To build the xbase library 1) Verify you have the correct software prerequisites installed A) cmake 2.6 or LATER B) Compiler and linker 2) Verify you have access to the target location of the library 3) Unpack the tar or zip file 4) For Linux 64 bit or 32 bit plat forms cd xbase/build/Linux64 or xbase/build/Linux32 cmake . make make test sudo make install Verify the ld.so.conf file has the library target directory For example update file /etc/ld.so.conf to include /usr/local/lib and run ldconfig Your milage may vary depending on Linux Distro To update the configuration file cd xbase/build/Linux64 or xbase/build/Linux32 ccmake . 5) For Mac Verify you have xcode installed and operational cd xbase/build/Mac cmake . -DCMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.11.sdk make make test 6) For Windows 64 bit with Visual Studio Open a Visual Studio 64 bit Shell cd xbase\build\Win64VS buildwin.bat nmake test From a VS Studio 64 bit shell in admin mode nmake install Also of note: cleanwin.bat resets everything 7) For Windows 32 bit with Visual Studio Open a Visual Studio 32 bit Shell cd xbase\build\Win32VS buildwin.bat nmake test From a VS Studio 32 bit shell in admin mode nmake install 8) For Windows 32 bit with Borland 5.5 free compiler cd xbase\build\Win32Borland BuildBorland.bat make test 9) For other platforms Here is something to start with... cd xbase md MyPlatform cd MyPlatform cp ../Cmake/CmakeLists.txt . Enter the appropriate make command for your environment - check the cmake web site for help On Linux, it is .cmake, then make your mileage may vary Send your results to the library maintainer so it can be added to this library