$Id: README,v 1.103 2003/02/07 17:48:47 rcaputo Exp $

--------------------
Detailed Information
--------------------

POE is bigger than this README.  Please see its web site at
http://poe.perl.org/ for more information.

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What POE Is
-----------

POE is a networking and multitasking framework for Perl.  It has been
in active development since 1996, with its first open release in 1998.
The Perl Conference (now OSCON) named POE "Best New Module" in 1999.

POE has been used in mission-critical systems such as internetworked
financial markets, file systems, commerce and application servers.  It
has been used in projects ranging from a few lines of code to tens of
thousands.

POE is compatible with perl versions as old as 5.005_03.

POE includes an evolving component framework.  Components are
high-level, modular, reusable pieces of programs.  Several components
have been published on the CPAN, and more are listed on POE's web
site.

POE includes components and libraries for making quick work of network
clients, servers, and peers.  A simple stand-alone web application
takes about 30 lines of code, most of which is your own custom logic.

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Documentation Roadmap
---------------------

POE includes so much documentation that the main man page includes an
index to the rest.  See the "SEE ALSO" section in "man POE", or your
system's equivalent.

The CHANGES file lists all the changes in the past year.  POE's web
site includes a complete change history, separated by version number,
going back to its first public release.

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Installing POE
--------------

See http://poe.perl.org/?Where_to_Get_POE for download sites, Windows
tips, and anonymous CVS instructions.

POE may be installed through the CPAN shell in the usual CPAN shell
manner.

  perl -MCPAN -e shell
  cpan> install POE

To install on a Win32 machine using ActiveState's PPM.  If PPM fails,
try PPM3:

  ppm install http://unc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/poe/POE.ppd
  ppm3 install http://unc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/poe/POE.ppd

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Test Results
------------

POE's test results are large and constantly changing, so it makes more
sense that they are on the web.

  http://eekeek.org/poe-tests/
    -- Automated test reports by users like you.

  http://testers.cpan.org/search?request=dist&dist=POE
    -- CPAN testers' reports.

POE's ongoing improvement relies on your feedback.  The easiest way to
do that is included in the POE distribution itself.

To generate "poe_report.xml" with a summary of POE's test results:

  make testreport

To upload that summary so we can tell if there are problems:

  make reportupload

If 'make reportupload' fails, you can upload poe_report.xml from the
form at http://eekeek.org/poe-tests/ .

Uploaded test results can be viewed at http://eekeek.org/poe-tests/ .

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Test Coverage
-------------

POE's test coverage report has also moved onto the 'web.  It gives a
very rough idea of the amount of POE that's been at least cursorily
tested, but it should not be used as an accurate gauge of quality.

  http://poe.perl.org/?POE%27s_test_coverage_report

----
Bye!
----

Thanks for reading!

-- Rocco Caputo / rcaputo@cpan.org / poe.perl.org / poe.sourceforge.net
