MZF source code information


Over the last year I have gotten many requests for the MZF source code. I have always made the source code publicly available, but I have tried to discourage people from embarking on MZF customization projects as MZF requires the Borland OWL framework and not everyone has this or knows how to use it.

Anyway, I have gotten tired of sending people this URL, so here it is: MZF source code is available from mzfsrc.zip

What you need to compile this is Borland C++ 4.x. If you have 5.x, you will need to make a few changes. When I get 5.x, I will make these changes, but for now I am using Borland C++ 4.02. You are expected to know how to operator the Borland C++ compiler, I can't tell you how many people don't know how to set the 'file include path' and claim MZF won't compile. MZF also takes a long time to compile, over ten minutes on my Pentium 100.

If you are already an OWL programmer, be warned: This is a Doc/View application. The logic of Doc/View programs really upsets some people. In fact, I actually learned so much about Doc/View programming when MZF came out that I wrote a popular FAQ on Doc/View for this project, which you can see on my Borland C++ page. Also be warned that the Borland 'Class Expert' won't work on this project anymore, the database is long since corrupted. If you are not a Doc/View programmer but want to become one, investigate Borland's Doc/View line drawing program until you understand it before diving into MZF.

Because this code is based on Merc and Envy parsers, you will not be able to sell this code. You will not be able to put it on a floppy and give it to someone for the cost of the floppy. There is a DIKU license, and we stick by it. That means we do not accept donations (even free commercial software from the manufacturer, as one guy offered me) or make changes to support someone's code base in exchange for money. There are also requirements about not publishing without the prior consent of the DIKU people (which I'm afraid to say I have done, at least web publishing, but don't expect to be able to write an article about MZF code and sell it to a 'zine.)

There are also the Merc and Envy licenses to abide by. There is also Borland's copyright on OWL, which means don't consider porting this to Unix. (Borland does have an OS/2 version, if anyone wants to do that port I will help in any way that I can, having recently started working as a contractor for IBM.) For the future, there is the issue of ROM code in the new MZF, but Alander has graciously given me the rights to excerpt bits of ROM code without following the ROM license. So you will have to check with him if you release a ROM-ified MZF using his code.

Note that everything in MZF which isn't covered by any of the following licenses is completely public domain, so if you think I have a particulaly clever 'potion' icon or really like my code to resize fonts so that eight columns fits in a text edit box feel free to use it without crediting me.

esnible@acm.org

MZF page