2 has these advantages over wxruby 0.6.0:
-   
-     - Available as binary gems for MSWindows, OS X, and Linux (GTK)
-	 - Support for more classes, and more methods within classes
-	 - Unicode support
-	 - Vastly improved support for OS X
-	 - Looks much better under Linux because it uses GTK+2
-	 - Simpler and more permissive license 
-	 - Wraps wxWidgets 2.8.7 instead of the older 2.4 series
-	 
-- Is wxruby2 ready for "production" use?
-
-  Yes, pretty much. This is a beta release, and there may be some bugs
-  in some methods, or memory leaks. This release includes all the
-  classes and features that are proposed for inclusion in wxruby 2.0.
-
-  It is considerably more stable and fully-featured than the old 0.6.0
-  release, which was never really stable enough for heavy-duty
-  production use.
-   
-- Does wxruby2 support the Xxx class?
+* Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista (i686, MSVC and MingW)
+* OS X 10.4+ (i686 and PowerPc)
+* Linux (i686 + AMD-64)
 
-   See the "Documentation" section of the README file, or check the 
-   wxruby web site: http://wxruby.org
+Support for other platforms is not being actively developed at present,
+but patches are welcome. It is likely to be much simpler to get wxRuby
+working on similar modern systems (eg FreeBSD or Solaris with GTK) than
+on legacy systems (eg Windows 98, Mac OS 9).
+
+=== Why would I choose wxruby over FXRuby, Ruby/GTK, Shoes etc?
    
-- How are the wxruby 0.6.0 and wxruby2 licenses different?
-
-  wxruby 0.6.0 was released under the wxWindows license, which is a 
-  modified LGPL. It is a good, fair license, allowing use in both Free 
-  Software and proprietary applications. However, it is long and complex, 
-  and is more appropriate for compiled code. wxruby2 is available under a 
-  *very* simple MIT-style license, which allows just about any use with 
-  very few restrictions.
+There are several fine GUI toolkits available for Ruby, but we consider
+that wxRuby offers a combination of features that no other toolkit can match:
    
-- I am getting an error trying to compile wxruby2
-
-  Please double-check the requirements. You may be using the wrong
-  version of SWIG, wxWidgets, or some other tool. Double-check the
-  instructions on the wxRuby wiki (http://wxruby.rubyforge.org/)
-  
-  If you need help, please ask your question on the wxruby mailing list 
-  (see the link at http://wxruby.org). 
-
-- I am getting an error trying to run any wxruby2 application, such as 
-  the samples that are included in the gem.
-  
-  If you are using Linux, be sure you have configured your system to 
-  have RUBYOPT=-rubygems. This can be done in .bashrc or /etc/environment, 
-  depending on your distribution and preferences. [More details to follow].
-  
-- Why aren't the wx network, file, date, database and other non-GUI
-  classes supported?
-
-  Because Ruby has its own versions of each of them, providing
-  cross-platform abstractions of these functions with familiar syntax
-  and methods. We assume you are writing your application in Ruby, so it
-  makes sense to keep as much code as possible in Ruby. We have only
-  wrapped the wx classes that are necessary to write GUI code.
-
-  There may be some advantages to porting the Wx network classes into
-  ruby, if they work better with multi-(native)-threaded code. This is
-  currently under evaluation.
-  
-- Why has it taken so long for wxruby2 to be released?
-
-  Nobody is getting paid to develop wxruby, so each of the wxruby developers 
-  are limited in the amount of time they can dedicate to the project. We are 
-  always looking for more volunteers to help code, test, document, manage 
-  the bug list, handle publicity, or do other necessary chores.
-  
-  Wrapping wx is a big project that requires a wide variety of skills. As of 
-  February 2008, the wxRuby project has over 100,000 lines of code, including 
-  ruby, C++, and SWIG scripts. If we weren't using SWIG it would be far bigger.
-
-
-For more details, see the project home page:
-  http://wxruby.org/
-
-
-------------------------USING WXRUBY---------------------------
-INSTALLING:
-
-wxRuby is available as binary gems for MS Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
-with GTK+ 2. Unless you wish to work on wxRuby itself, we strongly
-recommend installing the gem rather than building from source.
-
-REQUIREMENTS TO CREATE AND RUN WXRUBY APPS:
-
-- Ruby 1.8
-- MS Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.4+, or Linux with GTK+ 2, 
-
-- On Windows, gdiplus.pll and msvcp71.dll. These are available on most
-  systems, but can be downloaded and installed for free from the
-  internet
-- On Linux, libgstreamer. This can be installed from most package sources
-
-SAMPLES:
-
-There is a samples/ directory containing many small sample wxRuby apps 
-that demonstrate how to use various classes. A few samples do not work 
-across all platforms at this time.
-	
-The bigdemo sample is fairly comprehensive, but not all of the 
-sections work on all platforms. 
-
-
-WRITING YOUR OWN WXRUBY APP:
-
-To use wxruby-swig in your app, use:
-  require 'wx'
-  
-samples/minimal.rb can be used as a template for creating your 
-own wxruby application.
