annotate GETTING.GNU.SOFTWARE @ 16945:d6cd00b2e214

(isnan): Define even if LISP_FLOAT_TYPE is not defined, since fmod might need it. (fmod): Ensure that the magnitude of the result does not exceed that of the divisor, and that the sign of the result does not disagree with that of the dividend. This does not yield a particularly accurate result, but at least it will be in the range promised by fmod.

-*- text -*-
		  Getting GNU Software, 21 Mar 93
Copyright (C) 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.


	Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim
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* GNU and the Free Software Foundation

Project GNU is organized as part of the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
The Free Software Foundation has the following goals: 1) to create GNU
as a full development/operating system.  2) to distribute GNU and
other useful software with source code and permission to copy and
redistribute.

Further information on the rationale for GNU is in file
`/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/GNU' (all files referred to are on the Internet host
prep.ai.mit.edu).

Information on GNU Internet mailing lists and gnUSENET newsgroups can
be found in `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/MAILINGLISTS'.

* How To Get The Software

The easiest way to get a copy of the distribution is from someone else
who has it.  You need not ask for permission to do so, or tell any one
else; just copy it.  The second easiest is to ftp it over the
Internet.  The third easiest way is to uucp it.  Ftp and uucp
information is in `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/FTP'.

If you cannot get a copy any of these ways, or if you would feel more
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Free Software Foundation.  See `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/DISTRIB' and
`/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/ORDERS'.

* What format are the *.gz files in?

Because the unix `compress' utility is patented (by two separate
patents, in fact), we cannot use it; it's not free software.

Therefore, the GNU Project has chosen a new compression utility,
`gzip', which is free of any known software patents and which tends to
compress better anyway.  As of March 1993, all compressed files in the
GNU anonymous FTP area, `prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu', have been
converted to the new format.  Files compressed with this new
compression program end in `.gz' (as opposed to `compress'-compressed
files, which end in `.Z').

Gzip can uncompress `compress'-compressed files and `pack' files
(which end in `.z').  This is possible because the various
decompression algorithms are not patented---only compression is.

The gzip program is available from any GNU mirror site in shar, tar,
or gzipped tar format (for those who already have a prior version of
gzip and want faster data transmission).  It works on virtually every
unix system, MSDOS, OS/2, and VMS.

* Available Software

** GNU Emacs

The GNU Emacs distribution includes: 	
	- manual source in TeX format.
	- an enhanced regex (regular expression) library.

See `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/MACHINES' for the status of porting Emacs to
various machines and operating systems.

** C Scheme - a block structured dialect of LISP.

The Free Software Foundation distributes C Scheme for the MIT Scheme
Project on it tapes.  A partial ftp distribution can be found on
prep.ai.mit.edu.  The full ftp distribution can be found on
zurich.ai.mit.edu.

Problems with the C Scheme distribution and its ftp distribution
should be referred to: <[e-mail]>.  There are
two general mailing lists: <[e-mail]>and
<[e-mail]>.  Send requests to join either list to:
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** Other GNU Software

A full list of available software are in `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/ORDERS' and
`/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/DESCRIPTIONS'.

* No Warranties

We distribute software in the hope that it will be useful, but without
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* If You Like The Software

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For more information on GNU and the Foundation, contact us at Internet
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