Subject: v28INF1: Introduction to comp.sources.unix Newsgroups: comp.sources.unix,comp.sources.d Approved: paul@vix.com Submitted-by: paul@vix.com (Paul Vixie) Posting-number: Volume 28, Info 1 Archive-name: index28.1 [ this article has no real changes since the volume 27 version; new readers should definitely read it. i keep meaning to completely change the index architecture, but real life continues to make its requirements known... --vix ] This is the first of several introductory articles about comp.sources.unix. This one describes how to submit source to the newsgroup, where the archive sites are, and how to contact them. The companion articles list all previously-published sources, and plans for the future. -Paul Vixie -------------------- Subject: Distribution and Copyrights The Usenet newsgroup comp.sources.unix is forwarded far and wide through many mailing lists (including , which is the replacement for ). If you receive comp.sources.unix through your mailbox, or any way other than by reading Usenet articles, then you shouldn't be contacting us; you should be contacting the ``-request'' address for the mailing list (for example, . The mailing list receives every article posted to the comp.sources.* newsgroups. The moderators are not on this list and do not participate in discussions there; the list is provided as a service to those who don't have access to Usenet. From the beginning, the goal of comp.sources.unix has been the widest possible distribution of source code in the hope that it is of use to the programming community, but with no guarantees that it won't trash your machine. That is generally the goal of the people who write and submit programs. We publish only sources which contain no redistribution restrictions (either in time or geography or money). If you wish to include a copyright in work that you publish here, you are welcome to do that -- as long as it does not prohibit redistribution. The Berkeley BSD "Reno" or later copyrights, and the GNU "Copyleft" or "GPL", are both considered reasonable. There is no "compilation copyright" on the collection known as comp.sources.unix. It is a cooperative effort, the result of the sites that pass the group around, the kind souls that maintain archives, those who improve the code that we publish, and -- most importantly -- the people who write and submit the code. If you want to try to make money off this collective body of work, we will not pretend that we can stop you. Please note that this notice in no way supercedes the copyright that individual posters have attached to their submissions. -------------------- Subject: Submitting source for publication Items intended for posting or queries and problem notes should be sent to comp-sources-unix@uunet.uu.net or uunet!comp-sources-unix. This is the same place that Usenet will mail your submissions if you simply ``post'' them to the comp.sources.unix newsgroup. You don't _have_ to use "uunet"; any so-called ``backbone'' host will do, such as "decwrl.dec.com" ("decwrl!..."). You will receive automatic verification of the arrival of your source in our work queue. Our work queue varies in length between 1 day and 1 year, depending on the quality of the submission and the level of your desperation to see it published. We try to verify that a program works, and if we can't get it to work, we may hold up posting it while we contact you to work out a patch. Please note that, except in rare cases, source without documentation (ideally in "man page" source format) and a Makefile (with "all", "install" and "clean" targets) will not be published. -------------------- Subject: The structure of comp.sources.unix articles Each posting in comp.sources.unix is called an "issue"; there are a few hundred issues to a volume. Volume boundaries are arbitrary, and have varied greatly in the past. There are two types of articles in comp.sources.unix; sources and "information postings." They can be distinguished by the subject line: Subject: v07INF8: Index for Volume 7 and other info This first word in the title identifies this as the eighth info posting of volume seven. Similarly, the subject line shown below: Subject: v07i081: Public-domain Unix kernel identifies this as the 81st source article in Volume 7. Large sources are broken up into smaller pieces, and have subject lines that look like this: Subject: v07i082: System VI Source Distribution, Part03/08 The first few lines of an article are auxiliary headers that look like this: Submitted-by: root@freeware.ATT.COM Posting-number: Volume 7, Issue 82 Archive-name: new-login The "Submitted by" is the author of the program. IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE SOURCES PUBLISHED IN COMP.SOURCES.UNIX, THIS IS THE PERSON TO CONTACT. When possible, this address is in domain form, otherwise it is a UUCP bang path relative to some major site such as "uunet." ***IF YOU SEND COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO THE MODERATORS ABOUT A SUBMISSION TO THE LIST, WE WILL PROBABLY DELETE THEM WITHOUT NOTICE*** The second line repeats the volume/issue information for the aide of NOTES sites and automatic archiving programs. The Archive-name is the "official" name of this source in the archive. Large postings will have names that look like this: Archive-name: kernel/Part01 Also, note that the "part number" given in the title, and the archive name given in the auxiliary header need not be