-*- text -*- Last modified Thu Mar 25 11:52:44 1993 This is an incomplete and probably out-of-date list of all the packages distributed on prep.ai.mit.edu with a brief description explaining what each one is. More information about these programs can typically be found in the GNU Bulletin. To receive a copy, write to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu. Problems with the contents of this file (or problems pertaining to the packaging of these programs, e.g. if a file is corrupted) should be sent to friedman@prep.ai.mit.edu. Bug reports for the programs themselves should go to the appropriate address indicated in the instructions to that program. Because the unix `compress' utility is patented (by two separate patents, in fact), we cannot use it; it's not free software. Therefore, the GNU Project has chosen a new compression utility, `gzip', which is free of any known software patents and which tends to compress better anyway. Files compressed with this new compression program end in `.z' (as opposed to `compress'-compressed files, which end in `.Z'). Gzip can uncompress `compress'-compressed files and SVR4 `pack' files (which also end in `.z'). This is possible because the various decompression algorithms are not patented---only compression is. The gzip program is available from any GNU mirror site in shar, tar, or gzipped tar format (for those who already have a prior version of gzip and want faster data transmission). It works on virtually every unix system, MSDOS, OS/2, and VMS. Filenames below ending with "/" are directories. Other entries are plain files. COPYING-1.0 Version 1 of the GNU General Public License. COPYING-2.0 Version 2 of the GNU General Public License. COPYING.LIB-2.0 Version 2 of the GNU General Public Library License (there is no version 1). GNUinfo/ General files of interest about the GNU Project, most of them included in the GNU Emacs distribution. MailingListArchives/ Archives of the GNU mailing lists (most of which are also gatewayed to the various gnu.* newsgroups). MicrosPorts/ The GNU Project is not directly interested in integrating or maintaining ports of GNU software to many micro-computer systems, like Amiga's or MSDOS, because of limited resources. However, a few files with pointers to people who do maintain GNU software for these other systems are available in this directory. ae.tar.z This is a complicated profiling system that works with GCC to produce more complete profiling information. Instructions for compiling `ae' are in the files "README" and "INSTALL". autoconf-1.3.tar.z Autoconf is an extensible package of m4 macros that creates a non-interactive configuration script for a package from a template file. The template file lists the operating system features that the package can use, in the form of m4 macro calls, and can also contain arbitrary shell commands. Autoconf requires GNU m4. Autoconf-generated configure scripts are being used by many GNU packages currently, and will be used by more in the future. bash-1.12.tar.z BASH (the Bourne Again SHell) is a Posix-compatable shell with full Bourne shell (`sh') syntax and some C-shell commands. BASH supports emacs-style command-line editing, job control, functions, and on-line help. Instructions for compiling BASH may be found in the file "README". bc-1.02.tar.z `bc' is an interactive algebraic language with arbitrary precision. GNU `bc' was implemented from the POSIX 1003.2 draft standard, but it has several extensions including multi-character variable names, an `else' statement, and full Boolean expressions. GNU `bc' does not use the historical method of being a compiler for the `dc' calculator. This version has a single executable that both compiles the language and runs the resulting "byte code". The "byte code" is NOT the `dc' language. Instructions for compiling `bc' are in the file "Install". binutils-1.9.tar.z The binutils comprise several small programs that are useful when dealing with compiled programs. They include `ar', `ld' (the linker), `nm', `size', `strip', and `gprof'. The programs support BSD (Berkeley) format binary files, as well as COFF-encapsulation (BSD format with a wrapper to allow you to run the binaries on COFF systems). Read the file "README" for instructions on compiling these programs. binutils-2.1.tar.z This is a beta release of a completely rewritten binutils distribution. These programs have been tested on various architectures. Most recently tested are sun3 and sun4s running sunos4, as well as Sony News running newsos3. However, since this is a beta release taken directly from an evolving source tree, there might be some problems. In particular, the programs have not been ported to as many machines as the old binutils. There are also features of the old versions that are missing on the new programs. We would appreciate