noring@netcom.COM (Jon Noring) (06/06/91)
(First Working Draft 06-June-1991)
Recommended Anonymous FTP Sites of Interest to PC (DOS) Users
*************************************************************
A huge amount of Shareware and Public Domain software for the pc-user
is available via anonymous ftp from many sites in the world. For the
new user, it is a very daunting task to access the sites known to archive
pc software and related information, and to sort and sift through them
looking for what he/she wants.
Below is the first attempt to list the "better" sites in various broad
categories of interest to the pc (dos) user. The purpose of this listing
is to help the pc-user to focus his/her software search strategy to those
sites that would most likely have what he/she needs, thus saving time and
reducing network load.
The definition of the term "better" site is still fuzzy and needs to be
further clarified. I like to think of a "better" site as one which has
the following attributes:
1) It is continually being maintained and updated, and strives to be
complete in what it archives (a commitment to excellence).
2) It has a clear directory structure with downloadable file indexes
containing complete file descriptions.
3) The site is accessible most of the time (i.e., high reliability).
4) File access and dowloading is reasonably fast.
No doubt the following list is incomplete and can be greatly improved,
including the categories -- your input and ideas are important. You will
notice that this list does not include any sites outside of North America;
this is not deliberate, I am just not very familiar with these sites, and
I do wish to include the better ones (Prof. Salmi, can you help me here?).
I do believe, however, that the total number of sites included in this
list should be kept to a minimum based on the criteria that these sites
contain just about everything available to the pc-user and generally meet
the attributes mentioned above. On the other hand, there should be enough
duplicate sites listed here so if one is down, the pc-user can ftp to an
alternate site. Obviously there will be some give and take in the
development of this list. Of course, if the pc-user cannot find what
they're looking for at these sites, they can always access the complete ftp
site list at pilot.njin.net (128.6.18.38) or access archie at
quiche.cs.mcgill.ca (132.206.2.3) (telnet to this site and enter 'archie'
as the username and follow the instructions), or they can post a cry for
help on Usenet.
(Note: Any opinions expressed below are based on my experience with these
sites. If you feel my opinion is not entirely correct (or maybe way
out in left-field), let me know and we'll hash it out. I'll change
my opinion if the facts warrant).
******************************
GENERAL PC (DOS) ARCHIVE SITES
******************************
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4 A mirror to several archives,
including Simtel, PC-BLUE, and
comp.binaries.ibm.pc. It also
has an extensive GIF library, and
archives some games. Overall, this
site is the best in North America
with regards to access, completeness,
indexing, and downloading speed.
A real class archive.
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20 The well-known Simtel archive. It
also includes the PC-Blue collection.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to
assess because of equipment limitations
and it can be slow. wuarchive.wustl.edu
is the preferable site to access.
******************************************************
SPECIALIZED COLLECTIONS AND APPLICATIONS ARCHIVE SITES
******************************************************
OTHER SIMTEL MSDOS MIRRORS
--------------------------
isca01.isca.uiowa.edu 128.255.16.175
PC-SIG COLLECTION
-----------------
ksuvm.ksu.edu 129.130.1.1
PC-BLUE COLLECTION
------------------
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20
COMP.BINARIES.IBM.PC ARCHIVE
----------------------------
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20
WINDOWS 3 APPLICATIONS
----------------------
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20
cica.cica.indiana.edu 129.79.20.22
GAMES
-----
(Still looking for sites that carry up-to-date games as found on most
public BBS's. Rumor has it that mars.ee.msstate.edu (130.18.64.3) carries
a lot of games, but I can never seem to connect to it to find out).
GIF FILES
---------
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4 The most complete and accessible.
ames.arc.nasa.gov 128.102.18.3 Many space-related GIF files,
very unique.
isca01.isca.uiowa.edu 128.255.16.175
schizo.samsung.com 134.228.1.2
ticsys.tamu.edu 128.194.43.66 Restricted to evening use.
vmd.cso.uiuc.edu 128.174.5.98 Daily weather satellite photos in
directory phil.515.
vmtecmex.cem.itesm.mx 132.254.1.4 Slow access, but does contain a
lot of files, probably duplicated
by wuarchive.wustl.edu. However,
it keeps an updated list of all
the known GIF file archive sites
on the Internet.
zurich.ai.mit.edu 18.26.0.176
(Note on GIF sites: It is NSF policy that no site within their jurisdiction
can keep or maintain any R or X rated GIF's except for valid research
purposes (I know, it's hard to define pornographic images, but we all know
one when we see it). Please do not recommend to me any clandestine sites
which happen to carry this verboten material - I will not include them here).
PLEASE HELP ME UPDATE THIS LISTING!
If there's enough interest, I'll periodically post an update to this list.
--
=============================================================================
| Jon Noring | noring@netcom.netcom.com | "The dogs bark, but the |
| JKN International | IP : 192.100.81.100 | caravan moves on." |
| 754 Catalina Drive | Phone : (415) 294-8153 | "Pack your lunch, sit in |
| Livermore, CA 94550 | V-Mail: (415) 862-1101 | the bushes, and watch." |
=============================================================================
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are those of JKN International. I own it.
"If you make $50,000 today, you have the same buying power as the average
coal miner did in 1949, adjusted for taxes and inflation," John Sestina,
nationally recognized Certified Financial Planner; quoted in 1987.ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi) (06/08/91)
In article <1991Jun6.164235.14849@netcom.COM> noring@netcom.COM (Jon Noring) writes: > >(First Working Draft 06-June-1991) > >Recommended Anonymous FTP Sites of Interest to PC (DOS) Users >************************************************************* : >No doubt the following list is incomplete and can be greatly improved, >including the categories -- your input and ideas are important. You will >notice that this list does not include any sites outside of North America; >this is not deliberate, I am just not very familiar with these sites, and >I do wish to include the better ones (Prof. Salmi, can you help me here?). : I would suggest taking a look at my list of MsDos FTP sites /pc/pd2/moder.lst. It should have some useful information. (I welcome this alternative list, of course). ................................................................... Prof. Timo Salmi Moderating at garbo.uwasa.fi anonymous ftp archives 128.214.12.37 School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun