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+Status
+======
+
+libffi-3.0.9 was released on December 31, 2009. Check the libffi web
+page for updates: <URL:http://sourceware.org/libffi/>.
+
+
+What is libffi?
+===============
+
+Compilers for high level languages generate code that follow certain
+conventions. These conventions are necessary, in part, for separate
+compilation to work. One such convention is the "calling
+convention". The "calling convention" is essentially a set of
+assumptions made by the compiler about where function arguments will
+be found on entry to a function. A "calling convention" also specifies
+where the return value for a function is found.
+
+Some programs may not know at the time of compilation what arguments
+are to be passed to a function. For instance, an interpreter may be
+told at run-time about the number and types of arguments used to call
+a given function. Libffi can be used in such programs to provide a
+bridge from the interpreter program to compiled code.
+
+The libffi library provides a portable, high level programming
+interface to various calling conventions. This allows a programmer to
+call any function specified by a call interface description at run
+time.  
+
+FFI stands for Foreign Function Interface.  A foreign function
+interface is the popular name for the interface that allows code
+written in one language to call code written in another language. The
+libffi library really only provides the lowest, machine dependent
+layer of a fully featured foreign function interface. A layer must
+exist above libffi that handles type conversions for values passed
+between the two languages.
+
+
+Supported Platforms
+===================
+
+Libffi has been ported to many different platforms.
+For specific configuration details and testing status, please
+refer to the wiki page here:
+
+ http://www.moxielogic.org/wiki/index.php?title=Libffi_3.0.9
+
+At the time of release, the following basic configurations have been
+tested:
+
+|--------------+------------------|
+| Architecture | Operating System |
+|--------------+------------------|
+| Alpha        | Linux            |
+| ARM          | Linux            |
+| AVR32        | Linux            |
+| HPPA         | HPUX             |
+| IA-64        | Linux            |
+| MIPS         | IRIX             |
+| MIPS         | Linux            |
+| MIPS64       | Linux            |
+| PowerPC      | Linux            |
+| PowerPC      | Mac OSX          |
+| PowerPC      | FreeBSD          |
+| PowerPC64    | Linux            |
+| S390         | Linux            |
+| S390X        | Linux            |
+| SPARC        | Linux            |
+| SPARC        | Solaris          |
+| SPARC64      | Linux            |
+| SPARC64      | FreeBSD          |
+| X86          | FreeBSD          |
+| X86          | kFreeBSD         |
+| X86          | Linux            |
+| X86          | Mac OSX          |
+| X86          | OpenBSD          |
+| X86          | Solaris          |
+| X86          | Windows/Cygwin   |
+| X86          | Windows/MingW    |
+| X86-64       | FreeBSD          |
+| X86-64       | Linux            |
+| X86-64       | OpenBSD          |
+|--------------+------------------|
+
+Please send additional platform test results to
+libffi-discuss@sourceware.org and feel free to update the wiki page
+above.
+
+Installing libffi
+=================
+
+First you must configure the distribution for your particular
+system. Go to the directory you wish to build libffi in and run the
+"configure" program found in the root directory of the libffi source
+distribution.
+
+You may want to tell configure where to install the libffi library and
+header files. To do that, use the --prefix configure switch.  Libffi
+will install under /usr/local by default. 
+
+If you want to enable extra run-time debugging checks use the the
+--enable-debug configure switch. This is useful when your program dies
+mysteriously while using libffi. 
+
+Another useful configure switch is --enable-purify-safety. Using this
+will add some extra code which will suppress certain warnings when you
+are using Purify with libffi. Only use this switch when using 
+Purify, as it will slow down the library.
+
+Configure has many other options. Use "configure --help" to see them all.
+
+Once configure has finished, type "make". Note that you must be using
+GNU make.  You can ftp GNU make from prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu.
+
+To ensure that libffi is working as advertised, type "make check".
+This will require that you have DejaGNU installed.
+
+To install the library and header files, type "make install".
+
+
+History
+=======
+
+See the ChangeLog files for details.
+
+3.0.9 Dec-31-09
+        Add AVR32 and win64 ports.  Add ARM softfp support.
+	Many fixes for AIX, Solaris, HP-UX, *BSD.
+	Several PowerPC and x86-64 bug fixes.
+	Build DLL for windows.
+
+3.0.8 Dec-19-08
+        Add *BSD, BeOS, and PA-Linux support.
+
+3.0.7 Nov-11-08
+        Fix for ppc FreeBSD.
+	(thanks to Andreas Tobler)
+
+3.0.6 Jul-17-08
+        Fix for closures on sh.
+	Mark the sh/sh64 stack as non-executable.
+	(both thanks to Kaz Kojima)
+
+3.0.5 Apr-3-08
+        Fix libffi.pc file.
+	Fix #define ARM for IcedTea users.
+	Fix x86 closure bug.
+
+3.0.4 Feb-24-08
+        Fix x86 OpenBSD configury.
+
+3.0.3 Feb-22-08
+        Enable x86 OpenBSD thanks to Thomas Heller, and
+	x86-64 FreeBSD thanks to Björn König and Andreas Tobler.
+	Clean up test instruction in README.
