From: ab@nova.cc.purdue.edu (Allen B)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.misc
Subject: Re: EXACT locations of files on archives (was Re: Palletes and PD Objects.)
Keywords: a few tips on navigating sonata/nova
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:18:36 GMT

In article <1992Jul17.054650.929@nextdoor.com> john@nextdoor.com (John  
McCracken) writes:
> In article <1992Jul16.130750.2323@afs.com> Michael_Pizolato@afs.com (Michael  
> Pizolato) writes:
> > 
> > Please, will everyone who posts about where to find items on an
> > archive include the directory and exact file name of the item?
> 
> Why don't you just request 00ls-lR.txt from sonata (/pub/next/00ls-lR.txt).
> It contains a recursive listing of the entire archive.  One shot!  Most
> archive sites I've seen have similar files with similar names.

I suggest you grab 2.0-release/source/README,
2.0-release/demos/README, and
2.0-release/binaries/README too.  Those don't have the
filenames, but they have quick descriptions.  Helps to
differentiate products with similar names.  They're
small and highly greppable.
 
> > Please, please, please state the exact location and name of files on  
archive  
> > systems.  If you don't know the exact location and name, please say so in
> > your post.  Help us all out!
> 
> How many people remember the *exact* locations of files they retrieve from
> archive sites?  By posting the name of an ftp archive in response to a
> question, they're doing you a big favor already - it's up to you to take
> it from there.

I know most of them, but, I assure you, I've seen all of them
at one time or another. :-)  

I've tried very hard to make the names of files at my site
(sonata/nova) conform to a set of rules.  The name of the
archived product should be the product name, followed by
the version number, followed by the extensions the NeXT
expects (.tar or .tar.Z usually).  There should not be a
'.', '_', '-', or ' ' between the name and the number.  That
decision was made to eliminate many misspellings. 

If the file doesn't have a .tar or .tar.Z extension, it's
probably just a binary or compressed (.Z) binary.  Check
the modes.  If it's executable, you'll want to make it that
way too.  Opener won't do it for you. :-(

Some products don't have revision numbers.  If the author
submitted them that way, I'll usually leave them alone. 
Some submitters (especially of demos) will submit a new
version with the same revision number as the last one. 
Watch those file dates if you're trying to keep current. 

A product's name should have the first letter
capitalized if it's usually run from the mouse and not if
it's usually run from the shell.  Most of the ones that
don't are either quick hack programs or those with fUnKy
capitalizations. 

I try to avoid non-letters in product names as well, but
some people insist.  Just squish all the words together. 

Naturally, none of this applies to things in the
submissions directory.  Those are spelled however the
submitter chose to.  The LOG file shows any change in
filename made when files are incorporated into the
Archives. 

I hope this helps a little.  There >are< a lot of wrong turns
you could make looking for a product, but that's what you
get for having such a darn big archive. :-) 


I'm running behind on submissions, but we did get the
386bsd stuff and the rest of the NeXT newsgroups set up.  If
you want a submission filed really soon, send mail to
archive-management and we'll bump the priority. 
They're being processed (as usual) in the
easiest-to-hardest order.  

Allen B (The guy from nova)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.misc