patches to make things run on other machines; especially welcome are fixes for what used to work on the old programs! This release contains the following programs: `ar', `demangle', `ld' (the linker), `nm', `objdump', `ranlib', `size', `strip', and `gprof'. BFD (the Binary File Descripter) library is in the subdirectory `bfd' and is built along with GDB (which uses bfd). See the "README" file for further instructions on where to look for building the various utilities. bison-1.19.tar.z Bison is an upwardly compatible replacement for the parser generator `yacc', with more features. The file "README" gives instructions for compiling Bison; the files `bison.1' (a man page) and `bison.texinfo' (a GNU Texinfo file) give instructions for using it. calc-2.02.tar.z Calc is an extensible, advanced desk calculator and mathematical tool that runs as part of GNU Emacs. It comes with source for the Calc Manual, which serves as a tutorial and reference. If you wish, you can use Calc only as a simple four-function calculator, but it provides additional features including choice of algebraic or RPN (stack-based) entry, logarithmic functions, trigonometric and financial functions, arbitrary precision, complex numbers, vectors, matrices, dates, times, infinities, sets, algebraic simplification, differentiation, and integration. Instructions for install Calc for emacs are in the "README" file. cperf-2.1.tar.z This is a program to generate minimally perfect hash functions for sets of keywords. GCC was optimized by using this program. Other programs that must recognize a set of keywords may also benefit from using this program. Instructions for compiling cperf may be found in the file "README". Note that a C++ version of cperf (called `gperf') is included in the libg++ distribution. This version is for the use of people who do not want to install C++ in order to compile a single program. cpio-2.2.tar.z `cpio' is a program for creating, updating, and extracting archives. GNU `cpio' supports the final POSIX 1003.1 "ustar" standard. Instructions for compiling `cpio' are in the file "README". cvs-1.3.tar.z CVS is a collection of programs that provide for software release and revision control functions. CVS is designed to work on top of RCS version 4. It will parse older RCS formats, but cannot use any of its fancier features without RCS branch support. The file "README" contains more information about CVS. dclshar Makes a shar-type .COM file for VAX/VMS systems, so it's possble to transfer whole filesystem heirarchies back and forth. dejagnu-0.9.tar.z DejaGnu is a framework for testing other programs. Its purpose is to provide a single front end for all tests. For more information read the "README" file. diff-2.2.tar.z `diff' compares files showing line-by-line changes in several flexible formats. GNU `diff' is much faster than the traditional Unix versions. This distribution includes `diff', `diff3', `sdiff', and `cmp'. Instructions for compiling these are in the "README" file. dirent.tar.z A freely-redistributable implementation of the dirent library routines. This release predates the GNU C library, which is more complete. dld-3.2.3.tar.z Dld is a library package of C functions that performs "dynamic link editing". Programs that use dld can add compiled object code to or remove such code from a process anytime during its execution. Loading modules, searching libraries, resolving external references, and allocating storage for global and static data structures are all performed at run time. Dld works on VAX, Sun 3, SPARCstation, Sequent Symmetry, and Atari ST machines. ecc-1.2.1.tar.z ECC is a Reed-Solomon error correction checking program. It is capable of correcting three byte errors in a block of 255 bytes, and is capable of detecting more severe errors. elib-0.06.tar.z This is a small library of emacs-lisp functions. elisp-manual-1.03.tar.z This is the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference manual with texinfo source and a DVI file that's ready for printing. A copy of `makeinfo' is also provided so that you can make an online version of the manual. The manual documents the extension language used by GNU Emacs. elvis-1.7.tar.z Elvis is a clone of vi/ex, the standard UNIX editor. It supports nearly all of the vi/ex commands, in both visual mode and colon mode. Elvis runs under BSD UNIX, AT&T SysV UNIX, SCO Xenix, Minix, MS-DOS, Atari TOS, and probably others. Directions for building elvis are in the "README" file. emacs-18.59.tar.z GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable fullscreen editor. Read the files "README" and "INSTALL" for a full description of the parts of GNU Emacs, and the steps needed to install it. This distribution includes the complete GNU Emacs Manual. f2c-3.2.90.tar.z This is a Fortran-to-C converter program. Instructions for compiling