+
+3.0.2 Feb-21-08
+        Improved x86 FreeBSD support.
+	Thanks to Björn König.
+
+3.0.1 Feb-15-08
+        Fix instruction cache flushing bug on MIPS.
+	Thanks to David Daney.
+
+3.0.0 Feb-15-08
+        Many changes, mostly thanks to the GCC project.
+	Cygnus Solutions is now Red Hat.
+
+  [10 years go by...]
+
+1.20 Oct-5-98
+	Raffaele Sena produces ARM port.
+
+1.19 Oct-5-98
+	Fixed x86 long double and long long return support.
+	m68k bug fixes from Andreas Schwab.
+	Patch for DU assembler compatibility for the Alpha from Richard
+	Henderson.
+
+1.18 Apr-17-98
+	Bug fixes and MIPS configuration changes.
+
+1.17 Feb-24-98
+	Bug fixes and m68k port from Andreas Schwab. PowerPC port from
+	Geoffrey Keating. Various bug x86, Sparc and MIPS bug fixes.
+
+1.16 Feb-11-98
+	Richard Henderson produces Alpha port.
+
+1.15 Dec-4-97
+	Fixed an n32 ABI bug. New libtool, auto* support.
+
+1.14 May-13-97
+	libtool is now used to generate shared and static libraries.
+	Fixed a minor portability problem reported by Russ McManus
+	<mcmanr@eq.gs.com>.
+
+1.13 Dec-2-96
+	Added --enable-purify-safety to keep Purify from complaining
+	about certain low level code.
+	Sparc fix for calling functions with < 6 args.
+	Linux x86 a.out fix.
+
+1.12 Nov-22-96
+	Added missing ffi_type_void, needed for supporting void return 
+	types. Fixed test case for non MIPS machines. Cygnus Support 
+	is now Cygnus Solutions. 
+
+1.11 Oct-30-96
+	Added notes about GNU make.
+
+1.10 Oct-29-96
+	Added configuration fix for non GNU compilers.
+
+1.09 Oct-29-96
+	Added --enable-debug configure switch. Clean-ups based on LCLint 
+	feedback. ffi_mips.h is always installed. Many configuration 
+	fixes. Fixed ffitest.c for sparc builds.
+
+1.08 Oct-15-96
+	Fixed n32 problem. Many clean-ups.
+
+1.07 Oct-14-96
+	Gordon Irlam rewrites v8.S again. Bug fixes.
+
+1.06 Oct-14-96
+	Gordon Irlam improved the sparc port. 
+
+1.05 Oct-14-96
+	Interface changes based on feedback.
+
+1.04 Oct-11-96
+	Sparc port complete (modulo struct passing bug).
+
+1.03 Oct-10-96
+	Passing struct args, and returning struct values works for
+	all architectures/calling conventions. Expanded tests.
+
+1.02 Oct-9-96
+	Added SGI n32 support. Fixed bugs in both o32 and Linux support.
+	Added "make test".
+
+1.01 Oct-8-96
+	Fixed float passing bug in mips version. Restructured some
+	of the code. Builds cleanly with SGI tools.
+
+1.00 Oct-7-96
+	First release. No public announcement.
+
+
+Authors & Credits
+=================
+
+libffi was originally written by Anthony Green <green@redhat.com>.
+
+The developers of the GNU Compiler Collection project have made
+innumerable valuable contributions.  See the ChangeLog file for
+details.
+
+Some of the ideas behind libffi were inspired by Gianni Mariani's free
+gencall library for Silicon Graphics machines.
+
+The closure mechanism was designed and implemented by Kresten Krab
+Thorup.
+
+Major processor architecture ports were contributed by the following
+developers:
+
+alpha		Richard Henderson
+arm		Raffaele Sena
+cris		Simon Posnjak, Hans-Peter Nilsson
+frv		Anthony Green
+ia64		Hans Boehm
+m32r		Kazuhiro Inaoka
+m68k		Andreas Schwab
+mips		Anthony Green, Casey Marshall
+mips64		David Daney
+pa		Randolph Chung, Dave Anglin, Andreas Tobler
+powerpc		Geoffrey Keating, Andreas Tobler, 
+			 David Edelsohn, John Hornkvist
+powerpc64	Jakub Jelinek
+s390		Gerhard Tonn, Ulrich Weigand
+sh		Kaz Kojima
+sh64		Kaz Kojima
+sparc		Anthony Green, Gordon Irlam
+x86		Anthony Green, Jon Beniston
+x86-64		Bo Thorsen
+
+Jesper Skov and Andrew Haley both did more than their fair share of
+stepping through the code and tracking down bugs.
+
+Thanks also to Tom Tromey for bug fixes, documentation and
+configuration help.
+
+Thanks to Jim Blandy, who provided some useful feedback on the libffi
+interface.
+
+Andreas Tobler has done a tremendous amount of work on the testsuite.
+
+Alex Oliva solved the executable page problem for SElinux.
+
+The list above is almost certainly incomplete and inaccurate.  I'm
+happy to make corrections or additions upon request.
+
+If you have a problem, or have found a bug, please send a note to
+green@redhat.com.