From: tower@AI.MIT.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.)
Newsgroups: gnu.announce
Subject: June 1990 GNUs Bulletin
Message-ID: <9008020513.AA05949@rice-chex>
Date: 2 Aug 90 05:13:16 GMT
Sender: daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Reply-To: tower@ai.mit.edu
Distribution: gnu
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet
Lines: 1562
Approved: info-gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu
Posted: Thu Aug 2 06:13:16 1990
Here is the info-ized version of the latest GNUs Bulletin, which was
first distributed at the June 90 Anaheim, CA Summer Usenix. This
info-ized version is essentially the same as the printed version
except for typography and a few graphics.
Please freely redistribute this text to other forums under the term of
the Copyright Notice below.
If you would like a hardcopy, send your request to the FSF address
below (including a small donation to cover copying costs is
appreciated, but is not required). If you live in an area served by
the US Post Office, please also include a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped
Envelope).
thanx -len
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GNU's Bulletin June, 1990
The GNU's Bulletin is the semi-annual newsletter of the
Free Software Foundation, bringing you news about the GNU Project.
Free Software Foundation, Inc. Telephone: (617) 876-3296
675 Massachusetts Avenue Electronic mail: gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
Contents
--------
GNU'S Who
What Is the Free Software Foundation?
What Is Copyleft?
GNUs Flashes
Possible New Terms for GNU Libraries by Richard Stallman
"League for Programming Freedom" by Michael Bloom and Richard Stallman
Free Software Support
GNU Project Status Report
GNU Wish List
GNU Documentation
GNU Software Available Now
Contents of the Emacs Release Tape
Contents of the Pre-Release Tape
Contents of the X11 Tapes
VMS Emacs and Compiler Tapes
How to Get GNU Software
Freemacs, an Extensible Editor for MS-DOS
Thank GNUs
FSF Order Form
GNU's Who
*********
Joseph Arceneaux is developing Emacs Version 19. Jim Kingdon is
working on GDB. Michael Rowan is writing a `login' replacement to
work with `xdm'. Roland McGrath will again be on the payroll
starting in July; he is finishing up the C library and maintains
GNU make. David MacKenzie has been hired as a summer programmer
and is maintaining the file utilities.
Brian Fox is maintaining various programs that he has written,
including the `readline' library, the `makeinfo' and Info programs,
BASH, and the new GNU `finger'. Jay Fenlason continues with the
GNU spreadsheet, Oleo, as well as maintaining `tar', `sed' and the
GNU assembler.
Mike Haertel continues work on the C interpreter; he is also
maintaining and improving the "bin" utilities and species of
`grep'. David Lawrence, who works for us at the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, is maintaining the Lisp libraries for Emacs.
Kathy Hargreaves is now working on Ghostscript, having just
finished making the regular expression routines mostly
POSIX-compliant. Karl Berry is also working on Ghostscript.
Amy Gorin has been hired as a documentation writer, starting with
the manual for `tar'. Diane Barlow Close continues work on the
`BASH Programming Manual'. Grace Sylvan is writing the `GNU C
Reference Manual'.
S. Opus Goldstein is still doing a great job running our office.
Erica Brigid is answering phone calls, handling correspondence, and
making distribution tapes. Robert J. Chassell, our Treasurer, is
working on an elementary introduction to programming in Emacs Lisp,
in addition to the many Foundation issues not related to
programming.
Richard Stallman continues as a volunteer who does countless tasks,
including refining the C compiler, GNU Emacs, etc., and their
documentation. Finally, volunteer Len Tower remains our electronic
JOAT (jack-of-all-trades), handling mailing lists and gnUSENET,
information requests, and the like.
GNU's Bulletin
--------------
Copyright (C) 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Written by: Michael Rowan, Robert J. Chassell, Richard Stallman,
Leonard H. Tower Jr., and Michael Bloom
Illustrations: Etienne Suvasa
Japanese Edition: Mieko Hikichi and Nobuyuki Hikichi
Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim
copies of this document as received, in any medium, provided
that the copyright notice and permission notice are preserved,
and that the distributor grants the recipient permission for
further redistribution as permitted by this notice.
What Is the Free Software Foundation?
*************************************
The Free Software Foundation is dedicated to eliminating
restrictions on copying, redistribution, understanding, and
modification of computer programs. We do this by promoting the
development and use of free software in all areas of computer use.
Specifically, we are putting together a complete integrated
software system named "GNU" (GNU's Not Unix) that will be upwardly
compatible with Unix. Some large parts of this system are already
working, and we are distributing them now.
The word "free" in our name refers to two specific freedoms: first,
the freedom to copy a program and give it away to your friends and
co-workers; second, the freedom to change a program as you wish, by
having full access to source code. Furthermore, you can study the
source and learn how such programs are written. You may then be
able to port it, improve it, and share your changes with others.
Other organizations distribute whatever free software happens to be
available. By contrast, FSF concentrates on development of new
free software, working towards a GNU system complete enough to
eliminate the need to purchase a proprietary system.
Besides developing GNU, the Foundation has secondary functions:
producing tapes and printed manuals of GNU software, carrying out
distribution, and accepting gifts to support GNU development. We
are tax exempt; you can deduct donations to us on your tax returns.
Our development effort is funded partly from donations and partly
from distribution fees. Note that the distribution fees purchase
just the service of distribution: you never have to pay anyone
license fees to use GNU software, and you always have the freedom
to make your copy from a friend's computer at no charge (provided
your friend is willing).
The Foundation also maintains a Service Directory: a list of people
who offer service for pay to users of GNU programs and systems.
The Service Directory is located in file `etc/SERVICE' in the GNU
Emacs distribution. Service can mean answering questions for new
users, customizing programs, porting to new systems, or anything
else. Contact us if you want to be listed or wish a copy.
After we create our programs, we continually update and improve
them. We release between 2 and 20 updates a year for each program.
Doing this while developing new programs takes a lot of work, so
any donations of pertinent source code and documentation, machines,
labor, or money are always appreciated.
The board of the Foundation is: Richard Stallman, President; Robert
J. Chassell, Treasurer; Gerald J. Sussman, Harold Abelson and
Leonard H. Tower Jr., Directors.
What Is Copyleft?
*****************
In the previous section entitled "What Is the Free Software
Foundation?" we state that "you never have to pay anyone license
fees to use GNU software, and you always have the freedom to make
your copy from a friend's computer at no charge." What exactly do
we mean by this, and how do we make sure that it stays true?
The simplest way to make a program free is to put it in the public
domain. Then people who get it from sharers can share it with
others. But this also allows bad citizens to do what they like to
do: sell binary-only versions under typical
don't-share-with-your-neighbor licenses. They would thus enjoy the
benefits of the freeness of the original program while withholding
these benefits from the users. It could easily come about that
most users get the program this way, and our goal of making the
program free for *all* users would have been undermined.
