v23INF1: Introduction to comp.sources.x
Chris Olson
Posting-number: Volume 23, Info 1
Archive-name: intro23
Supersedes: intro22: Volume 22, INF 1
Last-modified: 25-Sep-1993
This is the first of five introductory messages about comp.sources.x.
It describes the newsgroup's history, how to submit sources to c.s.x,
where the archive sites are, and how to contact and access them. The
second, third and fourth postings together comprise the index of previously
posted software. The fifth article is a cross-index of patches that have
been posted to this newsgroup.
There are *many* things covered in this posting -- each new topic is
preceded by a Subject: line. If you get bored reading a particular
section, fast forward to the next Subject: line and read that one.
Please don't submit sources without having read -everything- in this
file (you'll be tested and graded later :-).
Most of all, this posting describes how to submit sources to comp.sources.x,
where the archive sites are, and how to contact them. The second lists
the sources that have been published in this newsgroup.
NOTE 1:
Many people are submitting sources that do not have an Imakefile
or a patchlevel.h. You *must* provide these! I no longer have the
time to create them for you. Further submissions that do not have
these files will be rejected.
NOTE 2:
Patches *must* contain an update to patchlevel.h and indicate which
volume and issue numbers that precede this patch. This includes both
the original posting and previous patches.
As always, I am looking for suggestions on how to improve the usefulness
of the newsgroup. *Please* do not hesitate to send suggestions to
chris...@itd.sterling.com.
Chris
--------------------
Subject: The structure of comp.sources.x articles
Each posting in comp.sources.x is called an "issue"; there are roughly 100
issues to a volume. The division is arbitrary, and has varied greatly in
the past. There are two types of articles in comp.sources.x; sources
and "information postings." They can be distinguished by the subject
line:
Subject: v03INF1: Introduction to comp.sources.x
This first word in the title identifies this as the first info posting of
volume three. Similarly, the subject line shown below:
Subject: v01i060: select: a selection widget, Part01/01
identifies this as the 60th source article in Volume 1. All sources are
broken up into pieces. This is done so that there could be a proper storage
directory when patches are issued. This is part 1 of a 1 part posting.
Subject: v01i056: xphoon: Show phase of the Moon on root window, Part01/04
The first few lines of an article are auxiliary headers that look like this:
Submitted-by: ro...@freeware.ATT.COM
Posting-number: Volume 7, Issue 82
Archive-name: new-Xlogin/part01
The "Submitted-by" is the author of the program. IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS ABOUT
THE SOURCES PUBLISHED IN COMP.SOURCES.X, 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."
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: xdvi/part01
Please try to use this name when requesting that sources be mailed to you.
Also, note that the "part number" given in the title, and the archive name
given in the auxiliary header need not be identical.
-----------------
Subject: Patches Handling
Patches will be handled as swiftly as possible. Authors of sources posted
to c.s.x should send all patches to me so that I can post them back through
the newsgroup in order that the patches can be archived. This has not been
done in the past in other sources groups and has lead to lost patches. If
the patches must get out *real* fast, post them to comp.sources.bugs and
send me a copy at the same time so that they will be available when they
are needed in the future.
To support the tracking of patches, the Patch-To: line is used in c.s.x.
The Patch-To: line exists for articles that are patches to previously posted
software. The Patch-To: line only appears in articles that are posted,
"Official", patches. The initial postings would not contain the Patch-To:
auxiliary header line.
Patch-To: syntax
Patch-To: package-name: Volume X, Issue x[-y,z]
Patch-To: examples. These are examples and do not reflect the
accurate volume/issue numbering for rkive.
In the first example, the article that contains the following line
is a patch to a single part posting.
Patch-To: rkive: Volume 22, Issue 122
This example shows that the 122-124 indicates the patch applies to
a multi-part posting. The '-' is used to mean "article A through article
B, inclusive..
Patch-To: rkive: Volume 22, Issue 122-124
If a patch applies to multiple part postings that are not consecutive, the
',' is used to separate the part issue numbers. It is possible to mix both
',' and '-' on a single Patch-To: line.
Patch-To: rkive: Volume 22, Issue 122,125,126,127
Patch-To: rkive: Volume 22, Issue 122,125-127
--------------------
Subject: Reporting and tracking bugs.
You should subscribe to comp.sources.bugs.
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. Generally, minor updates should be in patch form
and update the patchlevel.h file. Major updates usually indicate that
there have been so many changes that the patches outweigh the size of the
new source or that the number of patch levels grows so large that people
are rarely up to date. If it's been a year since the last major posting,
it is a candidate for being reposted.
To report bugs, contact the person listed in the Submitted-by header.
Often there is a contact address in a README file, too. I do not maintain
the sources I moderate, so don't send your bug reports to me.
Likewise, I normally do not post patches for a package from anyone
except the author. If you have patches you would like to see included
in the package, send them to the person listed in the Submitted-by
header.
--------------------
Subject: Submitting source for publication
Items intended for posting or queries and problem notes should be sent to
sour...@sterling.com, *not* to the address of the newsgroup moderator.
If you want verification of arrival, say so in a cover note, or at the
beginning of your submission, if it is small. I try to verify that a
program works, and if I can't get it to work, I may hold up posting it
for a couple of days. Please note that, except in rare cases, source
that doesn't meet the guidelines will not be published. The backlog
from receipt to posting varies from one to four weeks depending mostly
on the set of submissions currently in my queue and my current work load.
-------------------
Subject: Guidelines
To make life easier for both myself and the users of the comp.sources.x
newsgroup, I request that all submissions follow the following guidelines.
Initial Submissions:
1. Try to use #include <X11/Xos.h> instead of things like
types.h, strings.h and time.h
2. Please use -display displayname and -geometry geomspec
instead of the old style.
3. Source filenames need to be 12 or fewer characters in length.
(The existence of X servers and toolkits is now beginning to
sprout up on DOS machines! For *optimum* portability, you
should try using 8-char base names with no more than 3 chars
dot-extensions.)
4. Include an Imakefile. For more information on Imakefile's,
read imake.man in util/imake on the X11 Release 4 distribution.
5. A Makefile is required.
6. A manual page is required.
7. A README file is required. This should contain a brief
description of what the posting is and any special
considerations in building it. The README should
also contain a list of authors and the distribution
and copying policy.
8. Postings should be in shar format of <= 50K. If it is necessary to
split the posting into multiple parts, each shar file should be <= 50K.
9. Include a patchlevel.h -- This file is used to keep track
of how many official patches have been applied.
10. If fonts are submitted, please assure they are in bdf format.
11. Any additional documentation (past the required man page)
should be in PostScript format or some nroff/troff format so
people can print it out nicely.
Updates, patches, etc.:
It is up to the author to determine if there have been major enough
changes to warrant a complete reposting. This may be necessary if the
size of the patches exceeds the size of the source but in most cases
only patches are posted. Total repostings should be treated as an
initial posting. What follows pertains to patches...
1. When patches are submitted, they should be in context diff
format.
2. A patch to patchlevel.h should be done to reflect that the
patch has been applied. You are -advised- to include a Prereq:
line in your patch for this file so that if patchlevel.h fails
to patch correctly (the user is out of sync), the rest of the
patches will not be applied.
3. Include information about which previously posted issues
the patch pertains to if they were initially posted to c.s.x.
This information will be reflected in the Patch-To: header
when your article is posted.
For more information on patch see patch.man in util/patch/patch.man
in the X11 Release 4 distribution or in volume7 of the comp.sources.unix
archives. Patches can be made with diff -c on 4.XBSD based machines and
with diffc on others. Diffc can be found in volume 1 of comp.sources.unix
archives. GNU diff can also be used to create context diffs.
---------------------------------------
Subject: Editorial comments
Altho I don't make it a rule, postings which require uuencoded files
be included are accepted, but I much prefer btoa format. In fact,
source code submissions (especially large ones) are more easily
transferred in mail and more easily stored for me if you use tarmail
rather than shar. But this in in my own opinion and I am not making
any requirements that people use tarmail/btoa at all.
Why btoa instead of uuencode? First and foremost, uuencode doesn't travel
well over certain mail transport agents because it uses a "space" as a
possible conversion character. There are some MTAs that remove trailing
spaces from the ends of lines and it would result in a file that you could
not "decode". Secondly, the amount of ascii characters actually
generated by "btoa" is far fewer than uuencode, saving on net traffic.
Finally, it's just so much easier to deal with -- you don't
have to worry about setuid, creating files automatically, chmod 666, and
you can use btoa in a pipe.
"Top 10 pet peeves of the comp.sources.x moderator."
10. Submissions that do not contain a README, Imakefile or patchlevel.h.
9. Submissions that contain postscript.
8. <not available due to writer's guild strike> (oh, is that over?)
7. People who send me sources using uuencode (use "shar" files < 50K each).
6. Programs that don't compile right the first time.
5. <not available due to writer's block>
4. Shell scripts that post the wrong subject line.
3. Patches that don't apply correctly.
2. No, I *still* don't know when R6 is going to be released. :-)
And the #1 pet peeve of the comp.sources.x moderator is -still-...
1. Requests for previous postings to be resent to them.
--------------------
Subject: Accessing the archives
The complete archives are fairly large; an average volume is well
over 10 megabytes!
There are several active archive sites around the net. Archive sites in
the U.K., Canada, and Switzerland are set up, and it may be extended to
provide full European coverage.
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.
At the present time, I do not have ready access to the archives, nor
the support of my employer to do this. Please don't ask me for missing
issues, unless you are sure you are reporting a net-wide problem of
propagation. At the end are detailed instructions on how to access
the archives. More sites will be listed there in the future.
--------------------
Subject: Listing of archive sites in no particular order
Here is what each field means:
Site: The name of the site nice enough to act as an archive site.
Contact: The name of the person to contact and their mail address
Location: The general area of the world the site is located in.
Modems: For providing UUCP access, what types of modems are available.
UUCP: Type of UUCP access is available.
FTP: Type of FTP access is available.
Mail Server: Account address of the automated mail server if available.
Additional: Additional information pertaining to accessing the archive.
************************
U S A - EASTERN
************************
Site: uunet.uu.net
Contact: postm...@uunet.uu.net
Location: Fairfax, VA
Modems: All Telebit T2500s
UUCP: uunet uucp customers only
ANON-UUCP: uunet Any ACU 19200 1-900-GOT-SRCS ogin: uucp
FTP: anonymous ftp
Mail server: net...@uunet.uu.net, uunet!netlib
Additional: contact the postmaster for more information
The 900 number costs $.40/minute.
Get the file uunet!~/help for more info.
Site: hhb
Contact: Lee Daniels (lee@hhb)
Location: New Jersey
Modems: 1200/2400
UUCP: On Request
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: The East Coast Xarchive is now available. The purpose of
this archive is to provide access to all publicly available X Window
System based software through UUCP. The archive contains a complete
comp.sources.x directory and a copy of what can be found on expo/contrib
and expo/pub. The expo directories are updated roughly once a month.
The archive can be accessed at 1200 and 2400 baud.
UUCP connections are available on request The only requirements are that
you submit the attached form requesting connection information. When you
submit the form, your host becomes authorizes to call the archive. You
will be sent a copy of the L.sys entry for accessing the archive. The
archive administrator is using this approach in order to document the
usage of the archive in order to help justify its existence to the system
administrator and upper management. I am hoping to have enough information to help justify adding a Telebit Trailblazer.
Lee Daniels princeton!hhb!l...@uunet.uu.net
HHB Systems
1000 Wyckoff Avenue (201) 848-8000
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
Site: dune
Contact: pax@dune
Location: Unknown
Fidonet: 369/6 - The Eye of Osiris OPUS/UFGATE 305-973-1947
Modems: Unknown
UUCP: Anonymous UUCP
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: Fidonet archive
Site: wolves.uucp - Wolves Den UNIX site
Contact: Gregory Woodbury, ggw%wol...@cs.duke.edu
Location: Research Triangle Park area (Durham) North Carolina
Modems: Case 4696/VS (1200/2400+MNP4/5/6)
UUCP: anonymous uucp
FTP: none
Mail Server: no
Additional: login uanon +1 919 493 7111
no password
path: /news/Archives/Sources/X/*
get /news/Archives/toc[.Z] for daily table of contents first!
************************
U S A - CENTRAL
************************
Site: ftp.sterling.com
Contact: Kent Landfield (ke...@ftp.sterling.com)
Location: Omaha/Bellevue, NE
Modems: Telebit
UUCP: On request
FTP: Anonymous FTP
Mail server: NA/Yet
Additional: This archive site uses Volume-Issue archiving.
Site: j.cc.purdue.edu
Contact: Jeff Smith (jsm...@j.cc.purdue.edu)
Location: Indiana
Modems: None
UUCP: None
FTP: Anonymous FTP
Mail server: None
Additional: None
Site: mcdch1 (really mcdchg)
Contact: Ron Heiby (he...@chg.mcd.mot.com or mcdchg!heiby)
Location: Illinois
Modems: 2400 Baud
UUCP: Anonymous UUCP
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional:
In order to ensure that the archive service does not interfere with
real work, the uucico for the archive login will be have its "x"
permission bits turned off at 8 a.m. Chicago local time (CST6CDT) and
on again at 6 p.m. on weekdays. Execute permission will be turned on
throughout Saturday and Sunday.
The phone number for "mcdch1" is (currently) +1 708 576 7902. There
is a single line on that number. The modem will answer at 2400bps and
will require a carraige return to get a "login:" prompt. It will
down-speed to 1200 bps. In response to the login prompt, your system
should send the login id, "pduucp". The password is "public". As I
said above, all this is turned off between about 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Chicago time Monday through Friday, so we can get our real work done,
so don't bother trying it during those periods.
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 2400 chiburb5767902
"" \r\c in:--in: pduucp word: public
Once you have your system set up to place an outgoing UUCP call to
"mcdch1", you can retrieve material from the archives. There are
three files that are excellent choices for testing your link. This
file is file mcdch1!~/howto.snarf. The current directory of what is
stored in the comp.sources.unix archives is found in the file
mcdch1!~/unix/directory. The current directory of what is stored in
the comp.sources.x archives is found in the file mcdch1!~/x/directory.
To get these files, execute commands like:
uucp mcdch1!~/howto.snarf !~/MYNAME/
uucp mcdch1!~/unix/directory !~/MYNAME/directory.unix
uucp mcdch1!~/x/directory !~/MYNAME/directory.x
The directory is simply the output from "ls -sRxF" on the comp.sources.x
archive disk hierarchy. It is updated just before 6 p.m. every day.
Be sure to look carefully to be sure you are getting the latest version
available. Also, look for "index" files to help find what you want.
NOTE: There are occasionally inconsistencies between the archive names
we have on disk and those published in the index by the moderator
of comp.sources.x.
WARNING: These files are not stored under /usr/spool/uucppublic, so
requests for an absolute pathname, rather than one under "~"
will almost certainly fail. Currently, "~" is /source/public, but
that is subject to change.
WARNING: Please be aware that uucp commands asking for file names
containing wild cards will almost certainly not work. This is
because all of the implementations I know of submit a uux job
to the remote system asking it to run "uucp" on the wild card
filename. Systems logging in with "pduucp" are prohibited from
executing "uucp" or other commands via "uux". So, be sure to
ask for each file separately.
Site: ftp.cis.ohio-state.edu/osu-cis
Contact: <uu...@cis.ohio-state.edu>
Location: Columbus OH USA
Modems: 2400, 1200, 300
UUCP: anonymous (osu-cis)
FTP: anonymous (ftp.cis.ohio-state.edu)
Mail server: none
Additional: The compleat MIT X.V11R4 distribution, most of the
fixes, a few of the contrib toys.
Contact uu...@cis.ohio-state.edu (== osu-cis!uucp) for
anonymous UUCPing instructions
Site: e.ms.uky.edu
Contact: David Herron (da...@e.ms.uky.edu)
Location: Kentucky
Modems: Telebit
UUCP: On Request
FTP: Anonymous FTP
Mail server: None
Additional: None
************************
U S A - WESTERN
************************
Site: aeras
Contact: Rob Simon (simon@aeras)
Location: San Jose, CA
Modems: 1200, 2400, Telebit
UUCP: Anonymous
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: SnailMail tapes (Under duress)
Systems/L.sys information:
aeras Any 2400 4089439152 "" "" ogin:--ogin: uugarch word: freebee
aeras Any 19200 4089439246 "" "" ogin:--ogin: uugarch word: freebee
aeras Any 9600 4089439396 "" "" ogin:--ogin: uugarch word: freebee
Suggested places to get additional information:
/u3/archive/sources/LISTING
/u3/archive/sources/LISTING.Z
/u3/archive/sources/compress.sh (16-bit compress source)
LISTING contains the names of all the programs stored in the
archives, and the sizes. Note: all archives have probably been
stored in compressed form. Older files are in 12 bit compression
but all newer files use 16-bit compression.
All multiple file programs have been stored in separate directories,
then compressed.
More information about the files stored in a particular volume are
kept in files called LOGFILE. Such as:
/u3/archive/sources/x/vol1/LOGFILE
would be the one to get to examine the exact contents of volume 1
of the x section. Additional information from files: sample command
to recover files:
uucp aeras!/u3/archive/sources/games/vol1/LOGFILE /usr/spool/uucppublic/.
Special note: wild cards have been proven to not be reliable, so
to assure success they are not recommended tools.
