You are looking at PD6:<UNIX-C>000-INTRO-UNIX-SW.TXT, last updated 10-Jun-91.

What is UNIX-SW?
----------------
The UNIX-SW mailing list is a vehicle for announcing the availability of new
software which runs under the UNIX Operating System.  Most of this software
is written either in C or as shell scripts, but there are a few things
written in other languages such as Pascal.

The software repository for UNIX-SW lives on the host WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL,
a DECSYSTEM-20 machine running TOPS-20, located at White Sands Missile Range,
New Mexico.  The machine is a host on the Defense Data Network, and hence
gives users located on other hosts the capability of directly transferring
this software via the file transfer protocol (FTP).  There is presently no
UUCP access to the machine, but this may be changing sometime in the near
future.

UNIX-SW is not intended as a forum for discussing the software in the
repository; this is best done by conversing via mail directly with the
authors or contributors of the software.  The mailing list's sole purpose is
for the coordinator of the list to send out (probably more or less on a
monthly basis) lists of software in the repository.

To Subscribe to UNIX-SW
-----------------------
If you would like to be added to the UNIX-SW mailing list, send a message to
[email protected].  If you do not have an Internet mail
path (i.e. you're a UUCP site) please include a path to you through a site
such as UUNET.UU.NET or UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU.  This will insure that mail can
be delivered to you.

Similarly, to be deleted from the list, change your address, and so on, you
should send mail to [email protected].

Mail archives of previous messages to UNIX-SW, should you need to look at
them, are stored on WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL as files with names like
PD2:<ARCHIVES.UNIX-SW>yymm.n-TXT, where "n" increments when the file exceeds
150 disk pages.

A Quick Introduction to TOPS-20 File Specifications
---------------------------------------------------
The items comprising a TOPS-20 file specification are organized from the most
general to the most specific.  The most common form of a file specification
is:

       dev:<dir>name.type.gen
where:
       dev:    is a device name, a file structure name, or a
               defined logical name.
       <dir>   is a directory name.  You must always include
               the angle brackets around a directory name.
       name    is a file name.
       .typ    is a file type.
       .gen    is a generation number.

 Device Names - DEV:
 -------------------
 A device name designates the storage device or file structure that
 contains, or will contain, the file.  A device name consists of alphabetic
 characters that indicate the type of device, a number that specifies a
 particular device, and a colon that identifies the name as a device name.
 Examples of a device name are:

       PS:  DSK:  TTY:  MTA1:  and  LPT:

 If you omit a device name from a file specification, the system uses your
 currently connected file structure as a default.

 => The device name for the UNIX-SW repository is PD6:

 Directory Names - <dir>
 -----------------------
 A directory name consists of up to 39 alphanumeric characters including
 hyphen, dollar sign, and underline.  Directory names are always enclosed in
 brackets.  Examples of directory names are:

       <BUORKE>   <FOWLER>   <TEST-PROCEDURES-LIBRARY>

  (You may use square brackets "[]" in place of angle brackets if you wish.)

  => The top-level directory for all the UNIX-SW software is called <UNIX-C>

  A directory may have subdirectories in it.  Subdirectories are named by
  separating their names from their parents' with periods.  Some examples
  are:

       <UNIX-SW.TAPES>   <UNIX-SW.LANGUAGES>   <UNIX-SW.LANGUAGES.FORTRAN>

  File Names - NAME
  -----------------
  Each file has a name consisting of up to 39 alphanumeric characters,
  including hyphen, dollar sign, and underline.  Examples of file names are:

       TEST  LINDRW  SPCWAR  LEM

  File Types - .TYP
  -----------------
  When you want to indicate the contents of a file or give the same file
  name to more than one file, specify a file type consisting of a period
  followed by up to three alphanumeric characters, including hyphen, dollar
  sign, and underline.

  => The more common file types used in the UNIX-SW repository are:

       .ARC            A file compressed with the "arc" program.
       .C              A C language source file
       .SH             A shell script
       .TAR            A "tar" archive
       .TXT            An ordinary text file

  => If the file type is .DIRECTORY, then the name represents a subdirectory
     of the current directory and can be cd'ed to (see next section).

  => If the file type ends in "-Z", e.g. .TAR-Z, it has been compressed
     with the "compress" program.

  Generation Numbers - .GEN
  -------------------------
  A generation number reflects approximately the number of times a file has
  been modified.  Generally only one version of a file will be stored in the
  repository.  However, if you find multiple versions of a file and would
  like an earlier version, specify the generation number explicitly.  If you
  do not specify a generation number, the highest generation will be used.

Transferring Files With FTP
---------------------------
To transfer files from the UNIX-SW repository, you should first use your
local FTP program ("ftp" on most UNIX systems) to connect to the host
WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL.  When you are prompted for a login name enter
"anonymous".  When prompted for a password, enter "guest".  You are now
logged in, and can begin transferring files.  Example using 4.2BSD FTP:

  % ftp simtel20.army.mil
  Connected to simtel20.army.mil.
  220 WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL FTP Server Process 5Z(50)-7 at Sun 14-Feb-88
  Name (simtel20.army.mil:davy): anonymous
  Password (simtel20.army.mil:anonymous): guest        ; password not echoed
  331 User name ok. Password, please.
  230 User ANONYMOUS logged in at Sun 14-Feb-88 15:48-MST, job 13.
  ftp>

The simplest way to transfer files, that is, the method which saves you the
most typing, is to change directories into the directory you want to retrieve
files from.  For starters, you can say:

   ftp> cd "pd6:<unix-c>"
   250 Connected to PD6:<UNIX-C>.
   ftp>

Note the quotes around the directory name; these are necessary in some
versions of FTP to prevent the local program from interpreting the "<"
and ">" as input and output redirection commands.  Also note that you
can use lower case letters; TOPS-20 does not distinguish case in file
and directory names.

Now, to obtain a list of the files contained in the directory, you can use
the "dir" command:

   ftp> dir
   200 Port 6.246 at host 128.46.130.83 accepted.
   150 List started.
   PD6:<UNIX-C>
   000-INTRO-UNIX-SW.TXT.1
   000-MASTER-INDEX.TXT.6
       [deleted for brevity]
   EDITORS.DIRECTORY.1
   LANGUAGES.DIRECTORY.1
       [deleted for brevity]
   UNIX-C.ARC.80131
   UNIX-C.CRCLST.80131
       [deleted for brevity]
   226 Transfer completed.
   669 bytes received in 0.08 seconds (8.2 Kbytes/s)
   ftp>

Now, suppose you want to go into one of the subdirectories you see (and in
this case we will assume a subdirectory of that directory also).  You would
type:

   ftp> cd "pd6:<unix-c.languages.c>"
   250 Connected to PD6:<UNIX-C.LANGUAGES.C>.
   ftp>

Note that the directory name starts with "unix-c", but that we can omit the
"pd6:" since we are already there.  If you had not done the initial "cd"
above, you would have to specify "pd6:" also.

Now we can do another "dir" command:

   ftp> dir
   200 Port 6.247 at host 128.46.130.83 accepted.
   150 List started.
   PD6:<UNIX-C.LANGUAGES.C>
   ARITHPARSE.TAR-Z.1
       [deleted for brevity]
   VSTR.TAR-Z.1
   XCP.C.1
   226 Transfer completed.
   737 bytes received in 1.24 seconds (0.58 Kbytes/s)
   ftp>

Finally, suppose we want to get the file XCP.C onto our machine, and call it
"foobar.c".  We would type:

   ftp> get xcp.c foobar.c
   200 Port 6.248 at host 128.46.130.83 accepted.
   150 ASCII retrieve of <UNIX-C.LANGUAGES.C>XCP.C.1 started.
   226 Transfer completed. 8401 (8) bytes transferred.
   8401 bytes received in 6.58 seconds (1.2 Kbytes/s)
   ftp>

Note that we didn't bother with the generation number (in this case, .1);
unless you want an earlier generation of a file, it is not necessary.

And finally, to terminate the FTP session, use the "quit" command:

   ftp> quit
   221 QUIT command received. Goodbye.
   %

Specifics on Transferring Files
-------------------------------
Most of the files in the UNIX-SW repository are compressed "tar" files.
Their file type will be ".TAR-Z".  Other files, whose names end in
".TXT", ".C", etc. can be transferred in ASCII mode with FTP.  But
compressed files cannot be transferred this way, because they contain
binary data.

To transfer these files, you need to do something special before you use the
FTP "get" command:

       - If you are on a TOPS-10, TENEX, TOPS-20, or ITS system, you can use
         "image" or "paged" mode for ALL files you transfer.

       - If you are on a UNIX system, you should use "ascii" mode for ASCII
         files, and "tenex" mode for binary files.  To do this, you can
         enter:

               ftp> type ascii         for ASCII files, and

               ftp> type l 8           (that's lower-case-L 8) or
               ftp> type tenex         for BINARY files

       - On MULTICS, you can use "ascii" mode for ASCII files, but binary
         files require that you enter:

               user_ftp: !quote "type l 8"

         This will store the file with one 8-bit byte per 9-bit word.

If you cannot use "tenex" mode and have to use "binary" mode (which is "type
l 32"), you should get a copy of PD6:<UNIX-C.UTILS>BINTNX.C or BINTNXVMS.C.
These programs convert files transferred in "binary" format to "tenex"
format, like they should be.

Handy Files to Know About
-------------------------
The following files may prove useful to you:

PD6:<UNIX-C>000-MASTER-INDEX.TXT
       The master index of all files in the repository, including short
       descriptions of what each one contains.

PD6:<UNIX-C>000-INTRO-UNIX-SW.TXT
       This file.  Check it from time to time for any new information
       about the repository.