it are in the file "src/README". fax-3.2.1.tar.z This is a set of software which provides Group 3 fax transmission and reception services for a networked unix system. It requires a faxmodem which conforms to the new EIA-592 Asynchronous Facsimile DCE Control Standard, Service Class 2. fgrep-1.1.tar.z `fgrep' is a simplified version of `grep' which only searches for literal text rather than regular expressions. Eventually GNU `fgrep' will disappear into the single grep program mandated by POSIX, but for now it should be a compatible replacement for UNIX fgrep. The options are the same as those of GNU `egrep', and are a proper superset of the fgrep options on all UNIX systems we are aware of. Instructions for building fgrep are in the "Makefile" and "README" file. fileutils-3.4.tar.z These are the GNU file-manipulation utilities. Instructions for compiling these utilities are in the file "README". The fileutils package contains the following programs: chgrp chmod chown cp dd df dir du ginstall ln ls mkdir mkfifo mknod mv rm rmdir touch vdir. find-3.7.tar.z This is a posix-compliant implementation (with many extensions) of `find', a program used for searching filesystems for files that match certain criteria and performing operations (like showing the path) when they are found. Also included in this distribution are `xargs' and `locate'. finger-1.37.tar.z GNU Finger is a utility program designed to allow users of Unix hosts on the Internet network to get information about each other. It is a direct replacement for the Berkeley 4.3 `finger' program, although it produces different looking output. For more information about why, read "finger-1.37/doc/finger.texinfo". Instructions for building finger itself are in the "README" file. flex-2.3.8.tar.z This is a faster, but not completely compatible replacement for `lex', a lexical-analyzer-compiler. Instructions for compiling `flex' are in the file "README". fontutils-0.6.tar.z These are the GNU font utilities. There are various programs for converting between various bitmaps and other graphical data formats, creating fonts using Ghostscript, and other frobnicating utilities. You will need GCC and GNU Make to compile these programs. For the programs which do online graphics, you will need an X11 server and the X11R4 or R5 libraries. Instructions for building the fontutils are in the "README" file. g++-1.42.0.tar.z This is the source to the GNU C++ compiler, G++. Note that G++ version 1 is separate from GCC version 1, but in version 2 both programs will be merged. Instructions for compilation of this program are in the file "README". A library (libg++), and debugger (gdb), for use with this program are also included on this tape. gas-1.38.1.tar.z GAS is the GNU assembler. GAS includes several features designed to optimize the output of a C compiler. In particular, it automatically chooses the correct size for branch instructions (when it knows where it is branching to), and automatically modifies jump-table entries that are out-of-bounds. GAS works on the VAX, the 68020, the 80386, and the 320xx. Read the file "README" for instructions on building and using GAS. gas-2.0.tar.z GAS is the GNU assembler. Version 2 has many changes over previous GAS releases. Most notable among the changes are the separation of host system, target CPU, and target file format (i.e. cross-assembling is much easier). Many CPU types and object file formats are now supported. Read the file "gas-2.0/gas/README" for instructions on building and using GAS. gawk-2.14.tar.z This version of GNU AWK is upwardly-compatible with the SVR4 version. Read the file "README" for instructions on compiling GAWK. Instructions for using GAWK are in the file "gawk.texinfo". gcc-1.42.tar.z The GNU C compiler is a fairly portable optimizing compiler. It supports full ANSI C. It generates good code for the 32000, 680x0, 80386, Alliant, Convex, Tahoe, and Vax CPUs, and for these RISC CPUs: i860, Pyramid, Sparc, and SPUR. The MIPS RISC CPU is also supported. Machines using these CPUs include 386 running AIX, Alliant FX/8, Altos 3068, Apollo 68000/68020 running Aegis, AT&T 3B1, Convex C1 and C2, DECstation 3100, DECstation 5000, DEC VAX, Encore MultiMax (NS32000), Genix NS32000, Harris HCX-7 and HCX-9, HP-UX 68000/68020, HP running BSD, IBM PS/2 running AIX, Intel 386 (System V, Xenix, BSD, but not MS-DOS), Iris MIPS machine, ISI 68000/68020, MIPS, NeXT, Pyramid, Sequent Balance (NS32000), Sequent Symmetry (i386), SONY News, Sun 2, Sun 3 (optionally with FPA), Sun 4, SparcStation, and Sun386i. gcc-2.3.3.tar.z This is version 2 of GCC, the GNU C Compiler. In addition to supporting ANSI C, GCC Version 2 includes support for the C++ and Objective C languages. GCC extends the C language to support nested functions, non-local gotos, taking the address of program labels, and