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diff --git a/linux-news-2 b/linux-news-2 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a186b74 --- /dev/null +++ b/linux-news-2 @@ -0,0 +1,273 @@ +From: Lars.Wirzenius@helsinki.fi (Lars Wirzenius) +Subject: Linux News #2 (October 10-17, 1992) + + + L i n u x N e w s + + A summary of the goings-on of the Linux community + + Issue #2, October 10 through 17, 1992 + + + "Still going strong!" + + +**** Highlights in this issue + +- Linux News available via mail +- SLS 0.98pl1 released, initial problems due to pressure to release early +- New version of H.J. Lu's Linux Base System adds zip, unzip, tput, file +- Mailing list for reporting on systems that work or don't work with Linux +- Program to run multiple sessions over a modem line available +- Linux in the limelight: a listing of magazines that mention Linux + + +**** Editorial + +I had some doubts about the market demand for Linux News, and boy was +I wrong. To date I have received a couple of dozen encouraging mail +messages. Thanks. Because of this, I have committed myself to doing +Linux News for the foreseeable future (at least a few months). +However, don't take that committment too seriously: Linux News is not +a high priority project for me, and if I do not have time to finish an +issue, I will postpone it. If possible, though, I will attempt to +publish an issue some time around every weekend. I am hoping to be +able to allocate some time each Saturday to put together a new issue, +but don't count on it. (If you don't see anything for a couple of +weeks, then ask, but preferably not before.) + +I have created a new channel on the Linux-Activists mailing list. It +is called LINUXNEWS, and I will send each issue to this list as well +as post it to comp.os.linux. If you are not interested in searching +through the newsgroup for the article, you can join the mailing list +channel and get it via mail. In order to do this, send an empty mail +to + + linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi + +This will give you a help text for the mailing list (you do want this, +and you want to save it, in order to be able to get off the list). Then +send another mail with the following mail body to actually join the +Linux News channel: + + X-Mn-Admin: join linuxnews + +You should get a confirmation in reply. + +I plan to start doing a TeX or LaTeX version of Linux News for people +who want nice hardcopies. There was at least one person requesting +that, and even offering to do the conversion himself (thanks for the +offer, and one LaTeXed version). The idea is that in places with +relatively high concentrations of Linux users (universities, computer +clubs, etc), it might be worth it to print out one nicely looking +version, make copies of that, and hand it out to interested parties. +This could even lure new users to Linux. (If you must know, the real +reason for doing a typeset version is an excuse to be able to play +around with TeX/LaTeX, something which I have wanted to do for a long +time, but haven't done, partly because of a lack of a real project.) + +I considered doing a Texinfo version, and played around for with it +for a few hours, but Texinfo doesn't have enough versatility as a +typesetting language to give the look that I want (it is more directed +towards typesetting manuals, not newspapers), nor have I thought of a +good way to break up things for hypertext. So I will only do (La)TeX +and plain ascii versions. Unless there is much opposition, I will +post both to both the newsgroup and the mailing list. + +The Finnish University Network had problems with news flow most of the +week (the central news machine for the network did evil things to its +hard disks). Because of this, I may have missed some announcements. +If you find that something is missing, drop me a note (this applies +always, of course). Also, if you want to be certain that I see an +announcement in the future, send it to me via mail, and include the +words "Linux News" in the subject. + + +**** Notices + +Linux News is only a summary, if you want more information about a +given subject, please see the source that is referenced at the end of +each note (for Usenet articles, the reference is the Message-ID of the +article). I try to include all the relevant information, including +ftp sites and filenames, as given in the announcements (I probably +won't have the time or energy to check filenames, or to find pointers +to other ftp sites). If possible, I will try to indicate directories +with a trailing /, e.g. ``pub/linux/SLS/''. + +I won't include announcements on mailing lists or testing releases, +only things that are meant to be used generally (I admit that the line +can be somewhat difficult to draw, since the whole system is +pre-release). + + +**** News section + +October 10. H.J. Lu released a new version of the Linux Base System. +The new version includes zip 1.9p1, unzip 5.0, tput 1.0, and the file +command. + The Base System is a set of three Minix filesystem floppies that +contain many packages, all compiled with the latest compiler and +libraries. However, it is neither as complete as the MCC or SLS +distributions, nor as well documented, so it is not as suitable for +inexperienced people. On the other hand, if you want up to date +binaries, try it out. + LBS is intended to be used with H.J. Lu's bootable root disk, since +the former lacks the shared library images. + FTP: tsx-11.mit.edu:pub/linux/GCC/basedisk/ + (Source: <1992Oct10.194038.4413@serval.net.wsu.edu>) + + +October 12. Eugenio Sanchez posted the charter for the CONFIGS +channel on the linux-activists mailing list. From the charter: ``This +channel will be devoted to send submissions of systems that have Linux +already running, AND those that, for any reason, can't get it to work +yet.'' + The intention is to create a place where working and non-working +configurations can be listed. Mr. Sanchez will be collecting +configurations until November 30, when his account expires. + (Source: <6107@mtecv2.mty.itesm.mx>) + + +October 13. Peter Williams announced a recompiled metafont. The new +version has been compiled using the latest X11 libraries (version +2.1), and jump table shared libraries (version 4.1). The only binary +affected is virmf (the only one using X11). + FTP: archsci.arch.su.edu.au (129.78.66.1): +pub/linux/tex-etc/Jump.4.1.version/mf.X2.1.T.Z (the updated binary, +also included in the current texetc.bin.T.Z package, so you need to +get only that if you are getting the files for the first time). + (Source: <1992Oct13.015559.10299@ucc.su.OZ.AU>) + + +October 14. Jonathan Badger reported that his upload of Sail 5.2 +(some kind of game) is now available on sunsite.unc.edu, and will +eventually be available on tsx-11. + Jonathan commented that ``people must really want games!'', and +said that porting BSD games isn't very difficult. Perhaps we can look +forward to a number of new game ports by other people in the future? + FTP: sunsite.unc.edu: /pub/Linux/games/sail.tar.Z + (Source: <badger.719103159@phylo>) + + +October 14. Nicolai Langfeldt announced his uploads of several +programs for X11. Ghostscript 2.5.2, a PostScript interpreter that +can output in a variety of formats, including X11 preview, xcolors, a +program for X11 to show colors on screen, xviewgl, a program to view +GL animation files, and xman-groff, a version of xman that uses groff +(the xman in the Xfree86-1.1 distribution uses nroff). + Nicolai said that all ports were trivial, so no sources or patches +were provided. The packages contain binaries, auxiliary files, and +any included documentation. The programs were compiled with gcc +2.2.2d7 for Xfree86-1.1, and use jump tables. + FTP: nic.funet.fi and tsx-11.mit.edu: gs252.tar.Z, xcolors.Z, +xviewgl.tar.Z, xman-groff.T.Z. (No directories given in annoucement.) + (Source: <1992Oct14.085547.18773@ifi.uio.no>) + + +October 14. Michael O'Reilly said that his program for running +multiple sessions (including file transfer) over a modem line was up +for ftp. He claims it is more efficient than SLIP. His program +features compression and error correction (since his modem doesn't). + FTP: tartarus.uwa.edu.au: /pub/oreillym/term061.tar.Z + (Source: <1bhdgbINNfhp@tartarus.uwa.edu.au>) + + +October 15. The eagerly awaited update of SLS to version 0.98 came +this week. The first versions had problems with file permissions and +similar things, but things should have settled down now and the +current version should be fairly ok. The kernel is version 0.98pl1. + Peter MacDonald, who does the SLS release, reports that most of the +problems were due to doing a release too quickly, and that