[comp.archives] [list.para] Wide Area Information Servers Unix release B1

brewster@Think.COM (Brewster Kahle) (06/13/91)

Archive-name: internet/servers/wais/1991-06-11
Archive-directory: think.com:/public/wais/ [131.239.2.1]
Original-posting-by: brewster@Think.COM (Brewster Kahle)
Original-subject: Wide Area Information Servers Unix release B1
Reposted-by: emv@msen.com (Edward Vielmetti, MSEN)



   New Unix Internet Release (Beta Release) Available

Thank you for the interest in WAIS.  The servers on Quake (including the
directory of servers) has gotten 4500 requests from 193 different hosts all
over the world in a couple of months.  There are now 35 servers including
one in Norway (UiO_Publications.src), poetry (poetry.src), as well as a
Connection Machine serving all sorts of things.

Through the Alpha release process, many people have helped find and fix
bugs, than you.  With Beta, I think we are ready for widespread
announcement.  Please repost this on any other list you would like to.

There are are a few mailing lists on this subject that you might want to be
on: 
	wais-interest: only announcements like this (1 a month or so)
	wais-discussion: moderated mailings every 1 every 2 weeks.  Good
			stuff including all on wais-interest.
	wais-talk: unmoderated for implementors and interactive discussions.
Requests to wais-<foo>-request@think.com.  Archives available from
wais server: wais-discussion or anonymous ftp from quake.think.com.

The Mac release is unchanged and stable.

Jonathan Goldman pulled the most recent release together.
Highlights of modifications (see the release for the full report)
	Works on more architectures (BSD and closer on SysV and Xenix),
	waisindex: parses mail dates + fixes
	waisserver: security feature + first kludge toward relevance feedback +
		better logging + fixes
	waissearch, waisq, xwais, and xwaisq: fixes
	gmacs wais: can display pictures if on an Xmachine, more commands, fixes

Thank you to all that have contributed bug reports and suggestions.

Overview of components:
In this release is source code for:
 * Server code:  There is code to index text and picture files.
 * Protocol code: based on Z39.50-1988 using the internet.
 * Clients code: User interfaces for contacting servers
	* GNU emacs interface
	* simple shell interface 
	* Mac interface (in separate WAIStation file)
	* tool kit for making your own interfaces
	* X interface
 * Directory of servers: This is be a network service that lists
	existing servers and how to contact them.
 * A Connection Machine server with some patent information, the CIA
	factbook, and some Biomedical abstracts, info-mac, risks, etc 
	to serve as example servers.  

The public servers that are currently advertized are:
 CM-applications.src
 CM-fortran-manual.src
 CM-paris-manual.src
 CM-star-lisp-docs.src
 CM-tech-summary.src
 CMFS-documentation.src
 MIT-algorithms-bug.src
 MIT-algorithms-exercise.src
 MIT-algorithms-suggest.src
 Molecular-biology.src
 NIH-Guide.src
 US-Gov-Programs.src
 UiO_Publications.src
 bible.src
 cosmic-abstracts.src
 cosmic-programs.src
 directory-of-servers.src
 homebrew.src
 info-mac.src
 internet-resource-guide.src
 internet-rfcs.src
 jargon.src
 patent-sampler.src
 poetry.src
 risks-digest.src
 sample-books.src
 sample-pictures.src
 sun-spots.src
 tmc-library.src
 usenet-cookbook.src
 wais-discussion-archives.src
 wais-docs.src
 wall-street-journal-sample.src
 weather.src
 world-factbook.src
   
The release is available from Think.com via anonymous FTP in
/public/wais/wais-8-b1-dist.tar.Z and WAIStation-0-62.sit.hqx.

Bugs to bug-wais@think.com or to me.

-brewster and the wais crew

"Paper and flesh are fleeting media for the treasures that are ideas."

Brewster Kahle					Thinking Machines Corporation
Brewster@Think.com				1010 El Camino Real
Project Leader					Menlo Park, CA 94025
Wide Area Information Servers			415-329-9300x228


-- comp.archives file verification
think.com
total 3306
-r--r--r--  1 1556       463981 Jun 10 15:40 wais-8-b1.tar.Z
drwxrwx--- 11 14            512 May 20 19:54 wais-project
-rw-rw-r--  1 1637       635225 May 16 03:07 WAIStation-0-62.sit.hqx
-rw-rw-r--  1 1277       221544 Apr 11 17:50 NCSA-Telnet-MacTCP.sit.hqx
-rw-rw-r--  1 14         409388 Apr  5 00:48 wais-8-a11.tar.Z
lrwxrwxrwx  1 1637            4 Mar 22 02:23 WAIS -> WAIS
drwxrwxr-x  2 14            512 Mar 22 02:16 etc
-rw-rw-r--  1 1277      1070714 Mar 21 21:51 WAIStation-0-61.sit.hqx
-rw-rw-r--  1 14         473407 Mar 13 02:38 wais-8-a10.tar.Z
-r--r--r--  1 1277        39200 Apr 24  1990 wais-protocol.spec
found wais ok
think.com:/public/wais/