TeXhax@cs.washington.edu (TeXhax Digest) (01/17/90)
TeXhax Digest Friday, January 12, 1990 Volume 90 : Issue 8
Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay
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Today's Topics:
Network Sources of TeXware v2 (file TEXSERV.TEX)
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%%Moderators' note: Due to its length, the following file has been
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Date: Wed, 3 Jan 90 16:27 GMT
From: CBTS8001%IRUCCVAX.UCC.IE@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: Network Sources of TeXware v2 (file TEXSERV.TEX)
Keywords: TeXware
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\centerline{{\bx NETWORK SOURCES OF \TeX WARE (servers)}}
\bigskip
\centerline{{\bf How to get public domain and shareable software}}
\centerline{{\bf for the \TeX\ typesetting system}}
\centerline{{\bf from the international computer networks}}
\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 computers
where generous individuals and institutions have placed freely
accessible software, including files for the \TeX\ typesetting
system. These computers are known as servers, and anyone with
access to the electronic mail networks can request copies of files
from these servers to be sent to them by email.
The \TeX\ software available ranges from simple routines for
formatting, right up to complete implementations of the whole
package, and most of it can be downloaded to your computer for
immediate use. Several people and organisations also operate a
mail-order service for those users without network access.
Before you start to use the servers, you should have some
familiarity with the way in which your local computer system allows
you to access the network. This varies according to (a) the make of
your computer; (b) the networking software on it; and (c) the
network to which you are connected. You should check with your
local computer centre or network operator if you are unsure of any
of these.
{\bf Please note that some software is in the public domain (it can be
used by anyone without charge), and some is shareware (it can be
tried out without charge, but must be registered and paid for if
you continue to use it).}
\sec{Principles}
Each server has a network address, made up just like your own
email address. There is a server ID (like a UserID), a nodename (a
name for the computer it is on) and a network (or `domain') name.
The server ID and the nodename are separated by an `at'-sign ({\tx
@}). The nodename and network domain are separated by a dot
(period), and there may also be one or more organisation
abbreviations between the nodename and network domain, each also
separated by a dot.
For example, the address <{\tx listserv@dhdurz1.bitnet}> is made up
of `{\tx listserv}' (the ID or `name' of the server), the nodename
`{\tx dhdurz1}' (Heidelberg University Computer Centre IBM), and
the network domain `{\tx bitnet}'. Another example is <{\tx
texserver@tex.aston.ac.uk}>, where the server ID is `{\tx
texserver}', the nodename is `{\tx tex}', the organisation is `{\tx
aston}' (Aston University, Birmingham), the subdomain is `{\tx ac}'
(academic) and the network domain is `{\tx uk}'.
When your own address is in the same network domain as the server,
you can usually omit the network domain from the address you type.
In all cases the name of the network domain is the righthandmost
element of the fully-qualified address. (Within the UK, the order
of the parts of the nodename, organisation and network domain is
used in reverse order: a British user would type <{\tx
texserver@uk.ac.aston.tex}>. Consult your local computer centre or
network operator if you need help in composing an address.
You can gain access to the servers by various methods, depending on
what network you yourself are attached to, and what networking
facilities it provides. 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.
The only facility common to all networks is electronic mail, and
this functions with reasonable reliability across most networks,
extending nowadays to many commercial email and messaging services.
Other facilities available within some networks include file
transfer (known as FTP, several flavours---see below); interactive
login (like dialling into a remote computer); and interactive
messaging (sending commands to a remote computer in real time). Not
all of these other facilities are available on all networks, and
they do not work at all if the server is on another network using
different software to that on your own network.
Whichever method you choose, you use it to 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 email or by file transfer, depending
on the network you are connected to and how you ordered them.
Generally, a file is returned to you by the same mechanism by which
you requested it, so if you used email to ask for a file, you get
it by email; if you used an FTP request, you get it by FTP. It is
important to appreciate that email in its current state is a
printable-character-only medium and so can only be used for plain
text files, or for other files which have been encoded into only
printable characters (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) is an IBM mainframe with an unusual or specialist
character-conversion table, a few characters get mistranslated. The
most common mistranslation is to send you tildes ({\tx\~{}}) in
place of caret marks ({\tx\^{}}), which can usually be fixed with
any plain text editor. If you have problems in receiving or
deciphering files you have ordered, contact your computer centre or
network operator.
If the file you are ordering is not a plain text file (for example,
if it is a so-called `binary' file: like an executable program, a
font file or a compressed archive of files), it cannot usually be
sent in its raw state by electronic 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 the right
files!
Many servers are able to overcome this by encoding such files into
a special sequence made up of printable characters only, which they
of course can then send by electronic mail. 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 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 electronic mail
unless you already have a copy with which to UUdecode it! To
overcome this chicken-and-egg situation, you must 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. 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.
Other coding systems in use are XXencode/XXdecode (a more recent
and robuster version of UU); BIN2HEX, which converts the bytes of a
binary file to hexadecimal pairs of characters (and HEX2BIN which
converts them back again); and BOO and DEBOO (short for
`bootstrap', to start something up from scratch) which is used
extensively for the Kermit communications program, and also for
software sourced from within the UK. Apple Macintoshes use a
version of BINHEX, but differently implemented because of the Mac's
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 email, 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 called ARC and ARCE, but
they were slow and expensive. The current leader is the faster and
cheaper PKPAK/PKUNPAK (replacing the older PKARC/PKXARC, and there
is also a newer one called PKZIP/PKUNZIP). ARC also exists for
VAX/VMS. 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.
\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}: email, 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 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 FTP (the {\tx
TELL} or {\tx SENDFILE} commands on IBM VM/CMS; the {\tx send/rem}
or {\tx send/file} commands on VAX/VMS 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 email to any {\tx LISTSERV}
saying:\nl
{\tx subscribe} {\st listname~your-real-name}\quad eg\nl
{\tx sub tex-l Mary Jones}\nl
You will then start to receive mailings, and you can send
contributions to the address of the mailing list (NOT the {\tx
LISTSERV}), for example, {\tx tex-ed@uicvm}.\nl
It is important to understand that subscription requests (and
un-subscription requests, which are done with the command {\tx
unsub}~{\st listname}) must be sent to a {\tx LISTSERV} and NOT to
the address of the mailing list itself.
\ser{listserv@ubvm.bitnet} {University of Buffalo}
Files related to the Russian \TeX\ project are listed in {\tx
RUSTEX-L~FILELIST}
\ser{listserv@tamvm1.bitnet} {\TeX as A\&M}
Contains a very large repository of \TeX\ material.
\ser{listserv@uicvm.bitnet} {??}
This site runs the {\tx tex-ed} mailing list, formed at the 10th
TUG Conference, to handle educational matters relating to \TeX. It
is also the source for Michael Doob's {\it Gentle Introduction to
\TeX}
\ser{listserv@hearn} {University of Amsterdam}
{\tx tex-nl filelist} contains a large quantity of Dutch \TeX\ material
and is reported to be starting an Atari~ST archive soon.
\ser{texserver@tex.aston.ac.uk} {Aston University, Birmingham}
{\bf Access by}: email, Colour Book FTP, Post
{\bf Email usage}: All requests to the Aston mail-server should be
preceded by a line starting with three dashes (`{\tx---}'). This
will normally be the first line of the text body of your mail
message. Only one command will be processed in each mail message.
The next non-blank line following the three dashes should contain
your return address from Aston (see below for examples). Your
return address {\bf must} be given in UK (JANET) format. The
following line should then contain the command to the mail-server.
An example request might therefore look like this:\nl
{\tx ---}\nl
{\tx cbts8001\%iruccvax.bitnet@earn-relay}\nl
{\tx whereis tex.exe}\nl
Lines before the triple dash are ignored, as is all text after the
first command.
{\bf Commands}:\nl
{\tx HELP}\quad sends you back a help file describing TEXSERVER. Help in
languages other than English can be obtained by typing {\tx
HELP/}{\st language}, eg {\tx HELP/FRANCAIS} (if there is no help
for your requested language, you will be sent the English
version).\nl
{\tx DIRECTORY} $[${\st directory-specification}$]$\quad sends you a
list of the files in that directory. The directory specification
must be in VAX/VMS syntax including the square brackets: see the
help file for details. If no directory specification is supplied,
you will be sent back a list of the files in the top-level
directory of the archive, {\tx [tex-archive]} \nl
{\tx WHEREIS} {\st filename}\quad sends you a message containing the
location in the archive of the requested file. If no filename is
supplied, you will be sent a listing of all files in the archive
whose names start with `{\tx 00}', conventionally used for
descriptions.\nl
{\tx SEARCH} {\st filespec~search-string}\quad searches the specified
file(s) for the given string and returns the fully-qualified file
specification. The search is case-independent.\nl
{\tx FILES}\quad followed by a list of the files to be returned,
specified one per line on succeeding lines. Wildcards are not
supported. Each requested file is normally returned in a separate
mail message.
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