Site: zok
Contact: ma...@zok.uucp (Mark W. Snitily)
Location: Cupertino, CA
Modems: Telebit (connections established in PEP, 2400, 1200 order)
UUCP: +1 408-996-8285: login: UXarch Password: Xgoodies
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: SnailMail tapes
A new west-coast UUCP X11 Archive is administered by Mark Snitily
(ma...@zok.uucp) and contains the full X11R4 distribution, the XTEST
distribution, an entire archive of comp.sources.x and other goodies.
A sample Systems (or L.sys) entry might be:
zok Any ACU 19200 4089968285 in:--in: UXarch word: Xgoodies
To get a current listing of the files that are available, download
the file "/usrX/ls-lR.Z".
A full subject index of the comp.sources.x files is available in the
file "/usrX/comp.sources.x/INDEX".
When downloading files with uucp, wildcards (i.e. "*") won't work. Be
sure to specify the full pathname starting with "/usrX/". For example,
uucp zok\!/usrX/ls-lR.Z \!~
(The above "\"'s are csh escapes, ignore them if you're using sh.)
The machine currently has just the one modem, so please do not fetch
large amounts of data at one sitting.
Site: gatekeeper.dec.com
Contact: Paul Vixie (vi...@decwrl.dec.com)
Location: Palo Alto, California
Modems: N/A
UUCP UUCP to existing neighbors
FTP: Anonymous FTP
Mail server: None
Additional: None
************************
Canada
************************
Site: torsqnt
Contact: David Haynes (da...@torsqnt.UUCP)
Location: Toronto, Ontario CANADA
Modems: Telebits (PEP, 2400, 1200), US Robotics (1200, 2400)
UUCP: Anonymous UUCP
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: Tarmail, Tape Duplication (QIC24, 9-track)
Send mail for connection details.
************************
Finland
************************
Site: nic.funet.fi
Contact: UNIX moderators group (unix...@nic.funet.fi)
Location: Espoo, Finland (within greater urban area of Helsinki)
Modems: N/A
UUCP: N/A
FTP: anonymous ftp (nic.funet.fi [128.214.6.100])
Enter your email address as password. Use computer which
does have correct and globally known IP reverse mapping.
Mail Server: mails...@lists.funet.fi (send "help")
Bitnet Server: N/A (part of mail server)
Additional: This is central archive site for Finnish academic community,
we maintain here large base of material for many different
interests.
The archive contains all issues of comp.sources.x (archived
via issue number under pub/archive/comp.sources.x) and most
of the R4 stuff on expo.lcs.mit.edu. (under pub/X11R4 -tree)
************************
Great Britain
************************
Site: doc.ic.ac.uk
Contact: Lee McLoughlin (lm...@doc.ic.ac.uk)
Location: Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
Modems: Indirectly thru' modems onto Janet 300/1200/2400
UUCP: None
FTP: Janet/PSS NIFTP
Mail server: info-server
Additional: tapes
Home of the UKUUG Software Distribution Service. Contains
the full X.V11R4 distribution (+ fixes), XTEST, comp.sources.x,
a copy of expo's contrib/ (+ bits from other archives),
a copy of expo's R3 contrib/. Also contains vast ammounts of
other Unix (and related) sources.
************************
Switzerland
************************
Site: pan
Contact: Jamie Watson <mcvax!cernvax!pan!jw>
Location: Solothurn, Switzerland
Modems: Multitech 1200/2400
UUCP: Anonymous UUCP
FTP: None
Mail server: None
Additional: SnailMail tapes/diskettes
************************
Australia
************************
Site: sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au
Contact: Mark Prior (postm...@ucs.adelaide.edu.au)
Location: Adelaide, South AUSTRALIA
Modems: N/A
UUCP: N/A
FTP: anonymous ftp (ftp.adelaide.edu.au [129.127.40.3])
Mail Server: N/A
Additional: The archive is also accessible via ACSnet fetchfile.
We will also make tapes: 9 track (1600/6250) or QIC (11 and
24) if the tape and return mailer is supplied.
The archive contains all issues of comp.sources.x (archived
via issue number under pub/sources/x) and most of the R4
stuff on expo.lcs.mit.edu. (under pub/X/R4)
--
// ch...@Sterling.COM | Send comp.sources.x submissions to:
\X/ Amiga: The only way to fly! | sour...@sterling.com
GCS d++(--) h++ s++:+ g+++(?) p? au(*)(0) a w+ v-(*) C++ US+++ P+ L+ 3 N++ K
!W M V-- -po+ Y+ t+ 5++ j- r+ G+ v b+++ D- b-- e+ u+ h- f+ r+++ !n y+++