unnamed structures as function arguments (among other things). There are also many new warnings for frequent programming mistakes. GCC 2 can generate output files in a.out, COFF, ECOFF, ELF, XCOFF, VAX-VMS and OSF-Rose formats when used with a suitable assembler. It can produce debugging information in several formats: BSD stabs, COFF, ECOFF, ECOFF with stabs symbols, VAX-VMS and DWARF. (We may support XCOFF for the RS/6000 in the future.) GCC can be easily configured as a cross-compiler, running on one platform while generating code for another. GCC Version 2 supports compatible calling conventions for function calling and return values on the Sparc (unlike version 1) as well as the other machine types. Early testing of GCC Version 2 indicates that it produces faster code for SPARC computers than Sun's latest released compilers (both bundled and unbundled). It is also the fastest known compiler for the Motorola 88k. GCC Version 2 can produce position-independent code for several types of CPU: 68000, 88000, 80386, Sparc, and RS/6000. Supporting PIC on additional suitable CPU types is not too difficult a task. A list of supported systems and instructions for compiling GCC are in the file "INSTALL". gdb-4.8.tar.z This is the GNU source-level debugger. A list of the machines supported as targets or hosts, as well as a list of new features, appears in "gdb-4.8/gdb/NEWS". Instructions for compiling GDB are in the file "gdb-4.8/gdb/README". BFD (the Binary File Descripter) library is in the subdirectory `bfd' and is built along with GDB (which uses it). gdbm-1.5.tar.z This is the beta-test version of the gnu DBM library. See the file "README" for details. ghostscript-2.5.2.tar.z This program is an interpreter for a language that is intended to be, and very nearly is, compatible with the PostScript language. It runs under X on Unix and VMS systems, and also runs on MS-DOS machines. It will drive either displays or low-to-medium-resolution printers. Instructions for compiling Ghostscript are in the file "README". Fonts for Ghostscript are in the directory "ghostscript-2.5.2/fonts". ghostview-1.4.1.tar.z Ghostview allows you to view PostScript(TM) files on X11 displays. Ghostview handles the user interface details and calls the `ghostscript' interpreter to render the image. Instructions for compiling ghostview are in the "README" file. glibc-1.05.1.tar.z This directory contains a test release of the GNU C Library. Some bugs surely remain. The library is ANSI C-1989 and POSIX 1003.1-1990 compliant and has most of the functions specified in POSIX 1003.2 draft 11.2. It is upward compatible with the 4.4 BSD C library and includes many System V functions, plus GNU extensions. Version 1.05.1 uses a standard GNU `configure' script and runs on Sun-3 & Sun-4 (SunOS 4.1), HP 9000/300 & Sony NEWS 800 (4.3 BSD), MIPS DECstation (Ultrix 4.2), and i386/i486 (System V & BSD). The port to the i386 running either SVR3, SVR4, or BSD, is mostly complete but has not been well tested. Porting the library is not hard. If you are interested in doing a port, please get on the mailing list by sending electronic mail to bug-glibc-request@prep.ai.mit.edu. GNU stdio lets you define new kinds of streams, just by writing a few C functions. `fmemopen' function uses this to open a stream on a string, which can grow as necessary. You can define your own `printf' formats to use a C function you have written. Also, you can safely use format strings from user input to implement a `printf'-like function for another programming language, for example. Extended `getopt' functions are already used to parse options, including long options, in many GNU utilities. See the file "INSTALL" for instructions on building the library. glibc-crypt-1.05.tar.z The GNU C library now includes Michael Glad's Ultra Fast Crypt, which provides the Unix `crypt' function, plus some other entry points. gmp-1.2.tar.z GNU MP is a library for arbitrary precision arithmetic, operating on signed integers and rational numbers. It has a rich set of functions, and the functions have a regular interface. Instructions for using and compiling the MP library are in the file "INSTALL". gnats-3.00.tar.z GNATS (GNats: A Tracking System) is a bug-tracking system. It is based upon the paradigm of a central site or organization which receives problem reports and negotiates their resolution by electronic mail. Although it's been used primarily as a software bug-tracking system so far, it is sufficiently generalized so that it could be used for handling system administration issues, project management, or any number of other applications. gnuchess-4.0.pl61.tar.z This is a chess playing program with X, Suntools, curses, ASCII, and IBMPC character set displays available. Instructions for compiling and using GNUchess may be found in the "README" file. gnugo-1.1.tar.z