[netcdfgroup] time for fortran and C++ libraries to move out of their parents' basement!

• To: netcdfgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [netcdfgroup] time for fortran and C++ libraries to move out of their parents' basement!
• From: Ed Hartnett <ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:39:09 -0600

Howdy all!

For the upcoming netcdf-4.2 release, there will be a change in the
packaging of the netCDF libraries. Until now, the Fortran 77, Fortran
90, C++, and the new C++ (a.k.a. CXX4) have all been packaged together.

This will no longer be the case. Instead, the C library (with tools
ncgen/ncdump/nccopy) will be released separately from the Fortran and
C++ libraries.

The netCDF daily snapshot
(ftp://ftp.unidata.ucar.edu/pub/netcdf/snapshot/netcdf-4-daily.tar.gz)
reflects this change. It now only builds the C library and
ncgen/ncdump/nccopy. It no longer includes the C++ or Fortran libraries.

The F77 and F90 libraries will continue to be released as one package,
now called netcdf-fortran. A beta release can be found here:
ftp://ftp.unidata.ucar.edu/pub/netcdf/netcdf-fortran-4.2-beta1.tar.gz

A beta of the new C++ library (netcdf-cxx4) can be found here:
ftp://ftp.unidata.ucar.edu/pub/netcdf/netcdf-cxx4-4.2-beta1.tar.gz

For backward compatibility, a distribution of the old C++ library
(netcdf-cxx) is also available. It should not be used for new projects,
as it does not include many important netCDF-4 features. A beta can be
found here:
ftp://ftp.unidata.ucar.edu/pub/netcdf/netcdf-cxx-4.2-beta1.tar.gz

I have not updated the documentation with new build instructions, but in
all cases, install the netcdf-4.1.3 C library (or the snapshot)
somewhere, and then set CPPFLAGS and LDFLAGS to point to that spot for
the builds of the fortran and C++ libraries.

More beta releases, and then full 4.2 releases for the Fortran and C++
libraries will come before the netCDF C library 4.2 release. 

These changes is intended to lighten our workload when new versions are
released, and to provide the capability of doing a fortran or C++
release without waiting for the next major C library release.

Any feedback would be most appreciated. Please send it to:
support-netcdf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks!

Ed
-- 
Ed Hartnett  -- ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx