![[image of the Head of a GNU]](/graphics/gnu-head-sm.jpg)
GNU's Who
Administrivia and Copyright
Other GPL'ed Software
What Is the FSF?
What Is Copyleft?
What Is a GNU/Linux system?
Become a Patron of the FSF
Help from Free Software Companies
Free Software Redistributors Donate
Toyota's Donation
University or Software Company?
Bad News and Good News about Pine
What Is the LPF?
What Is the Hurd?
GNUs Flashes
Astronomical Analysis Systems Freed
Free Music Philosophy
Help the GNU Translation Project
GNU & Other Free Software in Japan
Forthcoming GNUs
Free Software Support
GNU Software
Configuring GNU Software
GNU Software Currently Available
Program/Package Cross Reference
CD-ROMs
Pricing of the GNU CD-ROMs
What do the Different Prices Mean?
Why Is There an Individual Price?
Is There a Maximum Price?
January 1997 Compiler Tools Binaries CD-ROM
Source Code CD-ROMs
January 1997 Source Code CD-ROMs
July 1996 Source Code CD-ROMs
CD-ROM Subscription Service
The Deluxe Distribution
GNU Documentation
How to Get GNU Software
FSF T-shirt
Free Software for Microcomputers
Project GNU Wish List
Thank GNUs
Donations Translate Into Free Software
Cygnus Matches Donations!
Free Software Foundation Order Form
Address Page
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Thomas Bushnell, n/BSG (whose name used to be Michael) and Miles Bader work on the Hurd. Karl Heuer enhances Emacs and with Ian Murdock is in charge of making Deluxe Distributions. Jim Blandy is working on GUILE, GNU's Ubiquitous Intelligent Language for Extension, and Teak, a desktop interface.
Melissa Weisshaus is working on special documentation projects.
Peter H. Salus is our Vice President in charge of fund raising, publishing, conferences, tutorials, and managing the non-technical side of the FSF. Prof. Masayuki Ida is our Vice President for Japan. He is organizing Japanese seminars, working with GNU's friends in Japan, etc. Tami Friedman RN, BSN is our GNUrse. She also attends to most of the administrative work in the office. Brian Youmans is our Distribution Manager and handles online inquiries. Robert J. Chassell is our Secretary/Treasurer. Daniel Hagerty and Carol Botteron have left the FSF, but continue to volunteer for GNU. We thank them for their hard work.
Thanks to volunteer Scott Ewing for helping to coordinate all the volunteers in the GNU Project. Thanks to volunteers Joel Ray Holveck and Paul van Gool who coordinate our volunteer system administrators: Derek Davies, Nicolai Guba, Paul Guglielmino, Craig Hagan, Martin Hamilton, Kevin Harris, Kirk Vogelsang, Stephen Smoogen, and Marc Schaefer, who we also thank. Richard Stallman continues as a volunteer who does countless tasks, such as Emacs maintenance. Volunteers Phil Nelson and Len Tower work on our Web site. Len also remains our online JOAT (jack-of-all-trades), for mailing lists, gnUSENET newsgroups, information requests, etc.
Written & Edited by:
Jonathan P. Tuttle,
Robert J. Chassell,
&
Len Tower Jr.
Illustrations by: Etienne Suvasa
Japanese Edition by: Mieko Hikichi and Nobuyuki Hikichi
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number): 1075-7813
The GNU's Bulletin is published at the end of January and the end of July each year. Please note that there is no postal mailing list. To get a copy, send your name and address with your request to the address on the top menu. Enclosing $1.00 in U.S. Postage and/or a donation of a few dollars is appreciated but not required. If you're outside the USA, sending a mailing label and enough International Reply Coupons for a package of about 100 grams is appreciated but not required. (Including a few extra International Reply Coupons for copying costs is also appreciated.)
Copyright (C) 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim copies of this document, 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.
We maintain a list of copylefted software that we do not presently
distribute. FTP the file
`/pub/gnu/GPLedSoftware' from a GNU FTP host (listed in section How to Get GNU Software).
Please let us know of additional programs we should mention.
We don't list Emacs Lisp Libraries;
host archive.cis.ohio-state.edu has a list of those you can FTP
in the file `/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive/LCD-datafile.Z'.
The Free Software Foundation is dedicated to eliminating restrictions on people's right to use, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. We do this by promoting the development and use of free software. Specifically, we are putting together a complete, integrated software system named "GNU" ("GNU's Not Unix", pronounced "guh-noo") that will be upwardly compatible with Unix. Most parts of this system are already being used and distributed.
The word "free" in our name refers to freedom, not price. You may or may not pay money to get GNU software, but either way you have three specific freedoms once you get it: first, the freedom to copy a program, and distribute it to your friends and co-workers; second, the freedom to change a program as you wish, by having full access to source code; third, the freedom to distribute a modified version and thus help build the community. Free software means you can study the source and learn how such programs are written; it means you can port it or improve it, and then share your work with others.
If you redistribute GNU software, you may charge a distribution fee or you may give it away, so long as you include the source code and the GNU General Public License; see section What Is Copyleft?, for details.
Other organizations distribute whatever free software happens to be available. By contrast, the Free Software Foundation concentrates on the development of new free software, working towards a GNU system complete enough to eliminate the need to use a proprietary system.
Besides developing GNU, the FSF distributes GNU software and manuals for a distribution fee, and accepts gifts (tax-deductible in the U.S.) to support GNU development. Most of the FSF's funds come from its distribution service.
The Board of the Foundation is: Richard M. Stallman, President;
Robert J. Chassell, Secretary/Treasurer; Gerald J. Sussman,
Harold Abelson, and Leonard H. Tower Jr., Directors.
The simplest way to make a program free is to put it in the public domain, uncopyrighted. But this permits proprietary modified versions, which deny others the freedom to redistribute and modify; such versions undermine the goal of giving freedom to all users. To prevent this, copyleft uses copyrights in a novel manner. Typically, copyrights take away freedoms; copyleft preserves them. It is a legal instrument that requires those who pass on a program to include the rights to use, modify, and redistribute the code; the code and the freedoms become legally inseparable.
The copyleft used by the GNU Project is made from the combination of a regular copyright notice and the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL is a copying license which basically says that you have the aforementioned freedoms. An alternate form, the GNU Library General Public License (LGPL), applies to a few (but not most) GNU libraries. This license permits linking the libraries into proprietary executables under certain conditions. The appropriate license is included in each GNU source code distribution and in many manuals. Printed copies are available upon request.
We strongly encourage you to copyleft your programs and documentation, and we have made it as simple as possible for you to do so. The details on how to apply either form of GNU Public License appear at the end of each license.
by Richard M. Stallman
A GNU/Linux system is a system which is a combination of Linux and GNU.
Linux is a kernel, compatible with the Unix kernel, written by Linus Torvalds. There are several different distributions available via FTP and CD-ROM. None are distributed by the FSF at this time.
GNU is a Unix-like operating system. We started the GNU Project in 1984 with the aim of bringing such a system into existence. A Unix-like operating system consists of many components; we had to obtain each of the important components somehow. The job was so large that many of the people who sympathized with the goal were discouraged from attempting it, but we decided we would reach the goal no matter how long it took.
We found some components already available as free software--for example, the X Window System & TeX. Naturally we decided to use them, since the job was big enough even with short cuts. We got other components by helping to convince their developers to free them--for example, the Berkeley network utilities.
The rest of components, we had to write. These include Emacs, the GNU C & C++ compilers & libraries, Bash, Ghostscript, Groff, & many others.
All of these various components--those we wrote, those we helped make free, and those we found already available--together make up the GNU system.
Until recently, users couldn't run the GNU system, because one part (the kernel; see section What Is the Hurd?) was not yet ready. (We made the first test release a half year ago.) However, for a couple of years now, it has been possible to put together the Linux kernel and the almost-complete GNU system, resulting in a complete Unix-like free operating system suitable for actual use.
While commonly referred to as "Linux systems", we prefer the term "Linux-based GNU systems," or "GNU/Linux systems" for short, since these systems are mostly the same as the GNU system. This gives Linus credit for the kernel that he wrote, while still indicating that these systems as a whole are essentially variants of the GNU system.
We also occasionally use the term "GNU/Hurd system" to emphasize that we mean a version of the GNU system which uses the Hurd rather than Linux.
We think it is proper to give the GNU Project credit for making the free Unix-like system that it set out for a decade ago. But there is a more important reason for friends of GNU to use names like "Linux-based GNU system" instead of "Linux system." This is to help spread the GNU Project's philosophical idea: that there is ethical importance in freeing users to share software and cooperate in improving it; that free software belongs to a community, and people who benefit from the community should feel a moral obligation to help build the community when they have a chance.
When users install a system which they call "Linux," they can easily miss ever seeing the GNU idea. When businesses promote a system and call it "Linux," they can easily avoid bringing the GNU idea to users' attention. And if the GNU idea is not widely known, fewer people will write free software.
A conference was recently announced on the topic of developing "Linux applications"; although the conference is about using the GNU system, the conference announcement did not mention GNU.
The announcement does not even hint that there is any ethical reason to contribute to free software. On the contrary, it offers a panel entitled, "Licenses and licensing--I don't want to give away my application!!!" (The three `!' marks appear in the announcement). Even the title encourages people writing new software (which could enhance all free operating systems) to make it proprietary instead, thus contributing nothing to the free software community.
It would be harder to express that attitude if everyone knew that the topic is a variant of the GNU system. It is up to you and us to make sure they know. To do that, we have to inform people using variant GNU systems that that is what they are doing.
So please use "Linux-based GNU system" or "GNU/Linux" when you talk about a system which is a combination of Linux & GNU. At first, it may feel strange to go against the flow, but think how much more "against the flow" it was to start writing a free operating system. We did it, and you can do it.
The Free Software Foundation wants to acknowledge its supporters and contributors in a more visible fashion. You can now become an "official" supporter of the FSF.
The Free Software Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization; all contributions are tax deductible in the US.
In adddition to their conference donation, Red Hat Software has agreed to donate $1.00 to the FSF for every copy of Red Hat Archives sold. They have also added a GNU logo to the back of that CD with the words "Supports the Free Software Foundation".
The SNOW 2.1 CD producers added the words "Includes $5 donation to the FSF" to the front of their CD. Potential buyers will know just how much of the price is for the FSF & how much is for the redistributor.
The Sun Users Group Deutschland has made it even clearer: their CD says, "Price 90 DM, + 12 DM donation to the FSF." We thank them for their contribution to our efforts.
Kyoto Micro Computer of Japan regularly gives us 10% of their GNU-related sales.
Mr. Hiroshi, Mr. Kojima, and the other authors of the Linux Primer in Japan have donated money from the sales of their book.
Infomagic has continued to make sizeable donations to the FSF.
At the request of author Arnold Robbins, Specialized Systems Consultants, Inc. continues to donate 3% of their profits from selling Effective AWK Programming. We would also like to acknowledge the many SSC authors who have donated their royalties and fees to the FSF.
In the long run, the success of free software depends on how much new free software people develop. Free software distribution offers an opportunity to raise funds for such development in an ethical way. These redistributors have made use of the opportunity. Many others let it go to waste.
You can help promote free software development by convincing for-a-fee redistributors to contribute--either by doing development themselves or by donating to development organizations (the FSF and others).
The way to convince distributors to contribute is to demand and expect this of them. This means choosing among distributors partly by how much they give to free software development. Then you can show distributors they must compete to be the one who gives the most.
To make this work, you must insist on numbers that you can compare, such as, "We will give ten dollars to the Foobar project for each disk sold." A vague commitment, such as "A portion of the profits is donated," doesn't give you a basis for comparison. Even a precise fraction "of the profits from this disk" is not very meaningful, since creative accounting and unrelated business decisions can greatly alter what fraction of the sales price counts as profit.
Also, press developers for firm information about what kind of development they do or support. Some kinds make much more long-term difference than others. For example, maintaining a separate version of a GNU program contributes very little; maintaining a program on behalf of the GNU Project <contributes much. Easy new ports contribute little, since someone else would surely do them; difficult ports such as adding a new CPU to the GNU compiler or Mach contribute more; major new features & programs contribute the most.
By establishing the idea that supporting further development is "the proper thing to do" when distributing free software for a fee, we can assure a steady flow of resources for making more free software.
When choosing a free software business, ask those you are considering how much they do to assist free software development, e.g., by contributing money to free software development or by writing free software improvements themselves for general use. By basing your decision partially on this factor, you can help encourage those who profit from free software to contribute to its growth.
Wingnut (SRA's special GNU support group) regularly donates a part of its income to the FSF to support the development of new GNU programs. Listing them here is our way of thanking them. Wingnut has made a pledge to donate 10% of their income to the FSF, and has purchased several Deluxe Distribution packages in Japan. Also see section Cygnus Matches Donations!.
Wingnut Project
Software Research Associates, Inc.
1-1-1 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102, Japan
Phone: (+81-3)3234-2611
Fax: (+81-3)3942-5174
E-mail: info-wingnut@sra.co.jp
WWW: `http://www.sra.co.jp/public/sra/product/wingnut/'
The VSC Research and Development group of Toyota Motor Corporation sent us a note saying that the FSF's "high quality software makes our work easier, and we value it greatly.... Recently we have received some prizes and monetary awards for our work. We believe we would not have received these without your software." They are donating half of the award to the FSF & hope that publication in the bulletin may encourage further donations from others.
In academe, we like to think that a university has a mission--advancing and disseminating knowledge. For today's university administrators, though, perpetuation of the university has become an end in itself, never mind how or why. In their blind determination to "keep the university afloat," they forget why it was launched.
If you work for a university, or study at one, don't assume it is immune to this problem. When you write a program, don't let the university administration decide whether to share it or not. Instead, insist on a detailed written statement saying that you can share your work with the public, and don't wait to finish your program before you get the statement signed!
If you need help, contact the Free Software Foundation; we will be glad to help you overcome this obstacle to make your software free. Address the issue early--the sooner you deal with the problem, the more likely you can solve it.
Pine is a simple electronic mail reader for beginning users, which we have included on our Source CDs since 1995.
In March of 1996, the Pine developers released a new version with new usage restrictions. The new terms do not permit everyone to redistribute, and do not in general permit distribution of modified versions. Either restriction would be enough to prevent Pine from being free software. This and subsequent versions are off-limits for the free software community.
The previous versions of Pine remain free. However, no substantial program is bug-free, and every program needs to be maintained. So in April 1996, the FSF recruited a team of volunteers to carry on development of a free mail reader based on the last available free release of Pine (3.91). (To avoid trademark issues, our version will likely be released under a different name.)
Forking a program is unfortunate; people should try their best to work together before giving up and working separately. So before embarking on separate development, we tried our best to persuade the old developers to make their work free software once again. In the end, though, they rejected our plea.
The good news is that the team of volunteers has done substantial work, and we hope for a release soon.
The League for Programming Freedom (LPF) aims to protect the freedom to write software. This freedom is threatened by "look-and-feel" interface copyright lawsuits and by software patents.
The League is a grass-roots organization of professors, students, business people, programmers, users, & even software companies dedicated to bringing back the freedom to write programs. The League isn't opposed to the legal system that Congress intended--copyright on individual programs. The League aims to reverse recent changes made by judges in response to special interests.
Membership dues in the League are $42 per year for programmers, managers, and professionals; $10.50 for students; $21 for others.
To join, please send a check and the following information:
The League is not connected with the Free Software Foundation, and is not concerned with the issue of free software. The FSF supports the League because, like any software developer smaller than Microsoft, it is endangered by software patents and interface copyrights. You are in danger, too! It would be easy to ignore the problem until you or your employer is sued, but it is more prudent to organize before that happens.
