the goal with this is to create a very straightforward interface with the 3DS's OS.
it is not meant to provide higher level functions; to put things in perspective, the purpose of ctrulib would be to sit between the OS and a possible port of SDL rather than replace it.
ctrulib is just a library and needs a toolchain to function. we built ctrulib to be used in conjunction with devkitARM. you may find instructions on how to install devkitARM here : http://devkitpro.org/wiki/Getting_Started