To prevent this from happening, we don't normally place GNU
programs in the public domain. Instead, we protect them by what we
call "copylefts". A copyleft is a legal instrument that makes
everybody free to copy a program as long as the person getting the
copy gets with it the freedom to distribute further copies, and the
freedom to modify their copy (which means that they must get access
to the source code). Typical software companies use copyrights to
take away these freedoms; now software sharers use copylefts to
preserve these freedoms.
The copyleft used by the GNU Project is made from a combination of
a copyright notice and the "GNU General Public License". The
copyright notice is the usual kind. The General Public License is
a copying license which basically says that you have the freedoms
we want you to have and that you can't take these freedoms away
from anyone else. (The actual document consists of several pages
of rather complicated legalbol that our lawyer said we needed.)
The complete license is included in all GNU source code
distributions and many manuals. We will send you a copy on
request.
We encourage others to copyleft their programs using the General
Public License; basically programs only need to include a few
sentences stating that the license applies to them. Specifics on
using the License accompany it, so refer there for details.
*"As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others,
we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any
invention of ours."*
-Benjamin Franklin
GNUs Flashes
************
* Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
It's here! We are now shipping the long awaited `GNU Emacs
Lisp Reference Manual'. It describes the GNU Emacs Lisp
programming language in great detail. The manual is about 550
pages and can be ordered from us for $50. Early drafts of
this manual are still floating around from several years ago,
mostly at `ftp' sites. We strongly urge you to update to the
new version since the improvements are innumerable. (As
always you can `ftp' the manual from the usual sources.)
* Smalltalk
GNU now has a Smalltalk system. It was written by Steve
Byrne. We currently have Version 1.0 available on
`prep.ai.mit.edu'. Version 1.1 should be out soon. GNU
Smalltalk is based on the `"blue book"' definition of the
Smalltalk language. It is written in highly portable C and
runs on a number of UNIX machines (Version 1.1 will offer more
ports than the current version, which only runs on 4 or 5
machines). A graphical user interface is also planned.
Response to the system has generally been very favorable,
especially for a young system.
* GNU Finger
GNU Finger is now available. This is a daemon--based finger
program that polls all of the hosts at a site for
finger--related information. With GNU Finger, information can
now be retrieved for a user on a site--wide basis instead of a
host--specific basis. Our finger also displays bitmaps of
users' faces where available. See "GNU Finger" under "GNU
Project Status Report" for more information.
* Donation from the Open Software Foundation
We want to thank OSF for yet another donation of $25,000. It
is also planning significant improvements for the GNU
Assembler and binutils.
* Long-named options
As we have mentioned before, we are adding long-named options
to many of our utilities. We have done this by adding
functionality to our `getopt' library. `getopt_long' can now
be used to parse long options as well as the normal
single-lettered options allowed by the standard `getopt'. For
example, instead of remembering whether to use `-v' or `-V',
you can use `+verbose' (or any unambiguous abbreviation) in
all programs. Eventually we hope to provide command-line
completion for long option names.
* DBM replacement
Version 1.3 of our `gdbm' library has been released. It is a
replacement for the `dbm' and `ndbm' libraries. Our `gdbm'
database is stored in one file which contains no large holes,
supports read/write interlocking, handles keys and data of
unlimited size, and provides routines supporting both the
`ndbm' and `dbm' interfaces. These features separate `gdbm'
from its proprietary predecessors.
Possible New Terms for GNU Libraries
************************************
by Richard Stallman
We are considering changing the distribution terms for some GNU
libraries, such as `libg++' and the (as yet unreleased) C library.
The GNU General Public License was designed for utility programs,
such as Emacs and GCC. It makes a sharp distinction between using
the program and copying any part of it: Any program containing any
significant portion of the GNU program must be freely
redistributable to be permitted at all. However, merely using the
program (for example, an editor) imposes no restriction on the work
that is done with it.
Libraries blur the distinction between modifying or adding to a
program and simply using it. Linking a program with a library,
without changing the library, is in some sense simply using the
library, and analogous to running a utility program or application
program. However, in a textual and legal sense, the linked
executable is a combined work which is a derivative of the original
library, and the ordinary General Public License treats it as such.
As a result, developers of proprietary software have not used the
GNU libraries.
The goal of the Free Software Foundation is to promote the freedom
to share software, for software developers and for users; we
develop software for sharing as a means to this end. As a
pragmatic matter, if the conditions for use of this software are
such that most developers choose not to use it, then we don't
achieve the goal. At the same time, if the conditions are so loose
that people can use the software without much additional sharing,
then we don't achieve the goal.
It seems that the ordinary General Public License is too
restrictive for libraries, and is discouraging their use rather
than encouraging further sharing. However, it would not be best to
do what proprietary software developers ask us to do---to permit
completely unrestricted use of our libraries in proprietary
software---because then the end users of that software wouldn't get
a jot of additional freedom as a consequence of the use of our
library. We need to find a proper middle ground.
Our idea is to require the distributor of the proprietary
executable to make the source to our library available along with
the object files for the rest of the application. The user could
then recompile the library (perhaps with changes) and relink to get
a usable program. This way the user will, in some sense, get the
benefit of the free status of the library within the executable.
However, not all the details are settled, so we aren't announcing
the precise new library terms just yet.
League for Programming Freedom
******************************
by Michael Bloom and Richard Stallman
The League for Programming Freedom is an organization of people who
oppose the attempt to monopolize common user interfaces through
"look and feel" copyright lawsuits. Some of us are programmers who
worry that such monopolies will obstruct our work. Some of us are
users who want new computer systems to be compatible with the
interfaces we know.
"Look and feel" lawsuits aim to create a new class of
government-enforced monopolies that would be broader in scope than
ever before. Such a system of user-interface copyright would
impose gratuitous incompatibility, reduce competition, and stifle
innovation.
We in the League hope to prevent these problems by preventing
user-interface copyright. The League is not opposed to copyright
law as it was understood until 1986---i.e., copyright on particular
programs. Our aim is to stop changes in the copyright system,
which would take away programmers' traditional freedom to write new
programs that are compatible with existing programs and practices.
The League for Programming Freedom will act against the doctrine
behind look-and-feel suits by any means consistent with the law and
intellectual liberty. We will write editorials, talk with public
officials, file amicus curiae briefs with the courts, and boycott
egregious offenders. If you have other ideas, please suggest them.
The League members are now voting on the question of opposing
software patents, which threaten to make every design decision in
software development a chance for a lawsuit. The League's founders
consider software patents potentially more dangerous than
look-and-feel copyright, and the members voting so far seem to
agree. Final results will be known at the beginning of June.