If you haven't made up your mind yet, write for more information:
League for Programming Freedom One Kendall Square - #143 P.O. Box 9171 Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Electronic-Mail:lpf@uunet.uu.netWorld Wide Web: `http://www.lpf.org/' FTP:ftp.uu.net:/doc/lpf
The Hurd is a collection of server processes that run on top of Mach, a free message-passing microkernel developed at CMU. The Hurd and Mach together form the kernel of the GNU/Hurd operating system. The GNU C Library implements the Unix "system call" interface by sending messages to Hurd servers as appropriate.
The Hurd allows users to create and share useful projects without knowing much about the internal workings of the system--projects that might never have been attempted without freely available source, a well-designed interface, and a multiple server design. The Hurd is thus like other expandable GNU software, e.g. Emacs and GUILE.
Currently, there are free ports of the Mach kernel to the 386 PC, the DEC PMAX workstation, and several other machines, with more in progress, including the Amiga, PA-RISC HP 700, & DEC Alpha-3000. Contact us if you want to help with one of these or start your own. Porting the GNU Hurd & GNU C Library is easy (easier than porting GNU Emacs, certainly easier than porting the compiler) once a Mach port to a particular platform exists. Right now we are using the University of Utah's Mach distribution (see `http://www.cs.utah.edu/projects/flux/') which we hope will be unified with the distribution produced by the Open Software Foundation.
We have made several test releases of the Hurd. See section GNUs Flashes, for recent progress.
We need help with significant Hurd-related projects.
Experienced system programmers who are interested should send mail
to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu. Porting the Mach kernel or the GNU C
Library to new systems is another way to help.
You can obtain test releases of the Hurd from a GNU FTP host (listed in section How to Get GNU Software) along with complete binaries for an i386 GNU system. We will not be distributing these on CD-ROM until they are more stable.
gforth,
gpc,
<Meta-HTML>,
stow,
units,
VRweb,
wget,
windows32api,
and
xinfo.
On the CD-ROMs are full distributions of X11R6.3, MIT Scheme, Emacs,
GCC, and current versions of all other GNU Software.
See section GNU Software, for more about these packages.
We hope to include more systems with each update of this CD-ROM. If you can help build binaries for new systems or have one to suggest, please contact us at either address on the top menu. For more information, see section January 1997 Compiler Tools Binaries CD-ROM.
gpc, stagnated for some years,
but should be released by the time you read this. See
`http://agnes.dida.physik.uni-essen.de/~gnu-pascal'.
Also being developed are SCSH-compatible system call & Tk interfaces, a module system, dynamic linking support, & a byte-code interpreter. Support for Emacs Lisp & a more C-like language is coming.
units
Adrian Mariano is doing GNU's version of the traditional Unix
units program. It converts a quantity expressed in one scale
to another scale.
install-info program that packages can use to
update the `dir' file automatically when they install their Info
files.
schelter@math.utexas.edu.
www-html mailing list.
It composites all other known
versions, and allows World Wide Web designers to use
recent experimental additions in a rational and structured manner.
It comes with a .ced file for
GNU Emacs/psgml-mode and can be gotten at
`ftp://www.ucc.ie/pub/html/htmlpro.{zip|tar.gz|zip.hqx}'.
<Meta-HTML> is a programming language specifically designed to work
within the environment of the World Wide Web. Although it is a genuine
programming language, suitable for large-scale symbolic manipulation,
<Meta-HTML>
also provides the most commonly wanted Web functionality as built-in
primitives, so you don't have to write them. You can find out more
about the theory of implementation in this white paper
`http://www.metahtml.com/meta-html/manifesto.html'.
Web pages are authored using HTML and <Meta-HTML> statements freely
intermixed. When a page is requested by a browser, the page is passed
through the <Meta-HTML> engine, which
dynamically
processes any
<Meta-HTML> statements to produce a final HTML page which is delivered
to the browser.
The source distribution provides several different interpreter options:
a CGI engine which can be run by any Unix Web server;
a full-featured Web server (mhttpd) with the interpreter built in;
a standalone processor, much like Perl or Tcl; and
an interactive debugger, with a feel similar to GDB (mdb).
There is a user mailing list: metahtml-users@metahtml.com.
You can subscribe on the Web at `http://www.metahtml.com/E-Mail/',
or by sending mail to metahtml-users-request@metahtml.com.
Pre-compiled distribution sets for some systems are available via the
<Meta-HTML> Web site at `http://www.metahtml.com'.
For more information, visit `http://www.shef.ac.uk/~nqs'.
Viewfax can look at any g3- or g4-coded fax file, including multipage tiff/f files, so it can be part of a document archiving system: you could scan b/w documents & store them as g4-compressed tiff files; then view them later with viewfax.
VRweb is a joint project of IICM (home of Hyper-G), NCSA (home of Mosaic), & the University of Minnesota (home of Gopher). The software is freely available in binary & source. VRweb 1.2 for Unix has just been released, VRweb 1.2 for Windows will follow in due course. You can download VRweb from `ftp://iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/pub/Hyper-G/VRweb/UNIX' and numerous mirror sites. Further information on VRweb can be found at `http://hyperg.iicm.tu-graz.ac.at/vrweb'.
VRML is a non-proprietary, platform-independent file format for 3D graphics on the Internet. Also see `http://www.sdsc.edu/vrml/', the VRML Repository.
by Dr. Joseph Harrington, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
In the past year, three of the five most popular data reduction packages in astronomy have changed to free licensing. This is an exciting development because it signals a shift in institutional thinking toward GPL. These packages typically contain 100 MB--1 GB of code and documentation. One is commercial (and remains proprietary) and the rest were developed as projects of observatory consortia. Prior licensing ranged from free-for-non-commercial to painfully negotiated, individual paper licenses. The institutions have conquered their fears and now trust the GPL to protect their interests.
The packages involved are:
AIPS++ - (C++ rewrite of Classic AIPS, first to go GPL in 1995) National Radio Astronomy Observatory & many others, GPL, `http://aips2.nrao.edu/aips++/docs/html/aips++.html';
Classic AIPS - Astronomical Image Processing System, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, GPL (new this year), `http://www.cv.nrao.edu/aips/aips-home.html';
IDL - Interactive Data Language, Research Systems, Inc., Proprietary license, `http://www.rsinc.com/idl/index.html';
IRAF - Image Reduction and Analysis Facility, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, (runs Kitt Peak National Observatory and others), License more permissive than GPL (new this year), `http://iraf.noao.edu/'; and
MIDAS - Munich Image Data Analysis System, European Southern Observatory, GPL (new this year), `http://www.eso.org/midas-info/midas.html'.
A table comparing many (mostly free) environments potentially useful to data analysis appears at `http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/barrett/IDAE/table.1.html'.
The owner of the commercial package was at a conference in September & says he believes strongly in object-only licensing (he gets $1500 per user). Most people at the conference & in the field at large strongly dislike the company's attitude & the restrictions placed on this work, & much of the discussion at a workshop on interactive data analysis environments centered on how to reproduce the functionality of this package's excellent routines in a free system. This will be Difficult, but the commitment appears to be there. A number of efforts have already been started, one of which (numerical Python, `http://www.python.org/') has the support of a major lab.
The Free Music Philosophy (FMP) is an idea that encourages free copying, distribution, and modification of music. As with free software, the word "free" refers to freedom, not price. The philosophy is that abridging the freedom of music is destructive to society. The FMP primarily refers to noncommercial use; commercial use is addressed elsewhere.
Compulsory licenses and tariff-based schemes free musical compositions and sound recordings (the two forms of copyright in music) to a limited degree for commercial purposes. Music is further freed by not abridging any noncommercial use. The FMP advocates voluntary freeing of music (primarily for noncommercial purposes, optionally for commercial purposes), to result in a society with enhanced freedoms. The FMP serves as an ethical guide and counters music industry propaganda.
Ram Samudrala has released his first album, Twisted Helices' Traversing a Twisted Path, utilizing the FMP. It has sold 700+ copies in its first seven months. There are many bands who have self-released albums, some on major labels, that have not sold as many copies, or, more importantly, have not seen revenues from the sale of even a single copy. While Samudrala has done aggressive marketing, he attributes a significant part of his success to the FMP.
Other bands have adopted this idea, motivated by ethics and the economic benefits of the publicity provided by freeing music. A prime example is the progressive-metal band Angra, who have sold 80,000+ of their first release. Due to limited distribution of the official recordings, several bootlegs have sprung up. Singer Andre Matos believes that the bootlegs have increased sales.
Thus it can be argued that free music is good marketing. However, freeing music must be motivated by ethics. The economic rationale is justification against critics who argue that it deprives artists of income. Supporters of the FMP are not opposed to musicians making an income from music, but feel it is unethical to engage in destructive practices to do so.
GNU is going international! Our Translation Project gets users, translators, & maintainers together, so GNU will gradually speak many native languages. As of November 1996, we have internationalized 26 GNU packages into 14 languages, using 133 translation files; the translation teams have 362 members.
To complete the GNU Translation Project, we need many people who like their own language and write it well, and who are also able to synergize with other translators speaking the same language as part of "translation teams".
If you want to start a new team, or want more information on existing teams
or other aspects of this project, write
gnu-translation@prep.ai.mit.edu. Also see section GNU Software,
for information about gettext, the tool the GNU Translation
Project uses to help translators and programmers.
Mieko (h-mieko@sra.co.jp) and Nobuyuki Hikichi
(hikichi@sra.co.jp) continue to volunteer for the GNU Project
in Japan. They translate each issue of this Bulletin into Japanese and
distribute it widely, along with the translation of Version 2 of the GNU
General Public License. This translation of the GPL is authorized by the
FSF and is available by anonymous FTP from ftp.sra.co.jp in
`/pub/gnu/local-fix/GPL2-j'. They are working on a formal
translation of the GNU Library General Public License. They also solicit
donations and offer GNU software consulting.
nepoch (the Japanese version of Epoch) & MULE are available and widely
used in Japan. MULE (the MULtilingual Enhancement of GNU Emacs) can handle
many character sets at once. Its features are being merged into the
principal version of Emacs. See section GNU Software, for more details on MULE.
The FSF does not distribute nepoch, but MULE is available on the
section January 1997 Source Code CD-ROMs.
FTP it from sh.wide.ad.jp in `/JAPAN/mule', or
etlport.etl.go.jp in `/pub/mule'.
The Village Center, Inc. prints a Japanese translation (ISBN 4-938704-02-1) of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual and puts the Texinfo source on various bulletin boards, and prints each issue of the Japanese GNU's Bulletin. They also publish Nobuyuki & Mieko's Think GNU (ISBN 4-938704-10-2); this may be the first non-FSF copylefted publication in Japan. They also redistribute GNU CD-ROMs at this bookstore:
Shosen Grande 1-3-2 Kanda Jinbo-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101, Japan Telephone: 03-3295-0011
Part of Village Center's profits are donated to the FSF. Their address is:
Village Center, Inc. 3-2 Kanda Jinbo-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101, Japan Telephone: 03-3221-3520 URL: http://www.villagecenter.co.jp/ URL: http://www.villagecenter.co.jp/gnu.html for GNU products info handling by Village Center
Addison-Wesley Publishers Japan Ltd. has printed Japanese translations of the GNU Make Manual (ISBN 4-7952-9627-X), the GAWK Manual (ISBN 4-7952-9672-8), & the Texinfo Manual (ISBN 4-7952-9684-7), & will print the Japanese GNU Emacs Manual 19.30, & Bison Manual, etc. Their address is:
Addison-Wesley Publishers Japan Ltd. Nichibou Bldg. 2F 1-2-2 Sarugaku-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101, Japan Telephone: 03-3291-4581
There is a mailing list in Japan to discuss both hardware & software which
is under the GNU General Public License. It provides information about
making your own computer system. The main language of the list is
Japanese. If you are interested in getting information or having
discussions in English, ask mka@apricot.juice.or.jp or
ishiz@muraoka.info.waseda.ac.jp.
Many groups in Japan now distribute GNU software. They include JUG, a PC user group; ASCII, a periodical and book publisher; the Fujitsu FM Towns users group; and SRA's special GNU users' support group, Wingnut, who also purchased the first Deluxe Distribution package in Japan (also see section Help from Free Software Companies). (Since then, there have been several other purchases of Deluxe Distribution packages in Japan.)
It is easy to place an order directly with the FSF from Japan, thus funding
new software. To get an FSF Order Form written in Japanese, ask
japan-fsf-orders@prep.ai.mit.edu.
We encourage you to buy our software CDs:
for example, 150 CD-ROM orders at the
corporate rate allow the FSF to hire a programmer for a year to write more
free software.
The Research Institute for Advanced Information Technology (AITEC) releases ICOT Free Software (IFS) to the public. IFS is a software archive in the field of parallel processing & knowledge processing developed at ICOT in the Fifth Generation Computer Project & its follow-on project. Besides IFS, AITEC has just started releasing many software programs developed at many groups through its research funding activities with release conditions similar to those of IFS. Through their web page, AITEC releases 20 major IFS programs & 22 programs developed through AITEC's research funding program.
As of the end of October 1996, over 4,600 persons have accessed AITEC's web page, & almost 29,000 IFS files have been transferred since the first release in 1992.
Newly developed software will be released to the public with conditions similar to those of IFS.
For now, the domain name will remain icot.or.jp. For more
information, please see URL `http://www.icot.or.jp/'.
The ImageSearcher is an object-oriented program to search images by
specifying properties of the image itself, without relying on the
name or attributes of the file. It searches focusing on typical color,
average luminance, nine colors, image extent, center spectra, etc.
It runs on VisualWorks 2.5.1 (Smalltalk). As a
result of the "eMMa Project" research sponsored by IPA and SRA
(written by Atsushi Aoki), the source code and documentation are
distributed under the GPL as free software, and are
available via FTP from host
ftp.sra.co.jp
in file
`/pub/lang/smalltalk/ipa/VisualWorks2.5/IPA006.tar.gz'.
Information about the current status of released GNU programs can be found in section GNU Software. Here is some news of future plans.
gss
gss is the GNU SQL Server. We expect to be making a test release soon.
locale & localedef programs, & catalogs for displaying
program messages in languages other than English (Ulrich again, the
Proceedings to the First Conference on Freely Redistributable
Software contains a paper about this work; to order a copy of the
Proceedings, see the FSF Order Form, in the centerfold).
The most progressive change is probably the complete thread-safeness.
Functions with a non-reentrant interface now have a reentrant
counterpart, others use internal locking. The whole standard I/O and
`nsswitch.conf' mechanism is thread safe. Together with a
separately available thread library the system now nearly 100%
conforms with the POSIX threads standard.
The library now builds as a shared library for systems that use the ELF
object file format. Included is the run-time loader (ld.so) which
sets up the shared libraries when a program runs; it works now with the
Hurd & Linux kernels, and is easy to port to other ELF systems such as SVR4
& Solaris 2.
mccallum@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
Also see `http://www.gnustep.org/'.
recode (For current status, see section GNU Software)
The next recode release should give more flexible control over
encodings of charsets, offer MIME conversions, & handle ISO-10646
(Unicode). It will install a library & support files to help work towards
internationalizing GNU.
For the second release, volunteers have offered to enhance Teak to browse FTP sites, tar files, etc. We have designed Teak around GUILE. which will simplify Teak, keep its user interface flexible, & allow easy interaction with other GNU programs. Teak's developer, Jim Blandy, also works on GUILE. Jim has put aside Teak to concentrate on GUILE; after enough progress has been made on GUILE, he will be resuming his work on Teak. Why do we call it Teak? "Because Teak makes a mighty fine desktop."
ptx (For current status, see section GNU Software)
The next release of ptx should offer contextualized support for SGML
texts as the first step towards a major overhaul for the package.
gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu.
f2c & GCC, see section GNU Software)
The GNU Fortran (g77) front end is stable, but more work is needed
to bring its overall packaging, feature set, and performance up to the
levels the Fortran community expects. Tasks to be done include: improving
documentation and diagnostics; speeding up compilation, especially for
large, densely initialized data tables; completing existing support for
INTEGER*2, INTEGER*8, and similar features; allowing
intrinsics in PARAMETER statements; and providing debug information
on COMMON and EQUIVALENCE variables. We don't know when
these things will be done, but hope some will be finished in the coming
months. You can speed progress by working on them or by offering funding.