This program plays the game of "Go". Instructions for compiling it are in the file "README". gnuplot-3.2.tar.z Gnuplot is an interactive program for plotting mathematical expressions and data. Oddly enough, this program was neither done for nor named for the GNU Project---the name is a coincidence. gptx-0.2.tar.z This is an alpha release of the GNU version of a permuted index generator. Among other things, it can produce a readable "KWIC" (KeyWords In their Context) without the need of `nroff'. There is also an option to produce TeX compatible output. Instructions for compiling gptx are in the file "README". graphics-0.17.tar.z The GNU graphics utilities are a set of programs for producing plot files and displaying them on Tektronix 4010, PostScript, and X window system compatible output devices. It includes replacements for the `graph' and `plot' commands commonly supplied with some operating systems. Instructions for compiling the graphics utilities are in the file "Makefile". grep-1.6.tar.z This is the GNU high-speed `grep' program. It is similar to its Unix counterpart, but it is usually faster. Instructions for compiling it are in the file "README". groff-1.07.tar.z This is the GNU 'roff document formatting system. Included in this release are implementations of `troff', `pic', `eqn', `tbl', the `-man' and `-ms' macros, and drivers for PostScript, TeX dvi format, and typewriter-like devices. Also included is a modified version of the Berkeley `-me' macros, and an enhanced version of the X11R4 `xditview'. gzip-1.0.7.shar gzip-1.0.7.tar gzip-1.0.7.tar.z This is a new compression program free of known patents which the GNU Project is using instead of the traditional `compress' program (which has patent problems). Gzip can uncompress LZW-compressed files but uses a different algorithm for compression which generally yields smaller compressed files. This will be the standard compression program in the GNU system. hello-1.1.tar.z The GNU `hello' program produces a familiar, friendly greeting. It allows nonprogrammers to use a classic computer science tool which would otherwise be unavailable to them. Because it is protected by the GNU General Public License, users are free to share and change it. indent-1.7.tar.z This is the GNU modified version of the freely-distributable `indent' program from BSD. The file "indent.texinfo" contains instructions on using indent. ispell-2.0.02.tar.z Ispell is an interactive spelling corrector based on the ITS SPELL program. less-177.tar.z Less is a paginator similiar to `more' and `pg', but with various features (such as the ability to scroll backwards) that some other pagers lack. Instructions for compiling `less' are in the file "README". libg++-1.39.0.tar.z This is the GNU C++ Library, a collection of C++ classes and support tools for use with the GNU C++ compiler. This includes a copy of the `gperf' program that is written in C++ (see also the description of `cperf'). libg++-2.3.tar.z This is the GNU C++ library, a collection of C++ classes and support tools for use with the GNU C++ compiler. Other features include: * Uses new iostream classes to replace the old stream classes. The new design is mostly compatible with AT&T's version 2.x iostream classes, though some features have not been implemented yet, and there are a number of extensions. The iostream library will track the ANSI C++ standardization effort. The new iostream classes are more extensible that earlier designs: There is a (reasonably) well-defined protocol for writing new streambufs (character sources and sinks) at the application level; some have already been written, others are planned. There is also a fairly complete implementation of C stdio built on *top* of streambuf (where FILE==streambuf). This provides 100% compatibility between C and C++ I/O. It is not installed by default. * Include files no longer hard-wire in C header files. (I.e. g++-include/signal.h uses the gcc 2 #include_next feature instead of #include "/usr/include/signal.h".) This should make it easier to combine g++ headers with non-standard libraries (such as the recently-released GNU C library). Instructions for building the g++ class library and other tools is in the file "libg++-2.3/libg++/README". m4-1.0.3.tar.z `m4' is a macro processor, in the sense that in copies its input to the output, expanding macros as it goes. Macros are either built-in or user-defined, and can take any number of arguments. Besides just doing macro expansion, `m4' has built-in functions for including named files, running Unix commands, doing integer arithmetic, manipulating text in various ways, recursion, etc. Instructions for building m4 are in the "README" file. make-3.63.tar.z This is GNU Make. GNU Make supports many more options and features than the Unix make. Instructions for using GNU Make are in