$Id: README,v 1.6.2.1 2000/09/14 18:27:48 knight Exp $

Cons is a Perl-based make replacement.  It is not compatible with make,
but has a number of powerful capabilities not found in other software
construction systems, including make.

This package contains a stable release of Cons and its documentation.
Cons is also available in development releases, intended for advanced
features and quick delivery of bug fixes.  Development releases of Cons
have odd-digit minor version numbers (2.1.x, 2.3.x, etc.).

A related package (cons-test) contains a portable test suite for Cons,
plus a wrapper script and supporting modules for executing the tests.
You do not need this other package to use Cons.

You will need Perl 5.002 or better and the Perl MD5 Extension
(MD5-1.6.tar.gz or greater), available from CPAN.

Cons is known to work on a variety of platforms: it's in production
use on versions of FreeBSD, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, HPUX, AIX, IRIX and
Windows NT.

Documentation is supplied in POD format (thanks to Ulrich Pfeifer).

A cons discussion group, cons-discuss@gnu.org, has been created.  If
you wish to subscribe, send mail to cons-discuss-request@gnu.org with
the word "subscribe" in the BODY of the message. Please send all comments,
requests, complaints, etc. to the mailing list.

Cons is maintained by members of the cons-discuss mailing list.

The official cons web site is http://www.dsmit.com/cons

An article about Cons appeared in The Perl Journal, issue #9, Spring 1998.