[comp.sys.hp] HP contrib tape ideas

burzio@mmlai.UUCP (Tony Burzio) (08/16/90)

>Do you have some specific examples of what you would like included?
-monitor
-UUCP stuff
	A pre-compiled do-this-then-that setup of a UUCP mail
	drop and news service, using a REAL modem like a Telebit
	trailblazer.  LOTS of documentation, for REAL people.  (the
	HP UUCP manual is hopeless)
-X programs
	The X programs from the pre-configured HP-UX.  The old 
	HP X contrib tape should also be included.
-LaTEX
	The current rev and an X previewer.
-VIEW
	This sucker should be on the HP-UX tape or PD anyway.  Suns'
	version is, and the omission by HP has lost quite a few HP
	sales here...
-Utah Raster Toolkit
	Quite a wonderful program for image manipulation.

>Is there much interest in seeing some of the GNU software ported to 
>HP-UX and included?  If so what GNU programs would you like to see?
Everything that will compile.  I'm not picky :-)  Seriously, the more
the better.

>Because of the nature of the software included on the tape, HP would not
>provide any support for it.  With this in mind, what level of quality 
>would you expect?  
HP quality.  So far, contrib software from HP has worked as good/better
than the "real" software.

>Would you want source code included?
No, not really, but only if HP did REGULAR updates to the tape, to
fix operating system upgrade changes breaking code (i.e. monitor)
IF the UUCP instructions were clear, users could retrieve source
from a network file server set up by HP (like uunets' netlib).

>What documentation would you expect?
A man page would be nice.  Installation instructions.

>What type of media would you like it distributed on?  (cart tape, cd-rom,
>mag tape, DAT tape, MO disc)
Everybody has a 9144, even if it's in a closet somewhere :-)  Mag tape
for the 800 series is okay, but probably rare for most people. (by the
by, MO disc is still a dream in HP's eye :-)

>What is the oldest release of HP-UX you would expect the programs to run
>on?
Label the tapes by version.  One version back (starting now) would give you
quite a library in a few years.

>Should the programs be available for the 68000 based machines and the
>HP-PA machines?
Of course.

*********************************************************************
Tony Burzio               * Aha!  I've got it!
Martin Marietta Labs      *
mmlab!burzio@uunet.uu.net * Oops, never mind.
*********************************************************************

Kimmo.Suominen@lut.fi (Kimmo Suominen) (08/20/90)

Generally I agree to what Tony Burzio wrote. However: (!)

>>>>> On 16 Aug 90 09:30:42 GMT, burzio@mmlai.UUCP (Tony Burzio) said:

>Would you want source code included?
Tony> No, not really, but only if HP did REGULAR updates to the tape, to
Tony> fix operating system upgrade changes breaking code (i.e. monitor)
Tony> IF the UUCP instructions were clear, users could retrieve source
Tony> from a network file server set up by HP (like uunets' netlib).

OF COURSE WE WANT SOURCE CODE, TOO.  Would get real, Tony!  Do you
expect someone from Finland would really UUCP through a modem to the
States??  I wonder what that would do to my phone bill (propably stop
them - I would also get my phone cut off ;-)  Fortunately I currently
work for an organization that has direct Internet connection and a
local ethernet.

Of course distributing source code takes up a lot of space.  Maybe a
separate set for source code would be a nice idea.

>What type of media would you like it distributed on?  (cart tape, cd-rom,
>mag tape, DAT tape, MO disc)
Tony> Everybody has a 9144, even if it's in a closet somewhere :-)  Mag tape
Tony> for the 800 series is okay, but probably rare for most people. (by the
Tony> by, MO disc is still a dream in HP's eye :-)

Also an FTP server site would be a useful way of distributing all this
kind of stuff.  Otherwise all the media supported by HP-UX should be
supported on the contrib tapes, too.  IMHO.
--
Kim  ---  "That's what I think."