[svn-r124] Initial revision for prototype release.

README

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+This is the 10/15/97 prototype release of the HDF5 library.
+
+This release is not fully functional for the entire API defined in the HTML
+documentation, see the RELEASE file for information specific to this release of
+the library.  The INSTALL file contains instructions on compiling and
+installing the library.
+
+Three mailing lists are currently set up for use with the HDF5 library:
+    hdf5 - For general discussion of the HDF5 library with other users.
+    hdf5dev - For discussion of the HDF5 library development with developers
+        and other interested parties.
+    hdf5announce - For announcements of HDF5 related developments, not a
+        discussion list.
+To subscribe to a list, send mail to "<list>-request@ncsa.uiuc.edu", (i.e.
+hdf5-request@ncsa.uiuc.ed) with "subscribe <e-mail address> in the _body_ of
+the message.  Messages to be sent to the list should be sent to
+"<list>@ncsa.uiuc.edu"
+

RELEASE

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+Release information for the 10/10/97 prototype release:
+
+    This release is intended primarily as a proof of concept and as a method
+of familiarizing users with the intended functionality.  A list of the
+limitations of the prototype is as follows:
+    o - Multiple datasets may be created/read/written in an HDF5 file, but
+        access must be as an entire dataset, i.e. no slab/slice/subset code is
+        implemented yet.  The datasets must also be homogeneous, orthogonal
+        datasets, similar to the datasets which are able to be created in the
+        HDF4 "SD" interface.  Reducing these restrictions will be a major
+        effort of further development on the library.
+    o - Datasets can be located in a hierarchy of groups in the file, however
+        user-level features for transitioning through the groups are not
+        implemented in this release.  Each dataset must be accessed through
+        its full "pathname" in the file, ie. "/foo/bar/dataset1",
+        "/foo/bar/dataset2", "/foo/data"
+
+    A list of the API functions currently supported follows.  [This list is
+short, mainly as a method of providing feedback before significant direction
+changes must be made]
+    H5 (library) interface
+        o - H5version
+    H5F (file) interface
+        o - H5Fis_hdf5
+        o - H5Fcreate
+        o - H5Fopen
+        o - H5Fclose
+    H5M (meta) interface
+        o - H5Mcreate (for datatype, dataspace & dataset objects)
+        o - H5Mendaccess
+    H5P (dataspace) interface
+        o - H5Pis_simple
+        o - H5Pset_space
+        o - H5Pnelem
+        o - H5Pget_lrank
+        o - H5Pget_ldims
+    H5T (datatype) interface
+        o - H5Tis_atomic
+        o - H5Tset_type
+        o - H5Tget_type
+        o - H5Tsize
+        o - H5Tarch
+    H5D (dataset) interface
+        o - H5Mfind_name (to attach to a dataset)
+        o - H5Dset_info
+        o - H5Dget_info
+        o - H5Dread
+        o - H5Dwrite