Subject: TeXhax Digest V90 #45 From: TeXhax Digest Errors-To: TeXhax-request@cs.washington.edu Maint-Path: TeXhax-request@cs.washington.edu To: TeXhax-Distribution-List:; Reply-To: TeXhax@cs.washington.edu TeXhax Digest Sunday, May 13, 1990 Volume 90 : Issue 45 Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay %%% The TeXhax digest is brought to you as a service of the TeX Users Group %%% %%% in cooperation with the UnixTeX distribution service at the %%% %%% University of Washington %%% Today's Topics: %%%Moderator`s note: This issue of the TeXhax Digest is composed of TeX %%%SERVERS: version 2 (corrected and updated), a document prepared by Peter %%%Flynn. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 May 90 11:47 GMT From: "Peter Flynn, UCC Computer Centre" Subject: TeX SERVERS: version 2 (corrected and updated) Keywords: TeX, servers %%%% TEXSERV.TEX v2 1-May-1990 by Peter Flynn, UCC %%%% %%%% This document describes the various network servers around the %%%% world which contain useful software for the TeX typesetting system. %%%% This file was prepared as a TeX file, but may be edited into a %%%% format where the typesetting commands have been stripped away to %%%% leave the bare text only, for use in situations where TeX is not %%%% available. There is a public-domain routine for MS-DOS called %%%% UNRETEX which strips TeX commands, leaving the user to blank out %%%% backslashes and curly braces. %%%% %%%% This file is in the public domain and may freely be copied and %%%% distributed. Please send notice of errors and additions to the %%%% author at the address given below. There are no control characters %%%% in this file and no line is longer than 72 characters. %%%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \magnification=\magstep1 \font\rm=cmssq8 \font\it=cmssqi8 \font\bf=cmssdc10 at10.95truept \font\bx=cmbx10 scaled \magstep2 \font\bd=cmti10 scaled \magstep2 \font\br=cmr12 at13.14truept \font\bq=cmssbx10 \font\tt=cmtt9 \newcount\ttflag \def\tx{\tt\ttflag=1 } \font\st=cmsl9 \font\trm=cmssq8 at8truept \font\bt=cmtt10 scaled \magstep1 \rm\baselineskip=15.768truept %ie 14.4pt x \magstephalf \parskip=\medskipamount \parindent=0pt \newcount\verno \verno=2 \newtoks\date \date={May 1990} \footline={{\trm v\number\verno\ (\the\date)} \hfil{\trm Network Sources of \TeX ware}\hfil{\trm p\folio}} \long\def\sec#1 #2{\bigbreak{\bd#1}\nobreak\smallskip#2}% \long\def\ser#1 #2{\bigbreak{\bt#1}\quad{\br (#2)}} \def\nl{\hfil\break} \def\bull #1 {\par\parindent=2pc\item{#1}\let\par=\endgraf \def\par{\endgraf\parindent=0pt\let\par=\endgraf}} \def\doublebull #1 {\par\parindent=2pc\itemitem{#1}\let\par=\endgraf \def\par{\endgraf\parindent=0pt\let\par=\endgraf}} \def\und#1{$\underline{\hbox{{\tx#1}}}$} \def\LaTeX{{\rm L\kern-.36em\raise.3ex\hbox{\trm A}\kern-.15em T\kern-.1667em\lower.7ex\hbox{E}\kern-.125emX}} \catcode`\<=\active \catcode`\>=\active \def<{\ifnum\ttflag=1 \char'074 \else\ifmmode<\else$\langle$\fi\fi} \def>{\ifnum\ttflag=1 \char'076 \else\ifmmode>\else$\rangle$\fi\fi} % % Delete up as far as here if you are using this as an ASCII file only % (ie without TeX). % \centerline{{\bx NETWORK SOURCES OF \TeX WARE}} \bigskip % \centerline{{\bq How to get public domain and shareable software}} \centerline{{\bq for the \TeX\ typesetting system}} \centerline{{\bq from the international computer network servers}} \bigskip % \centerline{{\rm Peter Flynn}} \centerline{{\it Computer Centre, University College, Cork, Ireland}} \centerline{ <{\tx cbts8001@iruccvax.ucc.ie}>} \bigskip % \bigskip \sec{Introduction} On the international computer networks there are various locations where generous individuals and institutions have placed freely accessible software, including a considerable amount for the \TeX\ typesetting system. These computers (or rather, the programs which let you access the information) are known as `servers', and anyone with access to electronic mail (E-mail) can request copies of files from these servers to be sent to them electronically. A server consists of disk space on a computer connected to a network, governed by a program capable of receiving instructions from elsewhere on the network and responding to them. Some servers use programs specifically dedicated to the single task of running that particular server (eg LISTSERV); others use more general-purpose software (eg FTP). A computer offering a server service is called a `host'. Users of the network can thus send instructions to the host program via the network, and expect the host to act upon them. These instructions are called `commands', and a command to a server is typically a means of telling the host to send you a copy of a specific file from the server disk. A server will respond by sending the file or (if the filename was wrongly given, for example) by returning a message explaining the error. The \TeX\ software available ranges from simple routines to perform individual formatting tasks, through a wide variety of macro packages for more complex requirements, right up to complete implementations of the whole \TeX\ system. Also available are many font files and printer handlers (drivers), and an amount of unusual or experimental typographic facilities. Several people and organisations also operate a mail-order service for those users without network access. {\bf Finally, please note that some software on the networks is in the public domain (it can be used by anyone without charge), but some is shareware (it can be tried out without charge, but must be registered and paid for if you continue to use it---usually only a small sum). Please do not continue to use shareware without paying your contribution: it is both dishonest and unfair.} \sec{Principles of network usage} If you have not used E-mail or other networking services before, you should ask your computer centre or network operator for documentation and training. Although most systems have software which is fairly simple to use, getting the best out of network access means being reasonably familiar with the commands and facilities your system provides. There is no point in having wonderful access to network software services if you spend most of your time trying to remember which menu option to pick or which function keys you press. You can gain access to the servers by various methods, depending on what network you yourself are attached to, what networking facilities it provides, and what access services the server is set to accept. You should check with your local computer centre or network operator if you do not know what facilities are currently provided or how to use them. As mentioned at the outset, the only facility common to all networks is E-mail, and this now functions with reasonable reliability across most networks. Other facilities available within some networks include file transfer (FTP, in several flavours---see below); interactive login (dialling into a remote computer); and interactive messaging (sending single commands in real time without logging in). Not all of these other facilities are available on all networks, and apart from E-mail, they will not work at all if the server is on another network using different software to your own. Whichever method you choose, the principle remains the same: you send commands to the server address. For example, you might send the command to have a file transmitted back to you, followed by the name of the file you want. Provided you have typed the address and command(s) correctly, the result will be the arrival on your computer of the file you ordered. \sec{Handling files you have retrieved} Files you order may arrive by E-mail or by file transfer, depending on the network you are connected to and how you ordered them. Generally speaking, a file is returned to you by the same mechanism by which you requested it, so if you used E-mail to ask for a file, you get it back by E-mail; if you used an FTP request, you get it back by FTP. {\bf It is important to appreciate that E-mail in its current state is normally a printable-character-only medium and so can only be used for plain text files, or for other files which have been encoded into printable characters only (see below).} Plain text files cause no problems in 99\% of cases. However, in the case of files being transferred between two different networks where the `gateway' machine (the computer performing the interconnection) has an unusual, specialist or ideosyncratic character-conversion table, a few characters get mistranslated. The most common mistranslation is to send you tildes ({\tx\~{}}) in place of caret marks ({\tx\^{}}), and ASCII decimal character codes 197 and 185 (box-drawing characters on the IBM PC) in place of open and close curly-braces. This can usually be fixed with a good text editor. If you have problems in receiving or deciphering files you have ordered, contact your computer centre or network operator, but be prepared to hold discussions with someone from the gateway through which the file or mail passed. If an expected plain text file does not process correctly, this mistranlation is one of the first things to suspect. If the file you are ordering is not a plain text file (for example, if it is a `binary' file like an executable program, a wordprocessing file, a font file or a compressed archive of files), it cannot usually be sent in its raw state by E-mail, particularly between two machines of different makes, or between different networks. (Remember also that an executable program for one operating system will not work on a different one: make sure you request such programs for the right operating system!) Many servers are able to overcome the problem of sending binary files by E-mail or across network boundaries by encoding such files into a new file made up of printable characters only, which they of course can then send by E-mail. This is normally something you can specify when you order a file, but some servers do it automatically if you use E-mail to order the file. You can recognize a file coded like this because it contains only printable characters, and usually the lines are all the same length, and the first line of the file will say something like {\tx begin} or {\tx FfIiLlEeSsTtAaRrTt}. The most commonly-used method (for IBM and DEC mainframes, most minis, UNIX and PCs) is called UUencoding, and you will require the UUDECODE program already to be on your machine in order to decode such files if you order them. The catch is, because this program is itself a binary executable file, you cannot receive it in UUencoded form by E-mail unless you already have a copy with which to UUdecode it! To overcome this chicken-and-egg situation, you must either request it in source code form and compile it yourself, or obtain an executable copy on disk or from some other source, such as dial-up download from a bulletin board system. This technique is known as `bootstrapping' yourself (not to be confused with `booting' your computer). Your computer centre or network operator should also be able to supply a copy of UUDECODE for your system. A known location for the source code is given at the end of this document. The UU programs are believed to be in the public domain. Other coding systems in use are XXENCODE and XXDECODE (a more recent and robust version of UU); BIN2HEX, which converts the bytes of a binary file to pairs of hexadecimal characters (and HEX2BIN which converts them back again); and BOO and DEBOO (short for `bootstrap') which is used extensively for distributing the Kermit communications program, and also for some software sourced from within the UK. Apple Macintoshes use a version of BINHEX, but differently implemented because of the Mac's twin-forked filing system: again, you need to get a copy of it from someone on disk before you can start. All these encoding systems get over the problem of transferring binary files over E-mail, but they all suffer from the disadvantage that the encoding increases the file size, sometimes quite substantially. To partially overcome this, files, even text files, are sometimes compressed with a compression program before being encoded for transmission. Collections of related files, especially for PCs, Macs and UNIX, are often also compressed into a single file for ease of transmission. This is called `compression archiving', and is the most popular method of compacting files. The resulting single filename is easily recognisable by usually having a filetype or extension of {\tx .arc}. A similar mechanism for UNIX is called TAR, and for Macintoshes it is called STUFFIT. To unpack the file once you have received it, you need the relevant de-archiving decompression program: there are several available under various names from most bulletin boards and servers. For MS-DOS PCs, the original archive/de-archive programs were ARC and ARCE from System Enhancement Asociates, but the current leader is a piece of shareware, PKPAK/PKUNPAK (replacing the older PKARC/PKXARC, and there is also a newer one called PKZIP/PKUNZIP). ARC also exists for VAX/VMS and for VM/CMS. If you are using UNIX, the TAR programs should already be on your system. The Mac program UNSTUFFIT is freely distributable and should be available from your dealer (the STUFFIT program to create archives is a commercial product, however). \sec{Known \TeX\ servers as at \the\date} You should be aware that there are many more servers handling a wide range of non-\TeX\ software, both text and data; and that there are many other commands as well---only the most important are given here. As a general principle, sending the single word `{\tx HELP}' (without quotes) to an address claiming to be a server is as good a way as any of testing its likely usefulness! Please inform the author of any changes, additions, deletions and errors. \ser{listserv@dhdurz1.bitnet} {Heidelberg University Computer Centre} {\bf Access by}: E-mail, RSCS interactive message, RSCS FTP {\bf Commands}:\nl {\tx HELP}\quad sends you back a help file describing LISTSERV.