The more members we have, the more effective we will be. Even if
you cannot donate any time, simply joining will make a difference.
The dues are $42 for professionals, $21 for others, except students
whose dues are $10.50. To join, write to:
League for Programming Freedom,
1 Kendall Square #143,
P.O.Box 9171
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Phone: (617) 492-0023.
`league@prep.ai.mit.edu'
Note that the League for Programming Freedom is a separate
organization from the Free Software Foundation; please direct all
League inquiries to the above address, not to the Foundation.
Free Software Support
*********************
The Free Software Foundation develops and distributes freely
available software. Our goal is to help computer users as a
community. We envision a world in which software is freely
redistributable. This means software will be sold at a competitive
market price rather than a monopoly established price; often, it
will be given away. We see programmers as providing a service,
much as doctors and lawyers now do---both medical knowledge and the
law are freely redistributable entities for which the practitioners
charge a distribution and service fee.
To help you find support and other consulting services, we maintain
a list of people who offer such services. We call this list the
GNU Service Directory. This list is contained in the file
`etc/SERVICE' in the GNU Emacs distribution. If you want to offer
services, you can use this list to help make yourself known.
(Contact us if you would like a copy of this directory or wish to
be included.)
Most of the listings in the GNU Service Directory are for
individuals, but one is for Cygnus Support, which is the first
for-profit corporation that we know of that provides support *only*
for free software. Their address is `info@cygnus.com' or Cygnus
Support, 814 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301. FSF is not
affiliated with Cygnus Support, but we hope that Cygnus Support is
a harbinger of the future.
If you find a deficiency in any GNU software, we want to know. We
maintain a considerable number of Internet mailing lists for making
announcements, reporting bugs and for asking questions. The Emacs
and GCC Manuals have chapters explaining where to send bug reports
and what information to put in them. Incidentally, on the larger
lists, it is not surprising to see an enquiry answered on the same
day it is posted.
These mailing lists are also gatewayed into USENET news. If your
site receives USENET, you can follow these discussions using news
software. To find out more about the `gnu.*' newsgroups, ask your
system administrator.
If you don't have Internet access, you can receive mail and USENET
news with a UUCP connection. Contact either a system administrator
at a local UUCP site, or UUNET Communications, which can set up a
UUCP connection for a modest fee. (UUNET is a non-profit
organization that provides network connections.) You can contact
UUNET by e-mail at `info@uunet.uu.net' or by paper mail at:
UUNET Communications Services,
3110 Fairview Park Drive - Suite 570,
Falls Church, VA 22042
Phone: (703) 876-5050
When we receive a bug report, we will usually try to fix the
problem in order to make the software better. This may help you in
the long run; however, we may not provide you with immediate
assistance. This is not and should not be our job. Our task is so
large that we must focus on that which helps the community as a
whole, such as developing and maintaining software and
documentation. We mustn't let ourselves be sidetracked into
helping individuals one by one. We do not have the resources.
Thus, do tell us how an installation script doesn't work or where
the documentation is unclear---but please don't ask us to help you
install the software or figure out how to use it.
If your bug report does not evoke a solution from us, you may still
get one from the many other users who read our bug reporting
mailing lists. Otherwise, use the Service Directory.
GNU Project Status Report
*************************
* GNU Emacs
GNU Emacs 18 is now stable. Only a few important bugs have
been encountered since Version 18.55.
Berkeley is distributing GNU Emacs with the 4.3 distribution,
and numerous companies also distribute it.
Version 18 maintenance continues and a new version, 18.56, is
expected soon. It has no new features, however. Version 19
approaches release with a host of new features: before and
after change hooks; X selection processing (including
CLIPBOARD selections); scrollbars; support for European
character sets; floating point numbers; per-buffer mouse
commands; interfacing with the X resource manager;
mouse-tracking; Lisp-level binding of function keys; and
multiple X windows (`screens' to Emacs).
Thanks go to Alan Carroll and the people who worked on Epoch
for generating initial feedback to a multi-windowed Emacs.
Emacs 19 supports two styles of multiple windows, one with a
separate screen for the minibuffer, and another with a
minibuffer attached to each screen.
More features of Version 19 are buffer allocation, which uses
a new mechanism capable of returning storage to the system
when a buffer is killed, and a new input system---all input
now arrives in the form of Lisp objects.
Other features being considered for Version 19 include:
- Associating property lists with regions of text in a
buffer.
- Multiple font, color, and pixmaps defined by those
properties.
- Different visibility conditions for the regions, and for
the various windows showing one buffer.
- Incremental syntax analysis for various programming
languages.
- Hooks to be run if point or mouse moves outside a certain
range.
- Source-level debugging for Emacs Lisp.
- Incrementally saving undo history in a file, so that
recover-file also reinstalls buffer's undo history.
- Static menu bars, and better pop-up menus.
- A more sophisticated emacsclient/server model, which
would provide network transparent Emacs widget
functionality.
* Kernel
We hope to use the Mach message-passing kernel being developed
at CMU. The current distributed version of Mach is not free
because it contains code from BSD of AT&T origin. However,
Mach developers say that all this will be replaced with free
code, or at least be moved into user processes. Mach will be
free then. This version of Mach should be available in a
couple of months (as of May 1990). Until this happens, and we
see precisely what is available and on what terms, we can't
say for certain whether we can use it.
We will not use Mach unless we can share it with everyone, and
all users can redistribute it. In particular, if an export
control prevents distribution outside the US, we will not use
it.
If we can't use Mach, then we may start developing the GNU
kernel with either MIT's TRIX kernel or Berkeley's Sprite
system. TRIX is a remote procedure call kernel which runs and
supports basic Unix compatibility at about the level of
Version 7. It needs a lot of additional features. Sprite is
at about the same architectural level as BSD Unix, but has a
fancy distributed file system and process migration.
* GNU Debugger
The GNU source-level C debugger, GDB, is now being distributed
along with the GNU C Compiler as GDB Version 3.5. Version
2.8, that used to be distributed on the Emacs tape, is now
obsolete, and has been replaced by Version 3.5.
We have also started work on GDB Version 4. We have added
watchpoints, remote cross-debugging, and a host of minor
features. We plan to add over-the-ethernet debugging before
the initial release of Version 4.
* C Compiler
The GNU C compiler (GCC) Version 1 is now quite reliable. It
supports ANSI standard C. NeXT builds its entire system,
including its port of the Mach kernel and NFS, with GCC. We
have also been told that GCC successfully compiled a System
V.3 kernel. GCC has compiled almost all of the BSD source
tree.
GCC performs automatic register allocation, invariant code
motion from loops, common subexpression elimination, induction
variable optimizations, constant propagation and copy
propagation, delaying popping of function call arguments, tail
recursion elimination, and many local optimizations that are
automatically deduced from the machine description.
