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- June 1985:
-
- As contributions of Kermit programs continue to arrive, the Kermit
- distribution area grows larger and larger. This week, the collection finally
- grew so large that it would not fit on a 1600bpi labeled tape. The past
- several days have been spent reorganizing the entire Kermit distribution
- operation.
-
- The biggest change is that there are now two major Kermit distribution areas,
- which correspond to two Kermit distribution tapes (Tape A and Tape B).
- Area/Tape B contains all the mainframe and minicomputer ("host")
- implementations; Area/Tape A contains everything else -- the microcomputer
- (PC, workstation) implementations, the manuals, and miscellany. Splitting up
- the files this way allows room for a good amount of growth, and also lets
- several versions (notably the U of Toronto Pascal Kermits for RT-11 and
- VAX/VMS) be resurrected from the "Kermit-Extra" area.
-
- Even though the files have been split into two directories, they still all
- have (and must have) UNIQUE PREFIXES. No files with the same prefix will
- appear in more than one directory (except the new AA files, about which see
- below).
-
- Many files have been renamed in a more sensible way. Previously, all the
- "bureaucratic" files like VERSIONS.DOC, 00README.TXT, etc, were mixed in with
- all the other files. Now (in addition to being rewritten), they have new
- names, all starting with AA. In fact, all filenames now start with a letter,
- since it turns out that some systems require that.
-
- Old New What
-
- (none) AAAREAD.ME Explains what all the AA files are.
- 00README.TXT AATAPE.HLP Talks about tapes (replaces ANSITAPE, OSSLTAPE)
- (none) AANETW.HLP Instructions for getting Kermit via network
- 00README.TXT AAFILES.HLP Explains what the Kermit files are
- CURRENT.DOC AAVNEW.HLP List of current versions, chronological
- VERSIONS.DOC AAVSYS.HLP List of current versions, alphabetical by system
- (none) AAWAIT.HLP List of versions we're waiting for
- FLYER.DOC AAXFLY.DOC Flyer (now also includes order form)
- COMMER.DOC AAXCOM.DOC Commercial policy, only the name has been changed
- KLTR.TEX AAKLTR.TEX Cover letter, rewritten
-
- The files that used to be VERSIONS.DOC and CURRENT.DOC been combined into
- AAVERS.HLP. This is a list of versions, one on each line, showing the
- following information:
-
- Prefix, Operating Program Program Released
- Tape Machine System Language Version yy/mm/dd Contributor
-
- for example:
-
- CMS B IBM 370 Series VM/CMS Assembler 2.01 85/05/20 Columbia U
-
- Whenever a new version is installed, this file is updated and then sorted
- several different ways to produce the following files:
-
- AAVNEW.HLP -- Listed in reverse chronological order of release date
- AAVOPS.HLP -- Listed alphabetically by operating system only
- AAVPFX.HLP -- Listed alphabetically by prefix, regardless of tape
- AAVSYS.HLP -- Listed alphabetically by machine and operating system
- AAVTAP.HLP -- Listed by tape (A or B), then alphabetically by file prefix
-
- The AA*.* files will appear in both Kermit distribution areas/tapes. A glance
- at the appropriate file will make it easy to answer questions like "Is there a
- Kermit for xxx?", or "Has there been a new release of Kermit for xxx since
- yyy?", or "What is the prefix for zzz Kermit?", or "What tape is such-and-such
- a Kermit on?"
-
- Some Kermit program files were renamed:
-
- Old New
-
- 20KERMIT K20MIT (needed to start with a letter)
- 170KERMIT CDCKER "
- 800KER LUXKER "
- 86KERMIT C86KER "
- CMSKERMIT CMSKER (so Scribe could deal with the .MSS better)
-
- Those who use the Internet, CCnet, or BITnet to get Kermit files from Columbia
- should read KER:AANETW.HLP for details about network access. The BITnet area
- (KERMSRV@CUVMA) is not yet reorganized -- that will take another week or two.
- Those who use FTP or NFT to get files from CU20B should notice no difference
- in the procedure, since the "logical name" KER: has been redefined to include
- the new area in its search path; the fact that no prefix (except AA) appears
- in more than one area should allow network file transfer to work as before,
- except when you try to get ALL the Kermit files (would anybody really do
- that?) -- if you tried to "MULTIPLE GET KER:*.*", you would wind up with only
- the files from area A. If you need to refer to the B area explicitly, its
- logical name is K2:, as in "MULTIPLE GET K2:*.*".
-
- And a minor complication -- Macintosh Kermit is part of the CK*.* files, which
- are on Tape B. But since the Mac is a micro, people will be upset if they
- order the "micros" tape (A) and there's no Mac Kermit on it. So just the .HQX
- files for CKMKER and CKMKEY have copies KER:, along with the CKMKER.DOC file.
- However... since these files were also in K2:, their names have to be
- something that doesn't start with CK; otherwise, people who tried to FTP CK*.*
- would only get those three files and nothing else (because DEC-20 logical names
- don't step). So they are called KER:MCKER and MCKEY...
-
- October 1986:
-
- Same deal, but now 3 tapes. A is still micros, B is still mainframes, C is
- "esoterica" (less popular versions, duplicate versions, big documents, mail
- archives, etc).
-
- July 1987
- There are now 5 tapes. A is popular micros, B is popular minis and
- mainframes, C is "esoterica", less popular micro versions, D is "esoterica",
- less popular mini and mainframe versions, and E is on-line documentation and
- text fromatter source for the Kermit User Guide, Kermit Protocol Manual,
- Byte article, big documents and mail archives.
-
-