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126 lines
4.5 KiB
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126 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
$Id: README,v 1.1 1996/01/22 01:37:59 gdr Exp $
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This is the README file for the describe package. This package is
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designated as version 1.0.1, and consists of the following utilities:
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describe v1.0.1 - show database entries describing the current
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status of programs
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descc v1.0.1 - the describe source compiler
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descu v1.0 - the describe source updater
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ABOUT DESCRIBE AND DESCC
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========================
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This is yet another project I've been sitting on for a while, but have
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finally decided to release. The basic idea of the 'describe' package
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(the descc "compiler" and describe itself) is to provide a quick, easy
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way of accessing information related to the utilities which so many
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different people are releasing these days. The reason it sat around on
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my harddrive so long is I was having qualms about its designated role in
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life. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted it to do. Well, I've decided
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to KISS for now: descc simply compiles the utility list, which I maintain,
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into a (very) simple "database" located in /usr/local/lib/. The companion
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utility 'describe' is used to fetch information about a particular utility
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from this "database".
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descc is fairly limited, as is the "database" format itself. Part of the
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KISS (or it wouldn't be out now) design philosophy ;). Usage is simple:
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when you get a new listing (I'll provide monthly updates), simply "descc
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<filename>" where <filename> is the name of the newly released update.
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descc will simply write over the old database and replace it with the
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new. (Note: No appendages are allowed by descc. See descu.)
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As always, coments are appreciated. And, moreso than on other projects,
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I'd appreciate some comments about the direction I'm going in, suggestions
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as to where to take this, etc. I have a feeling that some fields in the
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format (eg, FTP:) are rather useless, and I'd like to know what you guys
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out there think.
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James Brookes
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jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu
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ABOUT DESCU
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===========
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I think describe and descc were really good ideas; they sure beat the
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text file list of Gno utilities that James used to keep. The one major
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shortfall I found was having to manually update the describe database
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source every time I wanted to include a new entry.
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I therefore wrote descu, the describe updater, which is also rather
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limited due to following the KISS principle.
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For completeness, I have also added the man pages describe.1, descc.8,
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and descu.8. I briefly pondered having a describe.5, but alas I was too
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lazy; you can find the file formats as part of descc.8.
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Devin Reade
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gdr@myrias.ab.ca
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INSTALLATION
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============
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You can either type "dmake install", or do the following:
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mkdir -p /usr/local/lib
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cp ./describe /usr/local/bin
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cp ./descc /usr/sbin
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cp ./descu /usr/sbin
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rm /usr/local/bin/descc
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You will also want to do the following, which is NOT done by dmake's
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install target:
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rehash
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descc ./describe.source
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CHANGES
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=======
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This details changes to the entire distribution.
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v1.1 May 1995
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Initial release for descu.
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Added -h and -v flags to describe and descc.
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Common defines and typedefs were extracted to desc.h.
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Descc now exits -1 on failure (vice 0).
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In descc, some more error checking and flushing were added. Also,
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mygets wasn't dereferencing one of its arguments properly.
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Allocated stack size was increased from 512 to 768 bytes.
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Describe and descc were modified not to be dependant on the size
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of integers.
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Ran source files through indent(1).
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v1.0 Feb 1994
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Initial release for describe and descc.
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AUTHORS
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=======
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The original describe and descc utilities and the describe format were
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written by James Brookes <jamesb@ecst.csuchico.edu>.
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The descu utility and v1.1 modifications to describe and descc were by
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Devin Reade <gdr@myrias.ab.ca>.
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LEGALESE
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========
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The describe and descc utilities are copyright (c) 1994-1995 by James
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Brookes. The descu utility is copyright (c) 1995 by Devin Reade.
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These programs may be freely copied provided that the archive, including
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source files and this README, remain intact. Modified versions of these
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programs may not be distributed without the permission of the respective
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authors.
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Contact the respective authors for permission to include these programs on
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any commercial software collections. Permission is granted to Usenet sites
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and GEnie Information Services for inclusion in software archives.
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The Apple IIGS executable files distributed with this archive contain
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material from the ORCA/C Run-Time Libraries, copyright 1987-1995 by
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Byte Works, Inc. Used with permission.
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