the file "make.texinfo". See the file "README" for installation instructions. mm-1.07.tar.z This is a macro package for groff. It is supposed to be compatible with the DWB `mm' macros, and has several extensions. See the "README" file for more details. ms-0.06.tar.z This is MandelSpawn, a parallel Mandelbrot program for the X window system. Instructions for compiling it are in the "README" files in each of the three subdirectories. mtools-2.0.7.tar.z Mtools is a public domain collection of programs to allow Unix systems to read, write, and manipulate files on an MSDOS filesystem (typically a diskette). nethack-3.1.tar.z This is the famous game of `nethack'. Instructions for compiling and using nethack may be found in the "README" file. nihcl-3.0.tar.z This is an object oriented program support class library with a portable collection of classes similar to those in Smalltalk-80. This library used to be known as OOPS (Object-Oriented Program Support). oleo-1.2.2.tar.z Oleo is a spreadsheet program (better for you than the more expensive spreadsheet). It supports X windows and character-based terminals, and can generate embedded PostScript renditions of spreadsheets. Keybindings should be familiar to Emacs users and are configurable by users. There is relatively little documentation for Oleo yet. The file "USING" contains what there is. patch-2.0.12g8.tar.z `patch' will take a patch file containing any of the four forms of difference listing produced by the `diff' program and apply those differences to an original file, producing a patched version. Instructions for building patch are in the "README" file. perl-4.036.tar.z This is version 4.036 of Larry Wall's perl programming language. Perl is intended as a faster replacement for sed, awk, and similar languages. The file "README" contains instructions for compiling perl. rcs-5.6.tar.z This is the Revision Control System, a program to manage multiple versions of a software project. This program keeps the changes from one version to another rather than multiple copies of the entire file; this saves disk space. Instructions for compiling RCS are in the file "README". readline-1.1.tar.z The GNU Readline Library, which aids in the consistency of user interface across discrete programs than need to provide a command line interface. Supports both emacs and vi-style editing. This release is pretty old; newer versions with more bug fixes are usually distributed with GDB and BASH. recode-3.2.4.tar.z `recode' converts files between character sets and usages. When exact transliterations are not possible, it may get rid of the offending characters or fall back on approximations. It recognizes or produces a little more than a dozen of character sets and can convert each charset to almost any other one. `recode' pays special attention to superimposition of diacritics, particularily for French. regex-0.11.tar.z The GNU regexp library routines. This release is probably out of date; newer versions of these routines are typically distributed along with programs which use them. screen-3.2b.tar.z `screen' is a window manager that allows you to handle several independent screens (UNIX ttys) on a single physical terminal; each screen has its own set of processes connected to it (typically interactive shells). Each virtual terminal created by `screen' emulates a DEC VT100 plus several ANSI X3.64 and ISO 2022 functions (including DEC VT102 features such as line and character deletion and insertion). See the "README" file for details on compiling screen. sed-1.13.tar.z `sed' is a text editor much like `ed', but is stream-oriented. It is used copiously in shell scripts. Although GNU sed has fewer static limitations in terms of buffer size, command length, etc., it is a little slower than most implementations. Instructions for building GNU sed are in the file "README". shellutils-1.8.tar.z These are the GNU shell utilities, comprising small commands that are frequently run on the command line or in shell scripts. Instructions for compiling these utilities are in the file "README". The shellutils package contains the following programs: basename date dirname echo env expr false groups id logname nice nohup pathchk printenv printf sleep stty su tee test true tty uname who whoami yes. smalltalk-1.1.1.tar.z This is the GNU implementation of Smalltalk, an object-oriented programming language. Instructions for compiling it are in the file "README". sparc-sun-solaris2/ This directory contains binaries for various programs for the SPARC architecture running Solaris 2.0 or higher. They will *not* work with SunOS 4.1.3 or earlier. These binaries are here because the C compiler was unbundled in Solaris 2.x. We are not making a commitment to provide binaries for anything else, or even for Solaris, in the future. superopt-2.2.tar.z The superoptimizer is a