identical. -------------------- Subject: Reporting and tracking bugs and patches to postings You should probably subscribe to comp.sources.bugs. We will also try to expedite bugfix postings. Authors should consider holding Beta tests in alt.sources. Some of the larger postings have established channels for distributing bug reports (e.g., Larry Wall posts patches in comp.sources.bugs; C News has update bulletins there and in news.software.b, etc.). Others are sort of "catch as catch can." Sometimes, when new versions of previously-published software is available, just patches are put out, usually in the form of shar files containing input for the "patch" program, new files, etc. Sometimes complete new versions are put out. Which method is used depends on the poster and the moderator. -->To report bugs, contact the person listed in the Submitted-By header. -->Often there is a contact address in a README file, too. We do not maintain -->the sources we moderate, so don't send your bug reports to us. -------------------- Subject: Becoming an archive site If you collect comp.sources.unix postings and are willing and able to make your collection available to other people, please let us know. Benefits include the undying gratitude of your colleagues, and a promise from us to try to make sure you never lose an article. -------------------- Subject: Accessing the archives The complete archives are fairly large -- 50 to 60 megabytes, compressed. When you request something before Volume 6, please make sure to be as descriptive as possible as articles before then do not have official names. Matt Caprile has done a great amount of work in cleaning up the index entries and old names, and more work is needed. Some sites below will send tapes through the mail. For those sites, send a 1/2" mag tape WITH RETURN POSTAGE and RETURN MAILER. Tapes without postage or mailer will not be returned. No other methods (COD, etc.) are available; please don't ask. -------------------- Subject: Listing of archive sites in no particular order 1. Gatekeeper.dec.com [16.1.0.2] has the definitive comp.sources.unix archive -- the others tend to shadow this one. Using anonymous ftp, look at /pub/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume*. Grab /Index-byname or /Index-bytime to see what's available. Gatekeeper's FTP server has an experimental "index" command; see its signon banner for details. If you are a UUCP neighbor of "decwrl", this directory is decwrl!~/pub/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume*, and the index files are decwrl!~/Index-byname and decwrl!~/Index-bytime. Note that the Index-by{name,time} files are also available compressed (add a .Z to the name). DECWRL does not have anonymous UUCP here and they do not set up new connections just for archive access. Apologies. Try osu-cis if you need that sort of thing. Gatekeeper.dec.com also support anonymous NFS, Prospero, and WWW. 2. The DECWRL ``ftpmail'' server can be used to retrieve sources (or anything else which can be had via Internet FTP) and cause it to be automatically mailed to you. To learn more about ``ftpmail'', send mail to it: % echo help | Mail -s 'subject is ignored' ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com or % echo help | mailx -s 'subject is ignored' decwrl\!ftpmail or $ MAIL/SUBJ="IGNORED" SYS$INPUT DECWRL::FTPMAIL help ^Z or whatever variation you need for your local system. 3. The Danish UNIX user group (DKUUG) is running a mail based archive service at diku, it is only available to EUnet users in Denmark because of accounting. It features access to the latest EUUG tape distribution which includes sources from comp.sources.unix and comp.sources.games. Also some specially collected items like GNU emacs is available. To get in contact with this archive service, do: mail diku!archive Subject: help Archive mail enjoys a 100 % surcharge compared to ordinary mail. EUUG also provides a tape based archive service of sources collected from the network and other specilally collected products like the GNU Emacs, X windows, MH and UNIX|stat. These are also known as the Conference tapes. Available media include 9 track 1/2 inch 1600 fpi 2400 ft, and some QIC formats. Contact EUUG, Owles Hall, Buntingford, Herts, SG9 9PL, England, or Frank Kuiper, CWI, Kruislaan 413, NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam, the Netherlands for further information. Frank can also be reached as frankk@cwi.nl . 4. Lee McLoughlin and Stuart McRoberts of the Department of Computing, Imperial College, London have set up an FTP and mail based server for UK sites. All volumes are online, some may be in compressed form. For information about the mail based server mail to info-server@doc.ic.ac.uk with a message body of: request catalogue topic comp.sources.unix request end They also store most of the GNU software, X windows, minix updates, uupc and most other software deemed useful by the management. Mail the info-server with a topic line of: topic index for futher details. For reasons of cost access is limited to UK users only. 5. Ron Heiby has set up an anonymous UUCP access site. If there is enough interest, we will post his full note, but for now we are just giving the summary info. The machine is "mcdch1" which has a single 1200bps modem at 1-312-576-7902. Send an initial carraige return, then log in with the name "pduucp" and password "public". This will not work from 8am to 6pm Chicago time Monday through Friday, so we can get our real work done. The first thing you will want to do is pick up the detailed instructions and a list of what is available. uucp mcdch1!~/howto.snarf !~/MYNAME/ uucp mcdch1!~/directory !~/MYNAME/ Do not use full pathnames or wildcards; they will not work. The Systems file entry for doing this looks something like: (For HoneyDanBer UUCP (BNU) users. Combine into a single line.) mcdch1 Wk1800-0730,Sa,Su ACU 1200 3125767902 "" \r\c in:--in: pduucp word: public This is not an official service of Motorola and may be discontinued at any time. The contents of the comp.sources.unix archive have been donated by the submitters of the files to the Usenet comp.sources.unix moderator for free availability throughout the community. Motorola assumes no responsibility for the contents of these files, including the suitability for their use in any application on any hardware. (Some of the material, for example is known not to run on systems sold by Motorola.) Any questions about suitability, problems with the software or documentation, or anything else related to the contents of the files should be directed to the persons who submitted the material originally (usually the authors). 6. The archives on Munnari now completely mirror the official archives on Uunet. Thanks to Robert Elz, , for giving me the account on that machine. The files are in ~ftp/comp.sources.unix and are available in Australia for FTP or by using fetchfile. 7. Thos Sumner at UCSF will respond to requests for material, but cannot promise an ongoing commitment. Anyone requesting material via mail should supply a path from ucbvax. Anyone requesting tape should contact him first. Contact him at thos@cca.ucsf.edu, or ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.UCSF!thos 8. There are two dial-up lines: 814 337 0348 (currently 1200/2400) and 814 337 3159 (Telebit TB+ cycling 2400/19.2/9600/1200 - BREAK for speed change). The 1200/2400 modem will be replaced by a USR Dual Standard (HST + V.32) cycling 2400-9600-1200 when they receive the new ROMs. Anonymous uucp logins are either "pdsrc" or "uucp" (functionally identical) or via an XBBS BBS system ("bbs" or "xbbs"). They will be running SCO TCP/IP shortly and will be able to offer SL/IP links to the archives. There are three directories of interest: /u/pdsrc, /u/pubdir, and /u/uunet. Each directory contains a file called "HELP" which provides basic information, plus "ls-lR" and "ls-lR.Z" files generated daily. There is also an XBBS and mail-based downloads. Contact Michale Squires, sir-alan!mikes, for more info. 9. UUNET provides archive access to those on the Internet. Access is available directly via anonymous FTP; look on ftp.uu.net in /usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume*. The UUNET archive automatically shadows the Gatekeeper.dec.com "official" archive, so they're guaranteed to be current and official. UUNET subscribers can also UUCP missing files directly; ask your UUNET contact for information on how to do that. In the US, anyone can have their UUCP dial a 900 number to get sources; contact uunet-request@uunet.uu.net for more info. 10. Internet sites may also retrieve archives from j.cc.purdue.edu via anonymous ftp. The archive is in the directory ~ftp/comp.sources.unix/volumeX. Most files are compressed; these may be recognized by the ".Z" suffix. This is being managed by Jeff Smith, jsmith@mentor.cc.purdue.edu. They would appreciate it if you would avoid large file transfers in the middle of the day. 11. In France, the A.F.U.U. (French UN*X User Group), provides a tape- based archive service for people in France. Sources include comp.sources.unix, USEnix tapes, EUUG tapes, etc. Available media include 9 track 1/2 inch 1600 BPI 2400 ft, and QIC-24 cartridge tapes (Sun, Bull, Archive, etc. compatable). For a full list of what is available and to get an order form, etc., contact the AFUU offices: A.F.F.U. tel: +33 (1) 4670.9590 11, rue Carnot fax: +33 (1) 4658.9420 94270 Le Kremlin-Bice^tre e-mail: anne@afuu.fr FRANCE 12. There is an FTP'able archive at Old Dominion University. The archive contains the Unix, X, Games, Misc, and Amiga source groups, as well as comp.binaries.amiga. The unix sources are only kept on-line starting with Volume 10. Anonymous FTP to Xanth.cs.odu.edu. 13. Mark Prior has set up an archive on sirius.ua.oz.au for comp.sources.unix (and some other groups). Volume11 and later are available for retrival via for either ACSnet "fetchfile" or anonymous FTP (129.127.40.3). Files are stored in sources/unix/volume by issue number in compressed form, (~ftp/pub/sources/unix/volume for ftp users). 14. Internet sites may retrieve any of the comp.sources.unix files from wuarchive.wustl.edu [128.252.135.4] from /usenet/comp.sources.unix using anonymous ftp. Washington University maintains a complete archive of all USENET sources and binaries groups (those with archiving headers, anyway) as part of its public access archives. A description of the arrangement of the archives can be found in /arrangement and a complete list of all files currently in the archive (built nightly) is in /files.lst. A mail-based archive server should also be available soon. 15. Andreas Pleschutznig of Micro Systems Software in Austria, will make 1/4" tapes and can also make 1.2Meg 5 1/4" diskettes of c.s.u and alt.sources. Send mail to mcvax!mssx!src. exit 0 # Just in case...