README for libdmtx version 0.2.0 - June 11, 2006
-----------------------------------------------------------------
libdmtx version 0.2.0 is a big step forward from version 0.1.0,
since you can now actually call it from your application to
read and write Data Matrix barcodes. It still lacks stability
and is only partially implemented when compared to the
specification, but at least now we can pretend like it's useful.
The same disclaimers from before still apply:
* It will crash
* It may even hang your system
* The API and ABI will change five minutes after I write this
Actually, I seem to have introduced a crash bug into the library
during all the recent restructuring, but it is proving difficult
to reproduce. Rather than delay the release, I'm just going to
let this thing go into the wild and then fix the bug when I get
a chance. After I get CVS (or Subversion) going I will be more
picky about the official releases, but for now this is the only
way people can get access to the newest code.
Also, I'm hoping to lock down the API over the next couple of
releases but this one is still in flux.
If you have a specific application that runs under controlled
conditions then libdmtx might be sufficient for your needs.
However, I would still caution you that it is still very much
"pre-alpha" code. We're making good progress, but we just
haven't been at it for very long yet.
I also added a couple of command line utilities, dmtxread and
dmtxwrite, which I think will be handy for some people. For one
thing, they provide simple examples of how to interact with the
library. More significantly, you can now read and write Data
Matrix barcodes from the command line without knowing anything
about C programming.
Please let me know if you find this library useful, or if you
have a specific need that you would like to see addressed for
the next release.
Good luck!
Mike Laughton
