README for MIDI-Perl
                                        Time-stamp: "1999-05-13 11:24:38 MDT"

			      MIDI-Perl

MIDI-Perl is a suite of Perl modules that allows you to read, compose,
modify, and write MIDI files.  It is largely object-oriented, but if
you follow the example code, you should be able to get along fine.

See http://www.speech.cs.cmu.edu/~sburke/pub/perl_midi/ for more info.
(If you register there, you'll get on my list of people to
send announcements to when I release a new version.)


PREREQUISITES

This suite requires Perl 5; I've only used it under Perl 5.004, so for
anything lower, you're on your own.  I've heard that some pre-5.004
versions of Perl had a few bugs in BER-encoding, which is used
extensively in MIDI, but whether those bugs could surface in the use
of the MIDI modules, I don't know.  So consider yourself warned.

MIDI-Perl uses no external libraries at this time, aside from Carp,
which has been standard for as long as I can remember.  If you want to
use MIDI::Opus::draw, you'll also need GD.pm, however.

INSTALLATION

You install MIDI-Perl, as you would install any perl module library,
by running these commands:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install

If you want to install a private copy of MIDI-Perl in your home
directory, then you should try to produce the initial Makefile with
something like this command:

  perl Makefile.PL LIB=~/perl


DOCUMENTATION

See lib/MIDI.pm for an overview of the suite.  See ChangeLog for
recent changes.  POD-style documentation is included in all modules.
POD is readable with the 'perldoc' utility.


MACPERL INSTALLATION NOTES

Don't bother with the makefiles.
Just move MIDI.pm and the "MIDI" folder into your MacPerl library
folder.  Read the PODs with Shuck.


SUPPORT

Questions, bug reports, useful code bits, and suggestions for
MIDI-Perl should just be sent to me at sburke@netadventure.net


AVAILABILITY

The latest version of MIDI-Perl is available from the Comprehensive
Perl Archive Network (CPAN).  Visit <http://www.perl.com/CPAN/> to
find a CPAN site near you.


COPYRIGHT

Copyright 1998,1999 by Sean M. Burke <sburke@netadventure.net>, all
rights reserved.