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README file: <RSI_Directory>
 	       <IDL_Directory>	
IDL Version 5.0
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This file includes the following information:

- Note on README files
- Information files on CD-ROM
- Description of the IDL Directory Tree

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Note on README files
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The IDL CD-ROM and directory tree contain a number of files
named README.TXT (Unix and Windows platforms), AAREADME.TXT
(VMS platforms), or ReadMe (Macintosh platforms). Consult
the README file in any directory for information on the files
contained in that directory. If a directory does not have
its own README file, that directory's contents are explained
in its parent directory's README file.

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Informational Files on the CD-ROM
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The IDL CD-ROM includes a subdirectory named "info" at the root
level. The "info" directory contains platform-specific release
notes (in appropriately named files) and information about IDL's
network license management facilities. See the readme.txt file
in the "info" directory for details.

Note that the files in the "info" directory are not installed
in your IDL directory tree. 

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Description of the IDL Directory Tree
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When you install IDL, you are asked to choose an installation
directory. Research Systems recommends different directories
on different platforms:

  Unix:       /usr/local/rsi
  VMS:        SYS$SYSDEVICE:[IDL]
  Windows:    \RSI   (on the drive that has the WINDOWS directory)
  Macintosh:  RSI folder (on the startup drive)

You may choose a different directory for your installation.
In any case, in these README files, we refer to this installation
directory as the <RSI_Directory>.

IDL itself (and any other Research Systems' products) are installed
in subdirectories of the <RSI_Directory>. Again, the actual name
of the subdirectory differs on different platforms:

  Unix:       idl_5    (with a symbolic link to idl)
  VMS:        SYS$SYSDEVICE:[IDL]
  Windows:    IDL50
  Macintosh:  IDL 5.0

You cannot change the name of the IDL directory in your <RSI_Directory>.
In these README files, we refer to this directory as the <IDL_Directory>.

There are six subdirectories in the <IDL_Directory>. They are:

  bin          (Unix and VMS only)
	       This subdirectory contains the shell scripts or command
	       procedures needed to run IDL. There is a subdirectory in
	       this directory named "bin.<platform>" where <platform>
	       is the name of your operating system (for example, on a
	       Sun computer running Solaris, the directory is named
	       bin.solaris2.sparc), which contains the actual binary
	       files.

	       Note: On Windows and Macintosh platforms, the binary files
	       are located in <IDL_Directory>.

  examples     This directory contains example code written in the IDL
	       language, demos, and programs used by the IDL documentation.

  external     This directory contains information and sample code 
	       relating to Callable IDL and CALL_EXTERNAL/LINKIMAGE
	       programs -- that is, programs written in languages other
	       than IDL that link to IDL or use IDL as a library.

  help         This directory contains files used by IDL's online help
	       system and files displayed by some IDL widget applications
	       when you click the "help" button.

  lib          This directory contains the library of IDL routines which
	       are themselves written in the IDL language. 

  resource     This directory contains resources including map databases,
	       font support, color tables, ODBC drivers, and (on Motif
	       platforms) X Window System resources.

Each of the subdirectories has its own README file; consult those
files for further information.