A mailing list exists for announcements about g77. To subscribe,
ask info-gnu-fortran-request@prep.ai.mit.edu. To contact the
developer of g77 or get current status, write or finger
fortran@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
dictionary@gnu.ai.mit.edu or contact the FSF.
The Free Software Foundation does not provide technical support. Our mission is developing software, because that is the most time-efficient way to increase what free software can do. We leave it to others to earn a living providing support. We see programmers as providing a service, much as doctors and lawyers do now; both medical and legal knowledge are freely redistributable, but their practitioners charge for service.
The GNU Service Directory is a list of people who offer support & other consulting services. It is `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/SERVICE' on a GNU FTP host (listed in section How to Get GNU Software), on the World Wide Web at URL `http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/prep/service.html', in the file `etc/SERVICE' in the Emacs distribution, & the file `SERVICE' in the GCC distribution. Contact us to get it or to be listed in it. Service providers who share their income with the FSF are listed in section Help from Free Software Companies.
If you find a deficiency in any GNU software, we want to know. We have
many Internet mailing lists for bug reports, announcements, & questions.
They are also gatewayed into USENET news as our gnu.* newsgroups.
Both are listed in file
`/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/MAILINGLISTS' on a GNU FTP host (listed in section How to Get GNU Software),
in the file `etc/MAILINGLISTS' in the Emacs distribution,
at URL `http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/prep/mailinglists.html'
or request it from either address on
the top menu.
When we receive a bug report, we usually try to fix the problem. While our bug fixes may seem like individual assistance, they are not; they are part of preparing a new improved version that help all users. We may send you a patch for a bug so that you can help us test the fix and ensure its quality. If your bug report does not evoke a solution from us, you may still get one from another user on our bug report mailing lists. Otherwise, use the Service Directory.
Please do not ask us to help you install software or learn how to use it--but do tell us how an installation script fails or where documentation is unclear.
When choosing a service provider, ask those you are considering how much they do to assist free software development, e.g., by contributing money to free software development or by writing free software improvements themselves for general use. By basing your decision partially on this factor, you can encourage those who profit from free software to contribute to its growth.
All our software is available via FTP; see section How to Get GNU Software. We also offer section CD-ROMs, and printed section GNU Documentation, which includes manuals and reference cards. In the articles describing the contents of each medium, the version number listed after each program name was current when we published this Bulletin. When you order a newer CD-ROM, some of the programs may be newer and therefore the version number higher. See the see section Free Software Foundation Order Form, for ordering information.
Some of the contents of our FTP distributions are compressed. We
have software on our FTP sites to uncompress these files. Due to
patent troubles with compress, we use another compression program,
gzip. (Such prohibitions on software development are fought by the
League for Programming Freedom; see section What Is the LPF?, for details.)
You may need to build GNU make before you build our other software.
Some vendors
supply no make utility at all and some native make programs
lack the VPATH feature essential for using the GNU configure system
to its full extent. The GNU make sources have a shell script to
build make itself on such systems.
We welcome all bug reports and enhancements sent to the appropriate electronic mailing list (see section Free Software Support).
We are using Autoconf, a uniform scheme for configuring GNU software packages in order to compile them (see "Autoconf" and "Automake" below, in this article). The goal is to have all GNU software support the same alternatives for naming machine and system types.
Ultimately, it will be possible to configure and build the entire system all at once, eliminating the need to configure each individual package separately.
You can also specify both the host and target system to build cross-compilation tools. Most GNU programs now use Autoconf-generated configure scripts.
For future programs and features, see section Forthcoming GNUs.
Key to cross reference:
BinCD January 1997 Binaries CD-ROM SrcCD January 1997 Source CD-ROMs
[FSFman] shows that we sell a manual for that package. [FSFrc] shows we sell a reference card for that package. To order them, see the see section Free Software Foundation Order Form. See section GNU Documentation, for more information on the manuals. Source code for each manual or reference card is included with each package.
acm (SrcCD)
acm is a LAN-oriented, multiplayer, aerial combat simulation that
runs under the X Window System. Players engage in air to air combat
against one another using heat seeking missiles and cannons.
We are working on a more accurate simulation of real airplane flight
characteristics.
m4 macro calls. Autoconf
requires GNU m4 to operate, but the resulting configure scripts it
generates do not.
sh and offers many extensions found in csh and
ksh. BASH has job control, csh-style command history,
command-line editing (with Emacs and vi modes built-in), and the
ability to rebind keys via the readline library. BASH conforms to the
POSIX 1003.2-1992 standard.
bc (SrcCD)
bc is an interactive algebraic language with arbitrary precision
numbers. GNU bc follows the POSIX 1003.2-1992
standard with several extensions, including multi-character variable names,
an else statement, and full Boolean expressions.
The RPN calculator dc is now distributed as part of the same
package, but GNU bc is not implemented as a dc preprocessor.
ld or GDB) to support many
different formats in a clean way. BFD provides a portable interface, so
that only BFD needs to know the details of a particular format. One result
is that all programs using BFD will support formats such as a.out, COFF,
and ELF. BFD comes with Texinfo source for a manual (not yet
published on paper).
At present, BFD is not distributed separately; it is included with packages that use it.
ar,
c++filt,
demangle,
gas,
gprof,
ld,
nlmconv,
nm,
objcopy,
objdump,
ranlib,
size,
strings,
&
strip.
Binutils version 2 uses the BFD library. The GNU assembler, gas,
supports the a29k, Alpha, H8/300, H8/500, HP-PA, i386, i960, m68k, m88k, MIPS,
NS32K, SH, SPARC, Tahoe, Vax, and Z8000 CPUs, and attempts to be compatible
with many other assemblers for Unix and embedded systems. It can produce
mixed C and assembly listings, and includes a macro facility similar to
that in some other assemblers. GNU's linker, ld, emits source-line
numbered error messages for multiply-defined symbols and undefined
references, and interprets a superset of AT&T's Linker Command Language,
which gives control over where segments are placed in memory.
nlmconv converts object files into Novell NetWare Loadable Modules.
objdump can disassemble code for most of the CPUs listed above, and
can display other data (e.g., symbols and relocations) from any file format
read by BFD.
yacc. Texinfo source for the Bison Manual
and reference card are included.
malloc
which wastes less memory than the old GNU version.
GNU stdio lets you define new kinds of streams, just by writing a
few C functions. Two methods for handling translated messages help
writing internationalized programs & the user can adopt the
environment the program runs in to conform with local
conventions. Extended getopt functions are already used to
parse options, including long options, in many GNU utilities. The
name lookup functions now are modularized which makes it easier to
select the service which is needed for the specific database & the
document interface makes it easy to add new services. Texinfo source
for the GNU C Library Reference Manual is included
(see section GNU Documentation).
Previous versions of the GNU C library ran on a large number of
systems. The architecture-dependent parts of the C library have not been
updated since development on version 2.0 started, so today it
runs out of the box only on GNU/Hurd (all platforms GNU/Hurd
also runs on) & GNU/Linux (ix86, Alpha, m68k, work is in progress
for MIPS & Sparc). Other architectures will become available again
as soon as somebody does the port.
The distribution also includes the libstdc++ library. This implements library facilities defined by the forthcoming ANSI/ISO C++ standard, including strings, the iostream library, and a port of the Standard Template Library.
gnuplot, & comes with source for a manual & reference card
(see section GNU Documentation).
cfengine (SrcCD)
cfengine is used to maintain site-wide configuration of a
heterogeneous Unix network using a simple high level language. Its
appearance is similar to rdist, but allows many more operations
to be performed automatically.
See Mark Burgess, "A Site Configuration Engine", Computing
Systems, Vol. 8, No. 3 (ask office@usenix.org how to
get a copy).
xboard. Best results are obtained using
GNU C to compile GNU Chess.