that was +because of to too many people putting pressure on him to release +quickly, and notes that patience is a major virtue for Linux users. +Hopefully people will be a bit more patient in the future, so that new +releases don't have to be followed by several fixes in a couple of +days. + If you have downloaded some of the earlier versions of 0.98, you +can update using the SLS update mechanism (see SLS documentation), +instead of getting everything again. [ There was a new fix announced +October 16. It fixes an installation problem with soft links. Get +the newest a4/zafixtaz or Perms.fix. ] + SLS is an easily installed Linux distribution package, with all of +the important (and much of the unimportant) software included in a +hopefully coherent whole. SLS and MCC (another similar package) are +the recommended starting places if you are new to Linux. + FTP: tsx-11.mit.edu:pub/linux/SLS/ + (Source: <1992Oct15.140231.24734@athena.mit.edu>) + + +October 15. R. Ramesh announced his upload of a kermit binary to +tsx-11. This is version 5A(183), and is compiled with gcc 222d7 and +jump 4.1. + This is a beta version of kermit. The original source supports +Linux (makefile target linuxgcc2), so porting is not needed. + Ramesh also said that he had uploaded groff 1.05 and utila-1.0 +compiled with gcc 2.2.2d7 and jump table 4.1, but that announcement +had disappeared. Further, he said that the faith_FSF stuff on tsx-11 +should no longer be used, since they have been made obsolete newer +uploads. + FTP: tsx-11.mit.edu (filename not given in announcement), +watson.cc.columbia.edu: /kermit/sw/ck183.tar.Z (original source) + (Source: <1992Oct15.152945.10690@utdallas.edu>) + + +October 15 and 16. Peter Williams said that he had made a binaries of +version 5.495 of dvips (a TeX .dvi file to PostScript converter) +available. + He said that the compilation is straightforward, but that it +requires the standard Unix line editor ed, which is not very common on +Linux systems. He did point to a version available on tsx-11. + FTP: archsci.arch.su.edu.au (129.78.66.1): +pub/linux/tex-etc/Jump.4.1.version/dvips5495.T.Z (Linux binaries); +labrea.stanford.edu: pub/dvips5495.tar.Z, pub/dvips5493lib.tar.Z +(original sources); tsx-11.mit.edu: pub/linux/apps/ed.c (ed source for +Linux) + (Sources: <1992Oct15.234923.18691@ucc.su.OZ.AU> +<1992Oct16.023526.964@ucc.su.OZ.AU>) + + +**** Xref section + +Linux has been mentioned and is expected to be mentioned in the near +future in various magazines. This is a summary of what has been +discussed on comp.os.linux and sent to me via mail. I have not been +able to verify most of the reports, since I do not have access to most +of these magazines (neither does Linus, btw; he probably doesn't mind +getting a copy, hint, hint). If you know of additional articles (or +books :-), send me a note. + +iX, a small German magazine, had an article in issue ??? about Linux. +(This one I have seen.) + +Computer Shopper, a US publication (I think), has an article in the +September issue that compares Unices for 386's and mentions Linux and +386BSD shortly. + +SuperASCII, a Japanese magazine, has an article in VOL.3 #10 October +1992. This is a comparison of BSD, Mach, Linux, and others. Linux +gets 8 pages, including instructions on how to get and install it. + +UnixWorld and Unix Review, two American magazines, mention Linux in +their October issues (only a line each or so, though). + +Algorithm, a hobbyist magazine, devotes most of its MicroScope column +to Linux in the October-November issue. The column is written by +Claude Morin. + +C'T, a German magazine, has an article on Linux in the November issue +(out October 15). The article is reported to be pretty positive. I +was told that it discusses Linux in general, history, development, +properties, hardware requirements, features, some of the available +software, and how to get it via FTP, but not installation, or newbie +advice. It also discusses the distributed development. + +ComputerTotaal, probably a Dutch magazine, will have an article about +Linux in the December issue, by Hans Oey and Joost Helberg. + +Source posts: +<1992Oct14.181622.16550@fwi.uva.nl> +<WIDMER.92Oct15172317@sas.zzz.pe.u-tokyo.ac.jp> +<1992Oct15.135102.20986@cs.ucla.edu> +<2950@nlsun1.oracle.nl> +<Bw6Gsn.9p1@ais.org> +<1992Oct16.031804.18362@julian.uwo.ca> |