\nl {\tx SENDME} {\st filename filetype} $[${\st (tag\/}$]$\quad sends you the specified file. The file specs are all in IBM VM/CMS format, consisting of a filename and a filetype separated by a space, but LISTSERV will accept a filename and filetype separated by a dot instead of a space. {\tx SEND} and {\tx GET} are synonyms for {\tx SENDME}. If you are ordering a non-printable (program or archive) file, you can follow the filetype with the optional tag `{\tx (UUE}' in order to have the file sent in UUencoded form. Note there is no closing parenthesis on a LISTSERV {\tx SENDME} tag.\nl {\tx INDEX}\quad sends back a list of files. More detailed lists are held in files with the filetype {\tx FILELIST}. {\bf Examples}:\nl {\tx sendme listserv filelist}\quad will send you the list of {\tx FILELIST} files on the server from which you can identify further lists.\nl {\tx send drivers filelist}\quad will send you the list of \TeX\ print driver files which can be retrieved.\nl {\tx get mtex arc (uue}\quad would request a UUencoded copy of the {\tx mtex} archive file.\nl {\tx help}\quad would request the help file from LISTSERV. {\bf Notes}: If you send your request by mail, the response comes back by mail. If you send it by interactive message or by RSCS FTP (the {\tx TELL} or {\tx SENDFILE} commands on IBM VM/CMS under RSCS; the {\tx SEND/REM} or {\tx SEND/FILE} commands on DEC VAX/VMS under JNET), the response comes back by file transfer. There are many other {\tx LISTSERV}s around the world which may also have unreported \TeX\ file collections. Known ones are listed below. {\tx LISTSERV} also handles EARN/BITNET mailing lists, including the \TeX hax Bulletin. To subscribe to a mailing list, send an interactive message or a one-line E-mail to any {\tx LISTSERV} saying:\nl {\tx SUBSCRIBE} {\st LISTNAME~your-real-name}\quad eg\nl {\tx SUB TEXHAX Mary Jones}\nl You will then start to receive the digest of mailings from other contributors, and you can send your own contributions to the address of the mailing list ({\it not\/} to {\tx LISTSERV}), for example, the \TeX hax Bulletin editorial address is {\tx texhax@cs.washington.edu}.\nl It is important to understand that LISTSERV subscription requests (and un-subscription requests, which are done with the command {\tx unsub}~{\st listname}) must be sent to a {\tx LISTSERV} and {\it not\/} to the address of the mailing list itself. \nl Intending subscribers on the DARPA Internet should send a message to the manually-operated address <{\tx texhax-request@cs.washington.edu}> instead. The Heidelberg server includes the Beebe driver collection and the \LaTeX\ style file collection. It also hosts the {\tx tex-euro} list, for discussions of specifically European \TeX\ problems. \ser{listserv@dearn} {Universit\"at Bonn, Germany} Holds subscriptions for lists {\tx\TeX\_D-L} (German-language \TeX\ discussion) and {\tx\TeX\_D-PC} (German-language \TeX-on-PCs discussion). \ser{listserv@hearn} {Katholiecke Universiteit Nijmegen} {\tx tex-nl filelist} contains a large quantity of Dutch \TeX\ material and is reported to be starting an Atari~ST archive soon. \ser{listserv@frulm11} {\'Ecole Normale Sup\'erieure, Paris} Handles subscriptions to GUT, the French-language \TeX\ discussion and communication channel for GUTenberg, the French \TeX\ Users Group. Subscribe {\tx GUT} \ser{listserv@tamvm1.bitnet} {\TeX as A\&M} Contains a very large repository of \TeX\ material. \ser{listserv@tcsvm.bitnet} {Tulane University} Has back issues of \TeX Mag in files {\tx TEXMAG~VvNn} where <{\tx Vv}> is the volume number and <{\tx Nn}> is the issue number. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- %%% Further information about the TeXhax Digest, the TeX %%% Users Group, and the latest software versions is available %%% in every tenth issue of the TeXhax Digest. %%% %%% Concerning subscriptions, address changes, unsubscribing: %%% %%% BITNET: send a one-line mail message to LISTSERV@xxx %%% SUBSCRIBE TEX-L % to subscribe %%% or UNSUBSCRIBE TEX-L %%% %%% Internet: send a similar one line mail message to %%% TeXhax-request@cs.washington.edu %%% JANET users may choose to use %%% texhax-request@uk.ac.nsf %%% All submissions to: TeXhax@cs.washington.edu %%% %%% Back issues available for FTPing as: %%% machine: directory: filename: %%% JUNE.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU TeXhax/TeXhaxyy.nn %%% yy = last two digits of current year %%% nn = issue number %%% %%%\bye %%% End of TeXhax Digest ************************** -------