Recent improvements include "configure"-capability, correct thinking on opponent's time, makefile for Windows NT, full Windows 95/NT compatibility, parallel Unix & Windows 95/NT versions, major crash bug fix & various other minor improvements & bug fixes.
Stuart Cracraft founded GNU Chess & is the project lead for the 10+ year history of GNU Chess. Acknowledgements for this past year's work include Chua Kong Sian, National Supercomputing Research Center, Singapore; & Conor McCarthy, Biomolecular/Biomed Science at Griffith University, Australia.
Send bugs to bug-gnu-chess@prep.ai.mit.edu &
general comments to info-gnu-chess@prep.ai.mit.edu.
Visit the author's website at `http://www.win.net/~msm/index.html'.
Play GNU Chess on the web at `http://www.delorie.com/game-room/chess'.
GCL compiles to C & then uses the native optimizing C compiler (e.g., GCC). A function with a fixed number of args & one value turns into a C function of the same number of args, returning one value--so GCL is maximally efficient on such calls. Its conservative garbage collector gives great freedom to the C compiler to put Lisp values in registers. It has a source level Lisp debugger for interpreted code & displays source code in an Emacs window. Its profiler (based on the C profiling tools) counts function calls & the time spent in each function.
There is now a built-in interface to the Tk widget system. It runs in a separate process, so users may monitor progress on Lisp computations or interact with running computations via a windowing interface.
There is also an Xlib interface via C (xgcl-2). CLX runs with GCL, as does PCL (see "PCL" later in this article).
GCL version 2.2.1 is released under the GNU Library General Public License.
cpio (SrcCD)
cpio is an archive program with all the features of SVR4
cpio, including support for the final POSIX 1003.1 ustar
standard. mt, a program to position magnetic tapes, is included with
cpio.
make and GNATS,
respectively.
DejaGnu comes with expect, which runs scripts to conduct dialogs
with programs.
diff compares files showing line-by-line changes in several
flexible formats. It is much faster than traditional Unix versions. The
Diffutils package has diff, diff3, sdiff, &
cmp.
Future plans include support
for internationalization (e.g., error messages in Chinese) & some
non-Unix PC environments, & a library interface that can be used by
other free software.
flex, & Binutils. Full source code is provided.
It needs at least 5MB of hard disk space to install & 512K
of RAM to use.
It supports SVGA (up to 1024x768),
XMS & VDISK memory allocation,
himem.sys,
VCPI (e.g., QEMM, DESQview, & 386MAX), &
DPMI (e.g., Windows 3.x, OS/2, QEMM, & QDPMI).
Version 2 was released in Feb. 1996, & needs a DPMI
environment; a free DPMI server is included.
FTP from ftp.simtel.net in
`/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/' (or a SimTel mirror site).
Ask listserv@delorie.com,
to join a DJGPP users mailing list.
dld (SrcCD)
dld is a dynamic linker written by W. Wilson Ho. Linking your
program with the dld library allows you to dynamically load object
files into the running binary. dld supports a.out object types on
the following platforms: Convex C-Series (BSD), i386/i486/Pentium (GNU/Linux),
Sequent Symmetry i386 (Dynix 3), Sun-3 (SunOS 3 & 4), Sun-4 (SunOS 4), &
VAX (Ultrix).
doschk (SrcCD)
This program is a utility to help software developers ensure
that their source file names are distinguishable on System V platforms with
14-character filenames and on MS-DOS systems with 8+3 character filenames.
ed (SrcCD)
ed is the standard text editor.
It is line-oriented and can be used interactively or in scripts.
archive.cis.ohio-state.edu in
`/pub/gnu/emacs/elisp-archive'.
es (SrcCD)
es is an extensible shell (based on rc) with first-class
functions, lexical scope, exceptions, and rich return values (i.e.,
functions can return values other than just numbers). es's
extensibility comes from the ability to modify and extend the shell's
built-in services, such as path searching and redirection. Like rc,
it is great for both interactive use and scripting, particularly since
its quoting rules are much less baroque than the C and Bourne shells.
enscript (SrcCD)
enscript is an upwardly-compatible replacement for the Adobe
enscript program. It formats ASCII files (outputting in Postscript)
and stores generated output to a file or sends it directly to the printer.
f2c Also see "Fortran" below & in section Forthcoming GNUs (SrcCD)
f2c converts Fortran-77 source into C or C++, which can be
compiled with GCC or G++. Get bug fixes by FTP from site
netlib.bell-labs.com or by email from
netlib@netlib.bell-labs.com.
For a summary, see the file `/netlib/f2c/readme.Z'.
ffcall (SrcCD)
ffcall is a C library for implementing foreign function calls in
embedded interpreters by Bill Triggs and Bruno Haible. It allows C
functions with arbitrary argument lists and return types to be called
or emulated (callbacks).
chgrp,
chmod,
chown,
cp,
dd,
df,
dir,
dircolors,
du,
install,
ln,
ls,
mkdir,
mkfifo,
mknod,
mv,
rm,
rmdir,
sync,
touch,
&
vdir.
find is frequently used both interactively and in shell scripts to
find files which match certain criteria and perform arbitrary operations on
them. Also included are locate, which scans a database for file
names that match a pattern, and xargs, which applies a command to a
list of files.
flex (BinCD, SrcCD) [FSFman, FSFrc]
flex is a replacement for the lex scanner generator.
flex was written by Vern Paxson of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
and generates far more efficient scanners than lex does.
Sources for the Flex Manual and reference card are included
(see section GNU Documentation).
g77) Also see section Forthcoming GNUs (SrcCD)
GNU Fortran (g77), developed by Craig Burley, is available for
public beta testing on the Internet. For now, g77 produces code
that is mostly object-compatible with f2c & uses the same
run-time library (libf2c).
bpltobzr,
bzrto,
charspace,
fontconvert,
gsrenderfont,
imageto,
imgrotate,
limn,
&
xbfe.
awk. It also provides several useful extensions not found in other
awk implementations. Texinfo source for the The GNU Awk
User's Guide comes with the software (see section GNU Documentation).
gcal (SrcCD)
gcal is a program for printing calendars. It displays different
styled calendar sheets, eternal holiday lists, and fixed date warning
lists.
object, but see "GNUstep" in
section Forthcoming GNUs).
As much as possible,
G++ is kept compatible with the evolving draft ANSI standard, but not
with cfront (AT&T's compiler), which has been diverging from ANSI.
GCC is a fairly portable optimizing compiler which performs many
optimizations.
They include:
automatic register
allocation, common sub-expression elimination (CSE) (including a certain
amount of CSE between basic blocks -- though not all the supported machine
descriptions provide for scheduling or delay slots), invariant code motion
from loops, induction variable optimizations, constant propagation, copy
propagation, delayed popping of function call arguments, tail recursion
elimination, integration of inline functions & frame pointer elimination,
instruction scheduling, loop unrolling, filling of delay slots, leaf function
optimization, optimized multiplication by constants, the ability to assign
attributes to instructions, & many local optimizations automatically deduced
from the machine description.
GCC can open-code most arithmetic on 64-bit values (type long long
int). It supports extended floating point (type long double) on
the 68k; other machines will follow. GCC supports full ANSI C, traditional
C, & GNU C extensions (including: nested functions support, nonlocal gotos,
& taking the address of a label).
GCC can generate a.out, COFF, ELF, & OSF-Rose files when used with a suitable assembler. It can produce debugging information in these formats: BSD stabs, COFF, ECOFF, ECOFF with stabs, & DWARF.
GCC generates code for many CPUs, including the a29k, Alpha, ARM, AT&T, DSP1610, Clipper, Convex cN, Elxsi, Fujitsu Gmicro, i370, i860, i960, MIL-STD-1750a, MIPS, ns32k, PDP-11, Pyramid, ROMP, RS/6000, SH, SPUR, Tahoe, VAX, & we32k.
Position-independent code is generated for the Clipper, Hitachi H8/300, HP--PA (1.0 & 1.1), i386/i486/Pentium, m68k, m88k, SPARC, & SPARClite.