Supported CPUs include the 680x0, Vax, 32x32, 80386, 80860,
Sparc (Sun 4), SPUR, Convex, MIPS, Tahoe, Pyramid, and
Alliant.
We are trying to stabilize GCC Version 1 while incorporating
new improvements into Version 2. Version 2 now has support
for nested functions, a certain amount of CSE between basic
blocks, and a new feature for classifying instructions---which
can be used to choose between long and short branches or to
provide raw data for instruction scheduling. Instruction
scheduling and perhaps global CSE will be added by the time
Version 2 is finished. More general calling conventions are
supported.
Version 2 supports both C++ and Objective C on the same basis
as C itself: the name of the source file selects the language.
Michael Tiemann of Cygnus Support has written the C++ front
end for GCC (which is available in Version 1 as G++). The
front end for Objective C has been donated by NeXT. It will
support the Motorola 88000, AMD 29000, IBM RT, and TRON.
Ports for the IBM 370, the 3b2, the Ncube, a Gould machine (we
don't know which one), and the HP Spectrum may be written.
Front ends for Modula, Fortran and Pascal are being developed
by volunteers. There are rumors about various other
languages. So far, no one has volunteered to write Ada or
Cobol.
* C Library
Roland McGrath and others continue to work on the C Library.
The C library currently contains all of the ANSI C and POSIX.1
functions, and work is in progress on POSIX.2 and Unix
features. This means that the library will have not only all
of ANSI, POSIX 1003.1, and POSIX 1003.2, but almost everything
found in BSD and System V.
The GNU regular-expression functions (`regex') are now mostly
conformant to the POSIX.2 standard.
* Ghostscript
We are distributing Ghostscript on tape. This program
provides nearly all the facilities of a Postscript
interpreter.
Ghostscript release 1.4 is now available. Staff members Karl
Berry and Kathy Hargreaves are working on preparing a new
release of Ghostscript, together with Peter Deutsch, the
original author of the program. Kathy and Karl are also
working on producing free PostScript font files.
Highlights of the new release include drivers for HP's Deskjet
and Laserjet as well as the Epson LX-800 (all in low density
mode). Ghostscript may be built with multiple drivers (e.g.
an X Window driver and a printer driver), and you can switch
between them dynamically.
The new release also includes about 20 scalable fonts
algorithmically derived from the BDF fonts in the X11
distribution. These include Charter, Courier, Helvetica, New
Century Schoolbook, Symbol, and Times fonts. All but the
Symbol are provided in different variations.
Right now, Ghostscript will accept commands in PostScript and
execute them by drawing on an X Window or writing a file that
can be transferred directly to a printer. It also includes a
C-callable graphics library (for client programs that don't
want to deal with the PostScript Language), and supports IBM
PCs and compatibles with EGA graphics as well (but don't ask
us about this; we don't use PCs and don't have time to learn
anything about them).
Ghostscript needs enhancements: to serve as a previewer for
multi-page files; to serve other X clients by drawing on their
windows; to be improved both in its performance and visual
quality; and more fonts. Any suggestions for enhancements are
welcome.
* GNU Finger
Brian Fox has released the new GNU Finger program. Finger is
a daemon-based replacement for (or supplement to) BSD
`finger'. Our finger now handles the newer paradigm of each
user having his/her own small Unix host (workstation). GNU
finger has a per site server that will poll all of the
machines at a site. Thus queries can now be site wide rather
than host specific. For example, fingering
bfox@pogo.ai.mit.edu with our finger would tell you if he was
logged in and what host he is using. If he isn't logged in,
it will tell you what host he was last using.
Our finger also does faces! If a site has face bitmaps online
(and is running GNU Finger, of course) you can get the user's
face in a X Window on your display.
* Oleo
Jay Fenlason is writing a spreadsheet named Oleo (which is
better for you than the more expensive spreadsheet). Oleo is
in alpha test right now; we do not know when it will be
available. Jay says that "really brave" people can contact
him about being alpha testers.
Oleo currently reads and writes SC and Multiplan SYLK files,
but teaching it new formats is fairly simple. It has a full
set of expressions as well as mathematical, financial, and
string functions. Keys may all be rebound and Oleo also has
primitive macro support.
Oleo uses the `curses' library and an X11 interface is
planned. Right now it runs on BSD Unix machines as well as
IBM PC's and compatibles.
* groff
James Clark is writing `groff', an implementation in C++ of
the traditional Unix document formatting tools. So far
`troff', `pic', `tbl', `eqn', `man' macros, and a PostScript
driver have been written. A version of the Berkeley `me'
macros will be included. He is currently implementing a
driver which produces TeX `.dvi' format and a driver for
typewriter-like devices. Useful additions would be `mm' and
`ms' macros, `grap', and `refer'.
* GNU Mailer
Development of Smail is coming to an end. We are satisfied
with the program's current features, except for the queueing
system. We hope we can replace Smail's queueing system with
the queueing system found in Zmailer. Otherwise a new one
will have to be written.
* File Manipulation Utilities
We have added a collection of utilities for file manipulation
to the Pre-Release tape. The collection includes `ls', `mv',
`cp', `cat', `rm', `du', `head', `tail', `cmp', `chmod',
`mkdir', and `ln'. These tools are either fully POSIX
compliant or being worked on to become so. `cp' now has
options to preserve the last-modification timestamp on copies,
thus replacing some uses of `tar' or `cpio'.
* Smalltalk
Our Smalltalk system will be available in tape form when we
release our "Experimental" tape in November. It is currently
available via `ftp' on `prep.ai.mit.edu'. The current version
is 1.1, with Version 1.2 expected to be out soon. Thanks to
Steve Byrne who wrote our Smalltalk based on the `blue book'
definition of the language.
GNU Wish List
*************
Wishes for this issue are for:
* Someone skilled in compiler maintenance who could take over
GCC maintenance for RMS. This would probably be a full-time
job.
* A Sun with a SCSI port to be donated or loaned so we can make
distribution tapes. We also need machines to be donated or
loaned for use by FSF programmers and documentation people who
are not located near our offices in Cambridge.
* Professors who might be interested in sponsoring or hosting
research assistants to do GNU development, with full or
partial FSF support. Several schools have done this and we
welcome others to join in.
* Volunteers to help write utilities and documentation. Send
mail to `gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu' for the task list and coding
standards.
* Speech and character recognition software (if the devices
aren't too weird), with the device drivers (if possible).
This would help the productivity of at least one partially
disabled programmer we know.
* Grammar checking software for English and other natural
languages.
* Copies of newspaper and journal articles mentioning the GNU
Project or GNU software. Send these to the address on the
front cover, or send a citation to `gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu'.