function sequence generator that uses a exhaustive generate-and-test approach to find the shortest instruction sequence for a given function. The GNU superoptimizer and its application in GCC is described in the ACM SIGPLAN PLDI'92 proceedings. tar-1.11.1.tar.z Tar is a program used for archiving many files in a single file, which makes them easier to transport. GNU tar includes multivolume support, the ability to archive sparse files, automatic archive compression/decompression, remote archives, and special features to allow tar to be used for incremental and full backups. Unfortunately GNU tar implements an early draft of the POSIX 1003.1 `ustar standard which is different from the final standard. Adding support for the new changes in a backward-compatible fashion is not trivial. Instructions for compiling GNU tar may be found in the file `README'. termcap-1.1.tar.z This is a standalone release of the GNU Termcap library, which has been part of the GNU Emacs distribution for years but is now available separately to make it easier to install as `libtermcap.a'. The GNU Termcap library does not place an arbitrary limit on the size of termcap entries, unlike most other termcap libraries. Included is extensive documentation in Texinfo format. Unfortunately, this release does not have a termcap database included. Instructions for building the termcap library are in the "README" file. texinfo-2.16.tar.z This package contains a set of utilities related to Texinfo, which is used to generate printed manuals and online hypertext-style manuals (called `info'). Programs and interfaces for writing, reading, and formatting texinfo files are available both as standalone programs and as GNU Emacs interfaces. See the file "README" for directions on how to use the various parts of this package. textutils-1.4.tar.z These are the GNU text utilities, commands that are used to operate on textual data. Instructions for compiling these utilities are in the file "README". The textutils package contains the following programs: cat cksum comm csplit cut expand fold head join nl od paste pr sort split sum tac tail tr unexpand uniq wc. tile-forth-2.1.tar.z TILE Forth is a 32-bit implementation of the Forth-83 Standard written in C. Thus allowing it to be easily moved between different computers compared to traditional Forth implementations in assembly (most Forth implementations are done in assembly to be able to utilize the underlying architecture as optimal as possible). time-1.4.tar.z `time' is used to time commands and report statistics about, among other things, the amount of user, system, and approximate real time used by a process. Instructions for making time (no pun intended) are in the file "README". tput-1.0.tar.z `tput' provides a portable way of allowing shell scripts to use special terminal capabilities. Although its interface is similar to that of `terminfo'-based tput programs, this one uses `termcap'. Instructions for compiling tput are in the "README" file. uucp-1.04.tar.z This version of UUCP was written by Ian Lance Taylor. It will be the standard UUCP system for GNU. It currently supports the `f', `g' (in all window and packet sizes), `G', `t' and `e' protocols, as well a Zmodem protocol and two new bidirectional protocols. If you have a Berkeley sockets library, it can make TCP connections. If you have TLI libraries, it can make TLI connections. Other important notes about this version of UUCP, and instructions for building it, are in the file "README". vh-1.4.tar.z This is a browser for the jargon files which are also in this directory. It is not part of the GNU distribution proper. wdiff-0.04.tar.z `wdiff' compares two files, finding which words have been deleted or added to the first for getting the second. We hope eventually to integrate `wdiff', as well as some ideas from a similar program called `spiff', into some future release of GNU `diff'. xboard-2.1.pl9.tar.z XBoard is an X11/R4-based user interface for GNU Chess. It uses the R4 Athena widgets and Xt Intrinsics to provide an interactive referee for managing a chess game between a user and a computer opponent or between two computers. You can also use XBoard without a chess program to play through games in files or to play through games manually (force mode); in this case, moves aren't validated by XBoard. XBoard manages a digital chess clock for each player and resets the clocks if the proper number of moves are played within the time control period. A game can be started with the initial chess position, with a series of moves from a game file or with a position from a position file. The "match" shell script runs a series of games between two machines, alternating sides. The man page xboard.man describes the features of XBoard. xinfo-1.01.01.tar.z An X-based GNU info widget. Free Software Foundation March 1993