-
-
-DOCUMENTATION:
-
-- wxRuby-specific API documentation can be found here:
-
-    http://wxruby.org/doc/
-	
-   (Note: This documentation is auto-generated from the C++ wxWidgets API
-   docs. There are some broken links, some sample code in C++, and some
-   sections which do not apply to ruby. The documentation is continually
-   being improved.)
-
-- The latest version of the documentation can be downloaded from the
-  wxRuby 'Files' section on Rubyforge.
-
-  http://www.rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=35
-
-- Tables summarizing which wx classes are and are not supported can 
-  be found here:
-  
-    http://wxruby.org/wiki/wiki.pl?ClassesSupportedByCategory
-	
-- Most wxWidgets and wxPython tutorials and references can also be used, if 
-  you remember that wxRuby uses ruby_style_naming for methods and variables 
-  instead of MixedCase as used by wxWidgets.
-  
-
-
-API DIFFERENCES FROM WXWIDGETS:
-- In many cases, wxRuby follows the lead of wxPython (or in some cases, 
-  wxPerl), adjusting certain method calls when the C++ style doesn't fit 
-  dynamic languages.
-- Since initialize is reserved in ruby, use SplitterWindow#init instead.
-- Many wx classes have not been wrapped because native ruby classes work 
-  as well or better. These include wxDateTime, wxString, networking 
-  classes, database classes.
-- log_message and log_status take a single string parameter, 
-  rather than a format string followed by additional values 
-  to be inserted. Use Ruby's sprintf if required.
-
-----------------------COMPILING WXRUBY--------------------------
-REQUIREMENTS TO COMPILE/BUILD WXRUBY ITSELF
-
-- rake 
-- SWIG, version 1.3.32 or later. Earlier versions will not work correctly.
-- wxWidgets 2.8.x SDK. See further information on the wxruby website for
-  recommended compile-time options for wxWidgets.
-
-
-OBTAINING THE SOURCE:
-
-Source code is hosted in Subversion at rubyforge.org. See the links on
-the wxruby web site (http://wxruby.org). Check out the wxruby2
-Subversion module (not the old wxruby module).
-  
-
-BUILDING:
-
-From the top-level directory (typically wxruby2/), 
-just start the rake build with the command:
-
-  rake
-  
-There is no ./configure step, nor do you need to run ruby extconf.rb.
-
-
-INSTALLING THE LIBRARY:
-
-You can install the library using:
-  rake install
-  
-Note that on some systems you may need to be "root" to do this.
-To manually install, copy all the files in the lib/ subdirectory 
-to somewhere on your ruby library path, such as a ruby extensions 
-directory.
-
-
-PORTING TO OTHER PLATFORMS
-
-Platform-dependent rakefiles are used to set up compiler-specific
-settings. The following platforms are currently fully supported:
-
-  Mac OSX (gcc):        rakemacosx.rb
-  MS Windows (VC++):    rakemswin.rb
-  Linux (GTK2 + gcc):   rakelinux.rb
-  
-For other platforms, you may need to edit the appropriate
-platform-dependent rake file if your system is not yet supported, or if
-it is unusual. These files are found in the rake subdirectory:
-
-  MS Windows BC++:      rakebccwin.rb
-  MS Windows MingGW:    rakemingw.rb
-  MS Windows Cygwin:    rakecygwin.rb
-  NetBSD:               rakenetbsd.rb
-
-When editing a platform-dependent rakefile, you might 
-merely need to set one or more of the following variables:
-
-    $extra_cppflags
-    $extra_ldflags
-    $extra_objs
-    $extra_libs
-
-
-CREDITS
-
-Kevin Smith set up the wxruby2 project using SWIG and did much of the
-work that still forms the core of the library in its present form. Over
-the years dozens of volunteers have contributed invaluable patches and
-new functionality. The list is too long to give here, but their
-contributions are recorded in the wxruby mailing list archives.
-
------------------------------------------------------------
-
-LEAD MAINTAINER:
-  Alex Fenton
-  alex at pressure dot to
+* Cross-platform (MS Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)
+* Real native widgets wherever possible
+* Provides a comprehensive selection of widgets and other GUI features
+* Useful non-GUI support classes, eg for Images and internationalisation
+* Simple licence that is compatible with proprietary and Free Software 
+* Mature and actively developed foundation in wxWidgets
+* Easy to install and redistribute
+   
+=== Why are native widgets important or helpful?
+
+The really important feature among the above is, for many people, native
+widgets. Several toolkits are to some degree able to simulate the native
+appearance of widgets, but wxRuby widgets are actually native widgets -
+so they behave and interact exactly according to the desktop's GUI
+conventions.
+
+For one thing, this means that end-users do not have to adjust to a
+"foreign" interface. It ensures maximum compatibility with "assistive
+technology" such as screen readers for blind users.  It also allows apps
+to respect any themes the user may have chosen through their operating
+system. 
+
+Desktop conventions go beyond widget appearance, to the labelling and
+positioning of items in standard dialogs and menus. wxRuby offers
+features to help with these too.
+
+== Where can I ask a question, or report a bug?
+
+The main mailing list for those using wxRuby for GUI development is
+wxruby-users. General questions and queries of all sorts are appropriate
+for this list, and new users are welcome.
+
+When asking a question, if something is not working as you expect,
+please provide a *minimal*, *runnable* sample of code that demonstrates
+the problem, and say what you expected to happen, and what actually
+happened. Please also provide basic details of your platform, ruby and
+wxruby version, and make a reasonable effort to find answers in the
+archive and documentation before posting. People on the list are happy
+to help, but it's too much to expect them to guess what you're trying to
+do, or try and debug 1,000 lines of your application.
+
+There is a bug-tracker and feature-request system on the rubyforge
+project pages for wxRuby. Using these helps ensure that a bug is
+followed through and resolved. You're strongly encouraged to post to
+these logged-in to rubyforge and not anonymously. You won't receive any
+requests for follow-up information on anonymous items, and so these can
+end up being closed without being resolved if needed information isn't
+supplied.
+
+wxruby-development is a secondary mailing list for all those interested
+in the current and future development of wxRuby. The discussion on this
+list tends to deal more with the internals of the library.
+
+== How can I learn to use wxRuby?
+
+wxRuby is a large API and takes some time to learn. The wxRuby
+distribution comes with numerous samples which illustrate how to use
+many specific parts of the API. A good one to start with is the
+'minimal' sample, which provides an application skeleton. All the
+bundled samples are expected to work with current wxRuby 2.0, although
+some use a more modern coding style than others.
+
+Complete wxRuby API documentation can downloaded separately; this tends
+to focus on how to use specific classes and methods, rather than on how
+to construct an application overall.
+
+There are also tutorials on the wiki, as well as on third-party
+websites. These typically provide in-depth view of a particular topic,
+but some may be out-of-date.
+
+One of the advantages of wxRuby is the much larger ecosystem of
+wxWidgets and wxPython resources out there. There is a book for
+wxWidgets,"Cross-Platform Programming in wxWidgets", whcih can be freely
+downloaded as a PDF. This provides very comprehensive coverage of the
+wxWidgets API in C++. The code may not be directly useful, but the
+descriptions of how widgets and events and so forth work are almost
+always relevant to wxRuby.
+
+When using a search engine to find answers about a wxRuby class, it can
+be worth searching for the same term but with 'wx' prepended. For
+example, if you wanted answers about the "Grid" class, try searching for
+"wxGrid" as this will turn up results relating to wxWidgets and wxPython
+which may be relevant.
+
+== What wxWidgets features are supported by wxRuby?
+
+wxRuby supports almost all of the wxWidgets 2.8.9 GUI API, around 300
+classes in total. wxWidgets classes that provide general programming
+support features, such as strings, networking, threading and database
+access are not and will never be ported, as it's assumed that in all
+these cases it's preferable to use a Ruby library.
+
+If you know of a feature in wxWidgets that you would like to see
+supported in wxRuby
+
+== How does wxRuby 2.0 relate to the wxruby 0.6.0 release?
+
+wxRuby 0.6.0 was the last in a series of releases developed using a
+different approach in the early days of wxRuby. Work on this series
+stopped in early 2005, in favour of what is now wxRuby 2.0. Several
+years of development have gone into wxRuby since, making it vastly more
+capable and correct than the 0.6.0 release, which is only offered for
+legacy applications. 
+
+== I am getting an error trying to install or compile wxRuby
+
+Please double-check the INSTALL documents, and search the mailing list
+archives. If this doesn't help, please post your question on the wxruby
+mailing list (http://wxruby.rubyforge.org/wiki/wiki.pl?MailingLists)
+
+= Credits 
+
+Kevin Smith established the wxRuby 2.0 project using SWIG in 2005. Since
+then it has benefitted from the input of dozens of volunteers, who have
+contributed code, documentation, testing, bug reports and feature
+requests. 
+
+The alphabetic list shows (some of) those who've contributed code to
+wxRuby 2.0.
+
+Albin Holmgren
+Alex Fenton
+Artur Kuptel
+Cezar Espinola
+Chauk-Mean Proum
+Christophe Bludau
+Curt Hibbs
+Dale Edmons
+Daniel Savarese
+David Whetstone
+Dirk Traulsen
+Hawley Waldman
+Jani Monoses
+Joe Seeley
+Jonathan Maasland
+Kevin Smith
+Mario Steele
+Nic
+Pascal Hurni
+Robert Carlin
+Roy Sutton
+Ryuichi Sakamoto
+Sean Lindsay
+Sean Long
+Tobias Gruetzmacher
+Zach Dennis
+
+If your name is missing and should be here, please get in touch
+with the current development team.
+
+== Lead Maintainer
+
+Alex Fenton: alex at pressure dot to