* Money, as always. Please remember, donations are
tax-deductible. With the latest donations, we have been able
to expand our staff again. With the increased staff we have
an even greater need for donations.
One way to give us a small amount of money is to order a
distribution tape or two. This may not count as a donation
for tax purposes, but it can qualify as a business expense.
GNU Documentation
*****************
GNU is dedicated to having quality, easy-to-use, on-line and
printed documentation. GNU manuals are intended to explain the
underlying concepts, describe how to use all the features of each
program, and give examples of command use.
GNU documentation is distributed as Texinfo source files. Texinfo
source yields both a typeset hardcopy and on-line presentations,
accessed by a menu-driven system.
The following manuals, provided with our software, are also
available in hardcopy; see the order form on the inside back cover.
The Emacs Manual describes the use of GNU Emacs. It also explains
advanced features, such as outline mode and regular expression
search. The manual tells how to use special modes for programming
in languages such as C and Lisp, how to use the tags utility, and
how to compile and correct code. It also describes how to make
your own keybindings and other elementary customizations.
The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual covers the GNU Emacs Lisp
programming language in great depth. It goes into data types,
control structures, functions, macros, byte compilation, keymaps,
windows, markers, searching and matching, modes, syntax tables,
operating system interface, etc.
The Texinfo Manual describes how to write documents in Texinfo
source code. It explains the markup language used to create both
an Info file and a printed document from the same source file.
This tells you how to make tables, lists, chapters, nodes, indices,
and cross references. It also describes how to use Texinfo mode in
GNU Emacs and catch mistakes.
The Termcap Manual is often described as "Twice as much as you ever
wanted to know about Termcap." It describes the format of the
Termcap database, the definitions of terminal capabilities, and the
process of interrogating a terminal description. This manual is
primarily for programmers.
The Bison Manual covers writing grammar descriptions that can be
converted into C coded parsers. This manual assumes no prior
knowledge of parser generators. It describes the concepts and then
provides a series of increasingly complex examples before
describing what happens in considerable detail.
The GAWK Manual describes how to use the GNU implementation of AWK.
It is written for someone who has never used AWK, and describes all
the features of this powerful string manipulating language.
The Make Manual describes the GNU Make utility, a program used to
rebuild parts of other programs when and as needed. It covers
makefile writing, which specifies how a program is to be compiled
and what each part of the program depends on.
The GDB Manual explains how to use the GNU Debugger. It describes
running your program under debugger control, how to examine and
alter data as well as modify the flow of control within the
program, and how to use GDB through GNU Emacs, with auto-display of
source lines.
GNU Software Available Now
**************************
We offer Unix software source distribution tapes, plus VMS tapes
for GNU Emacs and GNU C that include sources and VMS executables.
The first Unix tape (called the "Release" or "Emacs" tape) contains
GNU Emacs as well as various other well-tested programs that we
consider reliable. The second Unix tape (called the "Pre-Release"
or "Compiler" tape) contains the GNU C compiler, related utilities,
and other new programs that are less thoroughly tested. The third
and fourth Unix tapes (called the "X11" tapes) contain the X11
distribution from the MIT X Consortium.
The GNU C compiler and various related programs are on a tape that
we have called our "Beta Test" tape in the past. However, this
software is becoming more stable; to reflect this change, we are
renaming the tape the "Pre-Release" tape. (The tape also contains
Ghostscript, which is not stable; for the moment, this is the best
place to put it.)
Sometime in the Fall, probably in early November, we will introduce
a new beta test tape of "experimental" software. We will put new
major, test releases of existing more-or-less stable programs such
as GCC, Emacs, and GDB on this tape when they appear, as well as
new programs such as Smalltalk and the C library. The contents of
the "Experimental" tape will fluctuate because versions will move
to the other tapes when they become stable. We are calling this
the "Experimental" tape to prevent confusion with the older Beta
tape.
We will put Ghostscript on the "Experimental" tape when it appears.
But as a convenience, we will continue to include it on the
"Pre-Release" tape until the current order form expires in January
1991, even though this action is somewhat inconsistent with the
tape naming conventions.
Please do not order an "Experimental" tape until at least November,
unless you see an announcement sooner than that on the net---we
have put nothing on this tape as yet!
See the order form on the inside back cover for details about
media, etc. Note that the contents of the 1600bpi 9-track tapes
and the QIC-24 DC300XLP 1/4 inch cartridge tapes for UNIX systems
are the same. It is only the media that are different.
Contents of the Emacs Release Tape
----------------------------------
The software on this release tape is considered fairly stable, but
as always, we welcome your bug reports.
* GNU Emacs
In 1975, Richard Stallman developed the first Emacs, an
extensible, customizable real-time display editor. GNU Emacs
is his second implementation of Emacs. It's the first Emacs
available on Unix systems that offers true Lisp---smoothly
integrated into the editor---for writing extensions. It also
provides a special interface to MIT's free X window system.
The current version of Emacs is 18.55.
GNU Emacs has been in widespread use since 1985 and often
displaces proprietary implementations of Emacs because of its
greater reliability as well as its additional features and
easier extensibility. DEC, Berkeley, and NeXT are all
distributing Emacs with their systems. When Isaac Salzman set
out to review various versions of Emacs, only one company
wanted its product to be compared with GNU Emacs. In his
review, which appeared in the July, 1989 issue of Unix Review,
Salzman concluded, "When it comes to Emacs, GNU is the way to
go."
pGNU Emacs (as of Version 18.55) runs on many Unix systems:
Alliant, Altos 3068, Amdahl (UTS), Apollo, AT&T (3B machines &
7300 PC), CCI 5/32 & 6/32, Celerity, Convex, Digital
(DECstation 3100; Vax running BSD or System V), Motorola Delta
(running System V/68 release 3), Dual, Elxsi 6400, Encore
(DPC, APC, & XPC), Gould, HP (9000 series 200, 300 or 800
(Spectrum) but not series 500), HLH Orion 1/05, IBM (RT/PC
running 4.2 & AIX; PS2 running AIX), Integrated Solutions
(Optimum V with 68020 & VMEbus), Intel 80386 (BSD, System V, &
Xenix; not MS-DOS), Iris (2500, 2500 Turbo, & 4D), LMI (Nu),
Masscomp, Megatest, MIPS, NCR (Tower 32), Nixdorf Targon 31,
Plexus, Prime, Pyramid, Sequent (Balance & Symmetry), SONY
News, Stride (system release 2), Sun (1, 2, 3, 4,
SparcStation, & 386i), Tahoe, Tektronix (NS32000 & 4300),
Stardent 1500 or 3000, Titan P2 or P3, Pmax, Texas Instruments
(Nu), & Whitechapel (MG1).