PD6:<UNIX-C>NEW-ADDITIONS.TXT
       A listing in the same format as the *-INDEX.TXT files of additions
       to the repository since the last UNIX-SW mailing.  These additions
       will also be represented in the *-INDEX.TXT files.  This is the
       file which will be sent out to the UNIX-SW mailing list from
       time to time (probably monthly or bi-monthly).

PD6:<UNIX-C>UNIX-C.CRCLST
       A listing of all the files and directories in the archive,
       their sizes in bytes, and a 16-bit CRC checksum.

PD6:<UNIX-C>UNIX-C.ARC
       The same as UNIX-C.CRCLST, except compressed with the ARC utility.
       Sources for ARC can be found in the directory PD6:<UNIX-C.ARC-PROGS>.

PD6:<UNIX-C.subdir>000-INDEX.TXT
       A file like 000-MASTER-INDEX.TXT, except for the files in this
       subdirectory only.

Directories in the Respository
------------------------------
The directories presently in the repository are as follows.  See the file
000-INDEX.TXT within each directory for a list of what it contains, or see
the file PD6:<UNIX-C>000-MASTER-INDEX.TXT for a complete listing.

ARC-PROGS       - Software which implements the ARC library/archive utility
                 popular in the personal computer areas.
BENCHMARKS      - Various programs for benchmarking UNIX and other systems.
CALENDARS       - Programs for producing calendars, converting to and from
                 various date formats, reminder services, etc.
CKERMIT         - The source for the latest UNIX versions of the KERMIT file
                 transfer protocol.
CPM             - Utilities for moving data between UNIX and CP/M systems.
DATABASE        - Database utilities.
DIR-MGMT        - Tools for managing directory hierarchies.
EDITORS         - Text editors.  GNU EMACS is stored in the GNU directory.
FILE-MGMT       - Tools for manipulating files.
GNU             - Software from Richard Stallman's GNU project.
GRAPHICS        - Programs to do graphics, image processing, etc.
INFO            - Miscellaneous text files that provide information about all
                 sorts of things.
KERNEL          - Device drivers, system calls, and other things related to
                 the UNIX kernel.
LANGUAGES       - Compileres, interpreters, cross-referencers, and subroutine
                 libraries for various programming languages, including Ada,
                 assembler, BASIC, C, Forth, FORTRAN, FP, LISP, LOGO,
                 Modula-2, OPS5, Pascal, and Smalltalk.
MACINTOSH       - Software for moving data between UNIX systems and Apple
                 Macintoshes.
MAIL            - Programs for manipulating and delivering electronic mail.
NETWORKS        - Programs for dealing with networks such as TCP/IP.  UUCP
                 stuff is in the TELECOM directory.
PRINTERS        - Device drivers and output filters for line printers, laser
                 printers, and so on.  Many programs here can be used to
                 convert from one format to another.
SYSADMIN        - Tools for system administration.
TAPES           - Programs for reading and writing magnetic tapes, performing
                 file system backups, etc.
TELECOM         - Programs related to telecommunications, including stuff for
                 maintaining UUCP.
TEXTPROC        - Tools for text processing - text formatters, spelling
                 checkers, etc.
USENET          - Tools for sending, reading, and administering the USENET
                 network news.
UTILS           - Miscellaneous utility programs that don't really fit into
                 one of the other categories.
WINDOWS         - Windowing systems.
XYZMODEM        - Programs which implement the XMODEM (and YMODEM and ZMODEM)
                 file transfer protocol.

Submitting Software to UNIX-SW
------------------------------
If you have a program you'd like to submit to the repository, please send a
message to [email protected].  In the message, describe
the program, what version(s) of UNIX it runs on, what it's for, and so on.
I'll accept almost anything, but certain things such as games programs or
programs which we already have a zillion versions of may be rejected.

Once I have decided to accept your software, I will make arrangements with
you to place it into the repository.  This can be done any number of ways
from having you send it to me via mail, to you FTPing it to a special
directory on SIMTEL20, to me FTPing it from you and putting it in the
repository myself.  This is best worked out on a case-by-case basis, I think.

The Obligatory Cover-Our-Behinds Statement
------------------------------------------
All the software in the UNIX-SW repository is provided AS IS with NO
WARRANTY.  We cannot guarantee that it is good for any particular purpose, or
even that it works.

I make an attempt to examine the software submitted to me to at least make
sure it doesn't contain Trojan horses and what-have-you, and the moderator of
comp.sources.unix, where a lot of this stuff comes from, also does this.
But, as with all free software written by strangers, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE INSTALLING BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT!

Final Comments
--------------
I hope you find the software in the repository useful.  I know that before I
took over as coordinator I found programs I needed several times, saving
myself a great deal of time.  This is why I took over the coordination of the
archive when I was asked; I believe something this useful should not fall
apart just because nobody has time to take care of it.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to send
me some mail.

John Pliler
UNIX-SW Coordinator
[email protected], [email protected]

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