ibmbin-request@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (03/15/91)
Checksum: 2438486809 (Verify with "brik -cv")
Posting-number: Volume 10, Issue %%%
Submitted-by: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP
Archive-name: admin/policy
[ Date of last change Dec-08-1990 ]
Guide to Submissions to c.b.i.p.
Bill Davidsen, revised 12/08/90
Object
------
The object of this document is to save submitters and me time
processing their submissions to c.b.i.p.
Scope
-----
The preferred and accepted methods of submitting to c.b.i.p. are
described. General guidelines for content and handling are given.
Where to send things
--------------------
Please, please use the ibmbin@crdgw1.crd.ge.com address. This will
insure that the posting gets to whatever machine is being the unpacker
at the time. The address is only an alias, that machine is not used for
any cbip functions other than forwarding my mail.
Preferred Format
----------------
The best format for a submission is as a uuencoded zoo archive,
mailed to ibmbin@crdgw1.crd.ge.com with a clear description of what the
program does. If the encoded file is >50k (or so), it may have to be
broken into parts for mailing safty. In that case please generate a
subject line which looks like this:
myprog (01/07) run Amiga progs on PC
This means that when my mail reader shows me the first 40 characters of
the subject I know what it is, and the reader will sort the parts back
into order if they get shuffled by the mailers.
Part of these regular postings is a uuencoder which will break you
program into parts of the correct size for mailing. This is an easy way
to do things on MS-DOS, UNIX users will want to use uuencode and split
to prepare multipart postings.
Other formats
-------------
I can handle zip, arc, and lharc archives with minimal pain, and have
processed multipart shar files of binaries produced by the shar2 and
shar3 programs.
Please *AVOID* self unpacking executables, since I can't virus check
them before unpacking. This means I have to have a system with a hard
disk totally backed up and ready for a low level format if needed. This
means I don't process these too often, and if I get a virus that blows a
few hours while I recover.
Please avoid encoding with a "better" encoder, I have automated
programs to check and unpack stuff in the expected format.
What to send
------------
Utilities are tops in usefulness, followed by applications. Games are
interesting, but not highly useful. Although I rarely limit game
posting, I may do so if the queue gets out of hand.
Please start every submission with a description of what the program
is or does, and why it is freely distributable.
What not to Send
----------------
Don't send GIF pictures (I collect them but don't post them),
commercial software, old out of date versions, etc. If you wouldn't pay
to download it from a BBS, most people will not want to pay to send it
around the world.
Order of Processing
-------------------
In general first come first served. Submissions which require a lot
of extra work (self unpacking archives, for example) may be procesed
slowly. Things like virus checkers and recovery programs have time
value and may be posted as soon as I get them. If an update to a
previous posting corrects an error which could cause damage to user
files, that will go out right away. If I request someone send me a
program that program will go into the queue as if it arrived when I
asked for it. This is courtesy to the people who package stuff for us.
Submissions mailed to me at any of my personal addresses may be
delayed, since I have to forward them back to the regular posting
address. They have been known to be lost, although not deliberately,
since some of these machine implement a limit on the size of a user
mail file, or user mail messages. They *will* be entered into the queue
as of the time they arrive at ibmbin, not as of the time mailed or the
time I get them in the wrong place.
Questions
---------
Send to ibmbin-request@crdgw1.crd.ge.com if you want to know if I have
something, if you want to hold up something in the queue for an update,
etc.
Reposts
-------
I can't mail copies of posting to everybody. If you need an article
post to c.b.i.p.d and if I have time I'll get back to you. Since I
monitor postings received in the western US, England, and Spain, I
assume that if something got to all those places there was no problem
with the original posting.
If something gets mangled before it gets to uunet, I will see it as
bad in several places, and will repost. Feel free, however, to send me
mail saying that you got it broken, and include the output of brik so I
can see what happened. Without that I can't tell if you got it broken
or just messed up unpacking. That's not unkind, over 80% of the
problems are "pilot error" when tracked down.
================================================================
Submissions: ibmbin@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (uunet!crdgw1!ibmbin)
Questions and comments:
ibmbin-request@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (uunet!crdgw1!ibmbin-request)