GNU Emacs is described by the `GNU Emacs Manual', which comes
with the software in Texinfo form. See "GNU Documentation"
above. Also, since GDB is the only debugger that can debug
Emacs without losing its mind, it is included on this tape as
well as the Pre-Release Tape.
* GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual
We now include the Texinfo source to the `GNU Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual' with Emacs. The manual describes the GNU
Emacs Lisp programming language in detail and is for anyone
who is interested in writing programs in GNU Emacs Lisp. See
"GNUs Flashes" and "GNU Documentation" in this bulletin for
more information.
* Bison
Bison is an upwardly compatible replacement for the parser
generator Yacc, with additional features. It has been in use
for several years. Bison is used for compiling GNU C, so it
is included on the GNU Pre-Release tape as well. The `Bison
Manual' comes with the software in Texinfo form (see "GNU
Documentation" above).
* X Window System, V10R4
We are no longer including a copy of X10 on our distribution
tapes. It is no longer supported by MIT, so distributing it
does not make sense. X Version 11 (currently release 4) is
now pretty stable and available from us on two separate tapes.
See "Contents of the X11 Tapes."
* MIT Scheme
Scheme is a simplified, lexically scoped dialect of Lisp. It
was designed at MIT and other universities to teach students
programming and to research new parallel programming
constructs and compilation techniques. MIT Scheme is written
in C and runs on many Unix systems. It now conforms to the
"Revised^3 Report On The Algorithmic Language Scheme" (MIT AI
Lab Memo 848a), for which TeX source is included in the
distribution. Another good source of documentation for Scheme
is "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs", by
Harold Abelson and Gerald J. Sussman with Julie Sussman, the
MIT Press & McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985.
* Yale T
A variant of Scheme developed at Yale University, T is
intended for production use in program development. T
contains a native-code optimizing compiler that produces code
that runs at speeds comparable to the speeds of programs
written in conventional languages. It runs on BSD Vaxes,
680x0 systems, SPARC workstations, MIPS R2000 workstations
(including the Decstation 3100 PMAX), and NS32000 machines
(including the Encore Multimax). T is written in itself and
cannot be bootstrapped without a binary (included), but it is
great if you can use it. Some documentation is included.
* `texi2roff'
`texi2roff', written by Beverly Erlebacher, translates GNU
Texinfo files into a format that can be printed by the Unix
[nt]roff programs utilizing the mm, ms or me macro packages.
It is included on all UNIX tapes so people who don't have a
copy of TeX can print out GNU documentation.
* GNU Chess and NetHack
GNU Chess is a chess program, now in its second major version.
The first was written by Stuart Cracraft. The second was
written and donated by John Stanback. If a successor is found
that is significantly stronger, it could become the new GNU
Chess. GNU Chess has text-only and X display interfaces.
NetHack is a display--oriented adventure game similar to
Rogue.
Contents of the Pre-Release Tape
--------------------------------
The programs on this tape are becoming almost stable. The
exception is Ghostscript, but which we are carrying on this tape as
a convenience until January 1991, when we will distribute it only
on the "Experimental" tape. As always, we solicit your comments
and bug reports. This tape is also known as the Compiler tape, and
used to be known as the "Beta" tape.
* GNU CC
The GNU C compiler is a fairly portable optimizing compiler.
It generates good code for the 32000, 680x0 (optionally with
68881/2), 80386, 860, 88000, Alliant, Convex, Tahoe, and Vax
CPUs, and for these RISC CPUs: 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, 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, 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. The current
version is 1.37. It supports full ANSI C. Please refer to
the "GNU Project Status Report" for more detail on GCC.
Included with the compiler are Bison (also on the Emacs
release tape), and the perfect hash-table generating utility
(Gperf), plus the Texinfo source of the `GCC Manual'. This
manual describes how to run and install the GNU C compiler,
and how to port it to new processors. It describes new
features and incompatibilities of the compiler, but people not
familiar with C will also need a good book on C.
* Assembler and Object File Utilities
The GNU assembler (GAS) is a fairly portable, one pass
assembler that is almost twice as fast as Unix `as'. It is
now at Version 1.35 and works for 32x32, 680x0, 80386, Sparc
(Sun 4), and Vax.
We have free versions of `ar', `ld', `nm', `size', `gprof',
`strip', and `ranlib'. The GNU linker `ld' runs significantly
faster than the BSD version. Our `ld' is the only one that
will give you source-line numbered error messages for
multiply-defined symbols and undefined references.
* COFF Support
It is possible to run the entire suite of GNU software tools
on System V, replacing COFF entirely. The GNU tools can
operate on BSD object files with a COFF header the System V
kernel will accept. `robotussin' is supplied for converting
standard libraries to this format.
* `make'
GNU `make' includes almost all the features from the BSD,
System V, and POSIX versions of make, as well many of our own
extensions. These extensions include parallelism, conditional
execution, and text manipulation. Version 3 of GNU make is
fairly stable and we do not anticipate a Version 3 release
after 3.59. Work on Version 4---which will include many
functional improvements---will begin sometime this summer.
Texinfo source for the GNU make manual is provided; see "GNU
Documentation" above.
* Debugger
Version 3.`*' of GDB, the GNU debugger, runs under BSD 4.2 and
4.3 on Vaxes and Suns (2, 3, and 4), Convex, HP 9000/300's
under BSD, HP 9000/320's under HPUX, System V 386 machines
(with either GNU or native object file format), ISI Optimum V,
Merlin under Utek 2.1, SONY News, Gould NPL and PN machines,
Pyramid, Sequent Symmetry (a 386 based machine), Altos, and
Encores under Umax 4.2.
GDB features incremental reading of symbol tables (for fast
startup and less memory use), command-line editing, the
ability to call functions in the program being debugged, a
value history, and user-defined commands. It can be used to
debug C, C`++', and FORTRAN programs.
GDB also provides for remote debugging over a serial line.
Remote debugging is the most convenient way to develop
software for systems which are too small to run a debugger; it
allows you to have the features of GDB at your disposal even
on such systems.
* BASH
The GNU Shell, BASH (for Bourne Again SHell), provides
compatibility with the Unix `sh' and provides many extensions
found in `csh' and `ksh'. It has job control, `csh'-style
command history, and command-line editing (with Emacs and vi
modes built-in and the ability to rebind keys).
* GAWK, FLEX, and `tar'
GAWK is GNU's version of the Unix AWK utility; it comes with a
Texinfo manual (see "GNU Documentation" above). FLEX is a
mostly-compatible replacement for the Unix `lex' scanner
generator written by Vern Paxson of the Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory. FLEX generates far more efficient scanners than
`lex' does. GNU `tar' includes multivolume support, the
ability to archive sparse files, automatic compression and
decompression of archives, remote archives, and special
features to allow `tar' to be used for incremental and full
backups of file systems.
* Freed Files from the U.C. Berkeley 4.3-tahoe Release
These files have been declared by Berkeley to be free of AT&T
code, and may be freely redistributed. They include complete
sources for some utility programs, games, and library
routines; and partial sources for many others.
* RCS and CVS
The Revision Control System is used for version control and
management of large software projects. This is the latest
version (4.0).
CVS, the Concurrent Version System written by Brian Berliner,
manages software revision and release control in a
multi-developer, multi-directory, multi-group environment. It
is designed to work on top of RCS Version 4, but will parse
older RCS formats with the loss of CVS's fancier features.
For further details, see Berliner, Brian, `CVS-II:
Parallelizing Software Development,' Proceedings of the Winter
1990 USENIX Association Conference.
* `diff' and `grep'
These programs are GNU's versions of the Unix programs of the
same name. They are much faster than their Unix counterparts.
* Ghostscript and `gnuplot'
Ghostscript is GNU's graphics language that is almost fully
compatible with PostScript. For more information on
Ghostscript, please refer to the section on Ghostscript in the
"GNU Project Status Report."
`gnuplot' is an interactive program for plotting mathematical
expressions and data. Oddly enough, the program was neither
done for nor named for the GNU Project---the name is a
coincidence.
* `g++', `libg++', and NIH Class Library
G`++' is a set of changes for GCC that compiles C`++', the
well-known object-oriented language. This was the first
compiler to compile C`++' directly instead of preprocessing it
into C, with great benefits for debugging and efficiency.
G`++' also was first with multiple inheritance and other new
features later released by AT&T in `cfront 2.0'. Since G`++'
depends on GCC, it must be used with the correspondingly
numbered version of GCC. GDB Version 3.`*' includes support
for debugging C`++' code, which merges in the functionality of
the old program GDB`+'.
`libg++' (the GNU C`++' library) is an extensive and
documented collection of C`++' classes and support tools for
use with G`++'.
The NIH Class Library (formerly known as OOPS (Object-Oriented
Program Support)) is a portable collection of classes similar
to those in Smalltalk-80 that has been developed by Keith
Gorlen of NIH, using the C`++' programming language.
Note that Interviews has been dropped from this tape since it
appears on the "optional" X tape (See "Contents of the X11
Tapes" below).
* File Utilities and Miscellaneous
The file utilities, which include the programs listed in the
"GNU Status Report," are now included here. We also include
`compress', `perl' (Version 3.0), `c-perf' (Version 2.0),
`f2c' (a FORTRAN to C translator), and GnuGo (the game of Go
(Wei-Chi)) on this tape.
Contents of the X11 Tapes
-------------------------
The two X11 tapes contain Version 11, Release 4 of the MIT X window
system. X11 is more powerful than, but incompatible with, the
no-longer-supported Version 10.
The first FSF tape contains the contents of both tape one and tape
two from the MIT X Consortium: the core software and documentation,
and the contributed clients. FSF refers to its first tape as the
`required' X tape since it is necessary for running X or GNU Emacs
under X. (The Consortium refers to its first two tapes as the
`required/recommended' tapes.)
The second, `optional' FSF tape contains the contents of tapes
three and four from the MIT X Consortium: contributed libraries and
other toolkits, the Andrew software, games, etc. (The Consortium
refers to its last two tapes as `optional' tapes.)
VMS Emacs and Compiler Tapes
----------------------------
We offer a VMS tape of the GNU Emacs editor, and a separate VMS
tape containing the GNU C compiler. The VMS compiler tape also
contains Bison (needed to compile GCC), GAS (needed to assemble
GCC's output), and some library and include files. Both VMS tapes
include executables that you can bootstrap from, because the DEC
VMS C compiler has bugs and thus cannot compile GNU C.
Please don't ask us to devote effort to additional VMS support,
because it is peripheral to the GNU Project.
How to Get GNU Software
***********************
All the software and publications from the Free Software Foundation
are distributed with permission to copy and redistribute. The
easiest way to get GNU software is to copy it from someone else who
has it.
If you have access to the Internet, you can get the latest software
from the host `prep.ai.mit.edu'. For more information, read the
file `/u/emacs/GETTING.GNU.SOFTWARE' on that host. Please note
that the Internet address of `prep' is `18.71.0.38'.
If you cannot get the software from a friend or over the net, or if
you would like to contribute some funds to our efforts and receive
the latest versions, the Free Software Foundation distributes tapes
for a copying and distribution fee. See the order form on the
inside back cover.
There are also third party groups that distribute our software:
they do not work with us, but have our software in other forms.
For your convenience, some of them are listed below. Please note
that the Free Software Foundation is not affiliated with them in
any way, and is not responsible for either the currency of their
versions or the swiftness of their responses.
These Internet sites provide GNU software via anonymous `ftp':
scam.berkeley.edu, itstd.sri.com, wuarchive.wustl.edu,
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (under `PD:<UNIX.GNU>'), bu.edu,
louie.udel.edu, nic.nyser.net, ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp,
funic.hut.fi, sunic.sunet.se, freja.diku.dk,
gatekeeper.dec.com, mango.miami.edu (VMS G++),
cc.utah.edu (VMS GNU Emacs), and uunet.uu.net.
Those on the SPAN network can ask rdss::corbet.
Information on how to obtain some GNU programs using UUCP is
available via electronic mail from the following people. Ohio
State also posts their UUCP instructions regularly to newsgroup
`comp.sources.d' on USENET.
hao!scicom!qetzal!upba!ugn!nepa!denny, acornrc!bob,
hqda-ai!merlin, uunet!hutch!barber, sun!nosun!illian!darylm,
oli-stl!root, bigtex!james, postmaster@uunet.uu.net, and
karl@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (or `osu-cis!karl)'.
Freemacs, an Extensible Editor for MS-DOS
-----------------------------------------
Freemacs, a copylefted MS-DOS editor, is one of the few editors for
small machines with a full extension language. It is the only such
editor that tries to be compatible with GNU Emacs. For more
information contact: `nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu', or: Russell
Nelson, 11 Grant St., Potsdam, NY, 13676. $15 sent to that address
will get you a copy. It is also available for `ftp' on
`sun.soe.clarkson.edu'. Note that the Free Software Foundation
does not distribute Freemacs; please don't ask us about it.
Thank GNUs
**********
Thanks to all those mentioned in GNUs Flashes and the GNU Project
Status Report.
Thanks to the Japanese Unix Society for their large gift.
Thanks to Delta Microsystems who just donated an Exabyte tape
drive.
Thanks again to the Open Software Foundation for their continued
support.
Thanks to Digital Equipment Corporation for their gift.
Thanks to Bil Lewis, Dan LaLiberte, and the volunteers who worked
on the `Emacs Lisp Reference Manual'. Also thanks to Warren A.
Hunt, Jr. and Computational Logic, Inc. for their support.
Thanks to the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory & MIT
Laboratory for Computer Science for their invaluable assistance of
many kinds.
Thanks to Chris Welty as well as the Computer Science Department at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for splitting Dave Lawrence's
salary with FSF and providing him computing facilities.
Thanks to Prof. Christof Koch of Caltech for his support of Brian
Fox.
Thanks to Prof. Paul Hilfinger of the UCB CS Department for
allowing Roland McGrath to use UCB resources.
Thanks to the University of Minnesota Department of Computer
Science for allowing Mike Haertel to use their computers.
Thanks to Cliff Lasser of Thinking Machines, Inc. for the help with
upgrading to SunOS 4.0.
Thanks to Village Center Inc and Nikkei Business Publishing, both
of Japan, for their gifts.
Thanks to Information Systems and the Whitaker College Computing
Facility at MIT for use of their machines to make our VMS master
tapes.
Thanks go out to all those who have either lent or donated
machines, including Hewlett-Packard for their donation of six 68030
workstations, Brewster Kahle of Thinking Machines Corp. (TMC) for
the Sun 4/110, K. Richard Magill for the AT&T Unix PC, Doug
Blewett of AT&T Bell Labs for two Convergent Miniframes, CMU's Mach
Project for the Sun 3/60, Intel Corp. for their 386/i860
workstation, NeXT for a NeXT workstation, the MIT Media Laboratory
for the Hewlett-Packard 68020 machine, SONY Corp. and Software
Research Associates, Inc., both of Tokyo, for three SONY News
workstations, and the MIT Laboratory of Computer Science for the
DEC Microvax.
Thanks to all those who have contributed ports and extensions, as
well as those who have contributed other source code,
documentation, and good bug reports. Thanks to those who sent
money and offered help. Thanks also to those who support us by
ordering manuals and distribution tapes.
Free Software Foundation Order Form
***********************************
This form is effective June 1990--January 1991.
Prices and contents of tapes are subject to change without notice.
All software and publications are distributed with permission to copy
and redistribute.
TeX source for each manual is on the appropriate tape; the prices for
tapes do not include printed manuals.
All software from the Free Software Foundation is provided on an "as
is" basis, with no warranty of any kind.
Quantity Price Item
For Unix systems, on 1600 bpi 9-track tape in Unix tar format:
________ $150 GNU Emacs source code and other software.
The tape includes:
* GNU Emacs (the extensible, customizable, self-documenting
real-time display editor)
* The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, as source code.
* MIT Scheme (a dialect of Lisp)
* T, Yale's implementation of Scheme
* Bison (a free, compatible replacement for yacc)
* Nethack (a rogue-like game)
* GNU Chess (a chess playing program with an interface to X).
* GDB (release version of the GNU source-level C debugger)
________ $150 GNU prerelease software, for Unix systems.
The tape includes:
* GCC (the GNU C Compiler, including COFF support)
* G++ (the C++ front end to GCC)
* lib-g++ (the G++ class library)
* NIH Class Library (formerly known as OOPS)
* Bash (GNUs' Bourne Again SHell)
* Bison (a free, compatible replacement for yacc)
* Flex (Vern Paxson fast rewrite of lex)
* Ghostscript (a Postscript interpreter)
* Gawk (the GNU implementation of the AWK programming language)
* Gas (the GNU Assembler)
* GDB (beta version of the GNU source-level C debugger)
* Gnuplot (an interactive mathematical plotting program)
* Compress (a file compression program)
* Perl (version 3.0; a programming language interpreter)
* RCS (Revision Control System)
* CVS (Concurrent Control System)
* GNU object file utilities (ar, ld, make, gprof, size, nm,
strip, ranlib, et al.)
* other GNU utilities (make, diff, grep, tar, et al.)
* GNU GO (the GNU implementation of the game of GO)
* the freed files from the 4.3BSD-Tahoe distribution
________ $150 GNU Experimental software. Not ready before Nov. 1990.
________ $150 Required MIT X Window System X11R4, core software and
documentation, and contributed client software.
________ $150 Optional MIT X Window System X11R4, contributed software
including libraries, games, Andrew and toolkits.
For Suns and other Unix Systems, on QIC-24 DC300XLP 1/4 inch cartridge
tape, Unix tar format:
________ $175 GNU Emacs and other software, as in the first item.
________ $175 GNU Beta Test tape, for Suns, as in the second item.
________ $175 GNU Experimental software, as in the third item (Nov. 1990).
________ $175 Required MIT X Window System X11R4, as in the fourth item.
________ $175 Optional MIT X Window System X11R4, as in the fifth item.
For VMS systems, on 1600 bpi reel-to-reel 9-track tape in VMS BACKUP
format:
________ $150 GNU Emacs source code and binaries.
________ $150 GNU C compiler source code and binaries.
Includes Bison and GAS.
GNU Emacs manual, ~300 pages, phototypeset, offset printed, spiral
bound, with a reference card.
________ $15 A single GNU Emacs manual.
________ $60 Box of six GNU Emacs manuals.
The following documentation:
________ $1 One GNU Emacs reference card, without the manual.
________ $5 Packet of ten GNU Emacs reference cards.
________ $50 Gnu Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, ~550 pages.
________ $10 GDB Manual, ~70 pages, side stapled.
________ $10 Texinfo Manual, ~100 pages, side stapled. Texinfo is GNU's
structured documentation system, included with GNU Emacs.
Texinfo is used to produce both on-line and printed documents.
This manual describes how to write Texinfo documents.
________ $10 Termcap Manual, ~60 pages, side stapled. Documents the
termcap library and GNU's extensions to it. The GNU termcap
library is included with GNU Emacs.
________ $10 Bison Manual, ~80 pages, side stapled.
________ $10 Gawk Manual, ~100 pages, side stapled.
________ $10 Make Manual, ~100 pages, side stapled.
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________ Sub Total
________ If ordering from Massachusetts: add 5% sales tax.
________ If outside of North America and Hawaii, for shipping costs:
- for tapes or unboxed manuals, please add $15, and then add
$15 more for each tape or unboxed manual in the order:
________ total $ amount for this item = $15 + $15 times number;
- for each box of Emacs manuals,
________ please add $60.
________ Optional tax deductible donation.
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________ Total paid
Orders are filled upon receipt of check or money order. We do not have
the staff to handle the billing of unpaid orders. Please help keep
our lives simple by including your payment with your order.
Please make checks payable to Free Software Foundation. Mail orders to:
Free Software Foundation, Inc.
675 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-876-3296
EFFECTIVE: June 1990 to January 1991
Name:
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Free Software Foundation, Inc. | stamp |
675 Massachusetts Avenue | |
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA | here |
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enjoy -len