Operating systems supported include: GNU/Hurd, GNU/Linux, ACIS, AIX, AOS, BSD, Clix, Concentrix, Ctix, DG/UX, Dynix, FreeBSD, Genix, HP-UX, Irix, ISC, Luna, LynxOS, Minix, NetBSD, NewsOS, NeXTStep, OS/2, OSF, OSF-Rose, RISCOS, SCO, Solaris 2, SunOS 4, System/370, SysV, Ultrix, Unos, VMS, & Windows/NT.
Using the configuration scheme for GCC, building a cross-compiler is as easy as building a native compiler.
Version 1 of GCC, G++, & libg++ are no longer maintained.
Texinfo source for the Using and Porting GNU CC manual is included with GCC (see section GNU Documentation).
GDB can debug both C & C++, & will work with executables
made by many different compilers; but, C++ debugging will have
some limitations if you do not use GCC.
GDB has a command line user interface, and Emacs has GDB mode as an
interface. Two X interfaces (not distributed or maintained by the FSF)
are: gdbtk (FTP it from ftp.cygnus.com in directory
`/pub/gdb'); and xxgdb (FTP it from ftp.x.org in
directory `/contrib/utilities').
Executable files and symbol tables are read via the BFD library, which
allows a single copy of GDB to debug programs with multiple object file
formats (e.g., a.out, COFF, ELF). Other features include a rich command
language, remote debugging over serial lines or TCP/IP, and watchpoints
(breakpoints triggered when the value of an expression changes).
GDB uses a standard remote interface to a simulator library which (so far)
has simulators for the
ARM,
Hitachi H8/300,
Hitachi H8/500,
Hitachi Super-H,
PowerPC,
WDC 65816,
&
Zilog Z8001/2.
GDB can perform cross-debugging. To say that GDB targets a platform
means it can perform native or cross-debugging for it. To say that GDB can
host a given platform means that it can be built on it, but cannot
necessarily debug native programs.
GDB can:
gdbm (SrcCD)
gdbm is the GNU replacement for the traditional dbm and
ndbm libraries. It implements a database using quick lookup by
hashing. gdbm does not ordinarily make sparse files (unlike its
Unix and BSD counterparts).
gettext Also see section Help the GNU Translation Project (SrcCD)
The GNU gettext tool set has everything maintainers need to
internationalize a package's user messages.
Once a package has been internationalized, gettext's many tools help
translators localize messages to their native language and automate
handling the translation files.
geomview See `http://www.geom.umn.edu/software/geomview' (SrcCD)
geomview is an interactive geometry viewing program, for UNIX systems
with Motif, using X, GL, or OpenGL graphics. It allows multiple independently
controllable objects and cameras.
geomview provides interactive control for motion, appearances
(including lighting, shading, and materials), picking on an object, edge
or vertex level, and snapshots in PPM or SGI image files, Postscript, and
Renderman RIB format.
geomview can be controlled through direct mouse
manipulation, control panels, and keyboard shortcuts. External programs
can also drive desired aspects of the viewer (such as continually loading
changing geometry or controlling the motion of certain objects) while
allowing interactive control of everything else.
gforth (SrcCD)
gforth is a fast, portable implementation of the ANS Forth language.
The current version of GNU Ghostscript, 3.33, includes nearly a full Postscript Level 2 interpreter and a PDF 1.0 interpreter. Significant new features include: support for anti-aliased characters; the ability to scan a directory and register all the fonts in it; support for Type 0 (Japanese / Chinese / Korean) fonts; and the ability to compile all the external initialization files into the executable. This version can also run as a 32-bit MS Windows application. Thanks to the generosity of URW++ (Hamburg, Germany), the low-quality bitmap-derived fonts distributed with older versions have been replaced with commercial-quality, hinted outline fonts. Ghostscript executes commands in the Postscript language by writing directly to a printer, drawing on an X window, or writing to files for printing later or manipulating with other graphics programs.
Ghostscript includes a C-callable graphics library (for client programs that do not want to deal with the Postscript language). It also supports i386/i486/Pentiums running DOS with EGA, VGA or SuperVGA graphics (but please do not ask the FSF staff any questions about this; we do not use DOS).
ghostview@cs.wisc.edu, created Ghostview, a
previewer for multi-page files with an X Window interface. Ghostview &
Ghostscript work together; Ghostview creates a viewing window & Ghostscript
draws in it.
gmp (SrcCD)
GNU mp is a library for arithmetic on arbitrary precision integers,
rational numbers, and floating-point numbers. It has a rich set of
functions with a regular interface.
A major new release, version 2, came out in Spring '96. Compared to previous versions, it is much faster, contains lots of new functions, & has support for arbitrary precision floating-point numbers.
cs.nyu.edu
and various mirror sites in `/pub/gnat'. SGI, DEC, and
Siemens Nixdorf have chosen GNU Ada 95 as the Ada compiler for their
systems. GNAT is maintained by Ada Core Technologies. For more
information, see `http://www.gnat.com'.
gnussl) (SrcCD)
GNUMATH is a library (gnussl) that simplifies scientific
programming in C & C++. Its focus is on problems that can be solved by a
straight-forward application of numerical linear algebra. It also handles
plotting. It is in beta release; it is expected to grow more
versatile & offer a wider scope in time.
gnuplot (SrcCD)
gnuplot is an interactive program for plotting mathematical
expressions and data. It plots both curves (2 dimensions) & surfaces (3
dimensions). It was neither written nor named for the GNU
Project; the name is a coincidence. Various GNU programs use
gnuplot.
gnuserv (SrcCD)
gnuserv is an enhanced version of Emacs' emacsclient
program. It lets the user direct a running Emacs to edit files or
evaluate arbitrary Emacs Lisp constructs from another process.
gperf (SrcCD)
gperf generates perfect hash tables.
The C version is in package cperf.
The C++ version is in libg++.
Both produce hash functions in either C or C++.
spline interpolation program; examples
of shell scripts using graph and plot; a statistics
toolkit; and output in TekniCAD TDA and ln03 file formats. Email bugs or
queries to Rich Murphey, Rich@lamprey.utmb.edu.
grep, egrep, and fgrep, which find
lines that match entered patterns. They are much faster than the
traditional Unix versions.
troff, &
includes:
eqn,
nroff,
pic,
refer,
tbl,
troff;
the
man,
ms,
&
mm macros;
& drivers for Postscript, TeX dvi format, the LaserJet 4 series
of printers, and typewriter-like devices. Groff's mm macro package
is almost compatible with the DWB mm macros with several extensions.
Also included is a modified version of the Berkeley me macros and an
enhanced version of the X11 xditview previewer. Written in C++,
these programs can be compiled with GNU C++ Version 2.7.2 or later.
Groff users are encouraged to contribute enhancements. Most needed
are complete Texinfo documentation, a grap emulation (a pic
preprocessor for typesetting graphs), a page-makeup postprocessor similar
to pm (see Computing Systems, Vol. 2, No. 2; ask
office@usenix.org how to get a copy), and an ASCII
output class for pic to integrate pic with
Texinfo. Questions and bug reports from users who have read the
documentation provided with Groff can be sent to
bug-groff@prep.ai.mit.edu.
gzip (SrcCD)
gzip can expand LZW-compressed files but uses another, unpatented
algorithm for compression which generally produces better results. It also
expands files compressed with System V's pack program.
hello (SrcCD)
The GNU hello program produces a familiar, friendly greeting. It
allows non-programmers to use a classic computer science tool which would
otherwise be unavailable to them. Because it is protected by the GNU
General Public License, users are free to share and change it.
hello is also a good example of a program that meets the GNU coding
standards. Like any truly useful program, hello contains a built-in
mail reader.
hp2xx (SrcCD)
GNU hp2xx reads HP-GL files, decomposes all drawing commands into
elementary vectors, and converts them into a variety of vector and raster
output formats. It is also an HP-GL previewer. Currently supported vector
formats include encapsulated Postscript, Uniplex RGIP, Metafont, various
special TeX-related formats, and simplified HP-GL (line drawing only)
for imports. Raster formats supported include IMG, PBM, PCX, & HP-PCL
(including Deskjet & DJ5xxC support). Previewers work under X11 (Unix),
OS/2 (PM & full screen), & MS-DOS (SVGA, VGA, & HGC).
indent (SrcCD)
GNU indent formats C source code into the GNU, BSD, K&R, or
your own special indentation style.
