/** * @mainpage The X Binary Package System Library API * @section intro_sec Introduction * * XBPS is a new binary package system designed and implemented from * scratch, by Juan Romero Pardines. This document describes * the API used by the XBPS Library, that is the base to implement * a package manager frontend, such as is implemented in the xbps * command line interfaces. * * XBPS uses extensively NetBSD's proplib, a library that provides an * abstract interface for creating and manipulating property lists. * Property lists have object types for boolean values, opaque data, numbers, * and strings. Structure is provided by the array and dictionary collection * types. Property lists can be passed across protection boundaries by * translating them to an external representation. This external representation * is an XML document whose format is described by the following DTD: * * http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd * * NetBSD's proplib has been choosed because it's fast, extensible, and easy * to use. These are the three facts I mentioned: * * - Fast because proplib uses an ultra optimized * red-black tree implementation to store and find all its objects, * the same implementation has been used in commercial projects by * Apple Inc. * * - Extensible because you don't have to worry about ABI problems * with its objects, arrays and dictionaries can be extended without such * problems. * * - Easy to use (and learn) because it has a superb documentation * available in the form of manual pages. * * Not to mention that its arrays and dictionaries can be externalized to * files (known as plists) and are always written atomically. You * have the whole file or don't have it at all. */