GNU indent is more robust & provides more functionality than other
such programs, including handling C++ comments.
It runs on Unix, DOS, VMS and ATARI systems.
The next version will also format C++ source code. A Java version may be considered in the future.
This release is mainly support the GNU Hurd, which is source compatible with BSD in many ways, & will probably only work on systems that are similarly compatible.
The FSF is not distributing JACAL on any physical media. You can FTP it or get it from the Web site below. Documentation is at `http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~jaffer/JACAL.html'.
less (SrcCD)
less is a display paginator similar to more and pg, but
with various features (such as the ability to scroll backwards) that most
pagers lack.
m4 (SrcCD)
GNU m4 is an implementation of the traditional Unix macro processor.
It is mostly SVR4 compatible, although it has some extensions (e.g.,
handling more than 9 positional parameters to macros). m4 also has
built-in functions for including files, running shell commands, doing
arithmetic, etc.
make (BinCD, SrcCD) [FSFman]
GNU make supports POSIX 1003.2 and has all but a few obscure
features of the BSD and System V versions of make, and runs on
MS-DOS, AmigaDOS, VMS, & Windows NT or 95, as well as all
Unix-compatible systems. GNU extensions include long options, parallel
compilation, flexible implicit pattern rules, conditional execution, &
powerful text manipulation functions. Source for the Make
Manual comes with the program (see section GNU Documentation).
mc) (SrcCD)
The Midnight Commander is a user friendly & colorful Unix file manager
& shell, useful to novice & guru alike. It has a built-in virtual file
system that manipulates files inside tar files or files
on remote machines using the FTP protocol. This mechanism is extendable
with external Unix programs.
mkisofs (SrcCD)
mkisofs is a pre-mastering program to generate an ISO 9660 file system.
It takes a snapshot of a directory tree, and makes a binary
image which corresponds to an ISO 9660 file system when written to a
block device.
It can also generate the System Use Sharing Protocol
records of the Rock Ridge Interchange Protocol
(used to further describe the files in an ISO 9660 file system to a Unix
host; it provides information such as longer filenames, uid/gid,
permissions, and device nodes).
The mkisofs program is often used with cdwrite.
The cdwrite program
works by taking the image that mkisofs generates and
driving a cdwriter drive to actually burn the disk.
cdwrite works under
GNU/Linux, and supports popular cdwriter drives.
Older versions of cdwrite
were included with older versions of mkisofs;
sunsite.unc.edu has the latest version:
`/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/cdwrite-2.0.tar.gz'.
mtools (SrcCD)
mtools is a set of public domain programs to allow Unix systems to
read, write, and manipulate files on an MS-DOS file system (usually a
diskette).
ncurses (SrcCD)
ncurses implements the Unix curses API for
developing screen-based programs that are terminal independent. It
is not merely an emulation of old (BSD) curses/termcap, but is fully
compatible with SVR4 curses/terminfo. It includes color, multiple-highlight,
& xterm mouse-event support.
nvi (SrcCD)
nvi is an implementation of the
ex/vi Unix editor. It has all the functionality of
the original ex/vi, except open mode & the lisp
edit option. Enhancements include multiple buffers, command-line editing &
path completion, integrated Perl5 & Tcl scripting languages, Cscope
support & tag stacks, 8-bit data support, infinite file/line lengths,
infinite undo, language catalogs, incremental search, extended regular
expressions, and security fixes.
It uses Autoconf for configuration and runs on any Unix-like
system.
gstep-base.tar.gz,
libgnustep-base) has general-purpose, non-graphical Objective-C
objects written by Andrew McCallum & others. It includes
collection classes for maintaining groups of objects, I/O streams, coders
for formatting objects & C types to streams, ports for network packet
transmission, distributed objects (remote object messaging), string
classes, invocations, notifications, event loops, timers, exceptions,
pseudo-random number generators,
& more. It has
the base classes for the GNUstep project; all but a few of them have
already been written. Send queries & bugs to
mccallum@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
See "GNUstep" in section Forthcoming GNUs.
gnuplot.
Version 2.0 of Octave was released in December '96.
It includes support for dynamically linked functions, user-defined data
types, many new functions, & a completely revised manual. Octave
works on most Unix systems & OS/2. A port to Windows NT/95 is underway.
p2c (SrcCD)
p2c is Dave Gillespie's Pascal-to-C translator. It inputs many
dialects (HP, ISO, Turbo, VAX, etc.) & generates readable,
maintainable, portable C.
patch (SrcCD)
patch is our version of Larry Wall's program to take diff's
output and apply those differences to an original file to generate the
modified version.
perl (SrcCD)
Larry Wall's perl combines the features & capabilities of C,
sed, awk, & sh, and provides interfaces to the Unix
system calls & many C library routines.
pine Also see section Bad News and Good News about Pine (SrcCD)
pine is a friendly menu-driven electronic mail manager and user
interface.
ptx Also see section Forthcoming GNUs (SrcCD)
GNU ptx is our version of the traditional permuted index
generator. It handles multiple input files at once, has TeX
compatible output, & outputs readable KWIC (KeyWords In Context)
indexes without using nroff.
It does not yet handle input files that do not fit in memory all at once.
rc (SrcCD)
rc is a shell that features a C-like syntax (much more so than
csh) and far cleaner quoting rules than the C or Bourne shells.
It's intended to be used interactively, but is also great for writing
scripts. It inspired the shell es.
diff, RCS can handle binary
files (8-bit data, executables, object files, etc).
RCS now conforms to GNU configuration standards & to POSIX 1003.1b-1993.
Also see the CVS item above.
recode Also see section Forthcoming GNUs (SrcCD)
GNU recode converts files between character sets and usages. When
exact transliterations are not possible, it may delete the offending
characters or fall back on approximations. This program recognizes or
outputs nearly 150 different character sets and is able to transliterate
files between almost any pair. Most RFC 1345 character sets are supported.
regex (SrcCD)
The GNU regular expression library supports POSIX.2, except for
internationalization features. It is included in many GNU programs which
do regular expression matching & is available separately. An alternate
regular expression package, rx, is faster than regex in many
cases; we were planning to replace regex with rx, but
it is not certain this will happen.
rx (SrcCD)
Tom Lord has written rx, a new regular expression library which is
faster than the older GNU regex library. It is being
distributed with sed.
rx is also an installation option for
fileutils, id-utils, and textutils,
and maybe for future versions of
cpio, m4 and ptx.
screen (SrcCD)
screen is a terminal multiplexer that runs several separate
"screens" (ttys) on a single character-based terminal. Each virtual
terminal emulates a DEC VT100 plus several ISO 2022 and ISO 6429 (ECMA 48,
ANSI X3.64) functions, including color. Arbitrary keyboard input
translation is also supported. screen sessions can be detached and
resumed later on a different terminal type. Output in detached sessions is
saved for later viewing.
sed (SrcCD)
sed is a stream-oriented version of ed. It comes with the
rx library.
shar makes so-called shell archives out of many files, preparing
them for transmission by electronic mail services; unshar helps
unpack these shell archives after reception. uuencode and
uudecode are POSIX compliant implementations of a pair of programs
which transform files into a format that can be safely transmitted across
a 7-bit ASCII link.
basename,
chroot,
date,
dirname,
echo,
env,
expr,
factor,
false,
groups,
hostname,
id,
logname,
nice,
nohup,
pathchk,
printenv,
printf,
pwd,
seq,
sleep,
stty,
su,
tee,
test,
true,
tty,
uname,
uptime,
users,
who,
whoami,
&
yes.
GNU Shogi is a variant of GNU Chess; it implements the same features & similar heuristics. As a new feature, sequences of partial board patterns can be introduced to help the program play toward specific opening patterns. It has both character and X display interfaces.
It is primarily supported by Matthias Mutz on behalf of the FSF.