Hiring and College Program Information
--------------------------------------
The Federal Information Exchange in Gaithersburg, MD, runs two systems at
the same address: FEDIX and MOLIS. FEDIX offers research, scholarship and
service information for several federal agencies, including NASA, the
Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration. Several more
federal agencies provide minority hiring and scholarship information. MOLIS
provides information about minority colleges, their programs and professors.
Telnet: `fedix.fie.com'
User name: fedix
(for the federal hiring database) or "molis" (for the minority-college
system). Both use easy menus to get you to information.
History
-------
Stanford University maintains a database of documents related to Martin
Luthor King.
Telnet: `forsythetn.stanford.edu'
Account: socrates
At the main menu, type `select mlk' and hit enter.
Quotations
----------
See under Dictionary.
Religion
--------
See under Dictionary *Note Dictionary::.
Ski Reports
-----------
See under Weather *Note Weather::.
Space
-----
NASA Spacelink in Huntsville, Ala., provides all sorts of reports and
data about NASA, its history and its various missions, past and present.
You'll find detailed reports on every single probe, satellite and mission
NASA has ever launched along with daily updates and lesson plans for teachers.
The system maintains a large file library of GIF-format space graphics,
but you can't download these through telnet. If you want them, you have to
dial the system directly, at (205) 895-0028.
Telnet: `spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov'
When you connect, you'll be given an overview of the system and asked to
register and chose a password.
The NED-NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database lists data on more than 100,000
galaxies, quasars and other objects outside the Milky Way.
Telnet: `ipac.caltech.edu'
Log in: ned
You can learn more than you ever wanted to about quasars, novae and
related objects on a system run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
in Cambridge, Mass.
Telnet: `cfa204.harvard.edu'
Log in: einline
The physics department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst runs
a bulletin-board system that provides extensive conferences and document
libraries related to space.
Telnet: `spacemet.phast.umass.edu'
Log on with your name and a password.
Supreme Court Decisions
-----------------------
The University of Maryland Info Database maintains U.S. Supreme Court
decisions from 1991 on in its Government area.
Telnet: `info.umd.edu'
User name: info
Chose a terminal type and hit enter (or just hit enter if you are using
VT100). At the main menu, choose the number next to "Government" and hit
enter. One of your options will then be for "US." Select that number and
then, at the next menu, choose the one next to "Supreme Court."
Telnet Addresses
----------------
Hytelnet, at the University of Saskatchewan, is an online guide to
hundreds of telnet sites around the world.
Telnet: `access.usask.ca'
Log in: hytelnet
Thesaurus
---------
See under Dictionary *Note Dictionary::.
Time
----
To find out the exact time:
Telnet: `india.colorado.edu 13'
You'll see something like this:
Escape character is '^]'.
Sun Apr 5 14:11:41 1992
Connection closed by foreign host.
The middle line tells you the date and exact Mountain Standard Time, as
determined by a federal atomic clock.
If you want a more philosophical approach to your time, the U.S. Naval
Observatory's Automated Data Service has copies of detailed papers on such
things as "the nature of time." It also carries information on how to buy a
clock, along with arcana on such things as "leap seconds."
Telnet: `tycho.usno.navy.mil'
Log on: ads
After you log in and register, you'll get the following menu:
MAIN OPTIONS: info, note, ptti, exp, internet, nav, aust, tco, gps,
loran, omega, series, transit, astro, tv, soft, vlf, goes, gpsftp,
PAGE(/), HELP(?), COMMENT, EXIT(Bye)
Type
info
and hit enter for many of the text files.
Weather
-------
The University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanographic and
Space Sciences supplies weather forecasts for U.S. and foreign cities, along
with skiing and hurricane reports.
Telnet: `madlab.sprl.umich.edu 3000' (note the 3000)
No log-in name is needed.
*Note Weather (FTP):: in the FTP list for information on downloading
satellite and radar weather images.
===========
You might think that Usenet, with its hundreds of newsgroups, would be
enough to satisfy the most dedicated of online communicators.
But there are a number of "bulletin-board" and other systems that provide
even more conferences or other services, many not found directly on the Net.
Some are free; others charge for access. They include:
Cimarron
--------
Run by the Instituto Technical in Monterey, Mexico, this system has
Spanish conferences, but English commands, as you can see from this menu of
available conferences:
List of Boards
Name Title
General Board general
Dudas Dudas de Cimarron
Comentarios Comentarios al SYSOP
Musica Para los afinados........
Libros El sano arte de leer.....
Sistemas Sistemas Operativos en General.
Virus Su peor enemigo......
Cultural Espacio Cultural de Cimarron
NeXT El Mundo de NeXT
Ciencias Solo apto para Nerds.
Inspiracion Para los Romanticos e Inspirados.
Deportes Discusiones Deportivas
To be able to write messages and gain access to files, you have to leave a
note to SYSOP with your name, address, occupation and phone number. To do
this, at any prompt, hit your M key and then enter, which will bring up the
mail system. Hitting H brings up a list of commands and how to use them.
Telnet: `bugs.mty.itesm.mx' (8 p.m. to 10 a.m., Eastern time, only).
At the "login:" prompt, type `bbs' and hit enter.
Cleveland Free-Net
------------------
The first of a series of Freenets, this represents an ambitious attempt to
bring the Net to the public. Originally an in-hospital help network, it is
now sponsored by Case Western Reserve University, the city of Cleveland, the
state of Ohio and IBM. It uses simple menus, similar to those found on
CompuServe, but organized like a city:
<<< CLEVELAND FREE-NET DIRECTORY >>>
1 The Administration Building
2 The Post Office
3 Public Square
4 The Courthouse & Government Center
5 The Arts Building
6 Science and Technology Center
7 The Medical Arts Building
8 The Schoolhouse (Academy One)
9 The Community Center & Recreation Area
10 The Business and Industrial Park
11 The Library
12 University Circle
13 The Teleport
14 The Communications Center
15 NPTN/USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS
------------------------------------------------
h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help
Your Choice ==>
The system has a vast and growing collection of public documents, from
copies of U.S. and Ohio Supreme Court decisions to the Magna Carta and the
U.S. Constitution. It links residents to various government agencies and has
daily stories from USA Today. Beyond Usenet (found in the Teleport area), it
has a large collection of local conferences on everything from pets to
politics. And yes, it's free!
Telnet: `freenet-in-a.cwru.edu' or `freenet-in-b.cwru.edu'
When you connect to Free-Net, you can look around the system. However, if
you want to be able to post messages in its conferences or use e-mail, you
will have to apply in writing for an account. Information on this is
available when you connect.
Dialog
------
This commercial service offers access to a large variety of databases -
for a fairly sizable fee. You need a Dialog account to use the system
through the Net.
Telnet: `dialog.com'
DUBBS
-----
This is a bulletin-board system in Delft in the Netherlands. The
conferences and files are mostly in Dutch, but the help files and the system
commands themselves are in English.
Telnet: `tudrwa.tudelft.nl'
ISCA BBS
--------
Run by the Iowa Student Computer Association, it has more than 100
conferences, including several in foreign languages. After you register, hit
`K' for a list of available conferences and then `J' to join a particular
conference (you have to type in the name of the conference, not the number
next to it). Hitting H brings up information about commands.
Telnet `bbs.isca.uiowa.edu'
At the "login:" prompt, type `bbs' and hit enter.
Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL)
----------------------------------
Itself a major Net access point in the San Francisco area, the WELL is
also a unique online community that maintains dozens of conferences on every
imaginable topic (seven devoted just to the Grateful Dead). WELL users are
intelligent and opinionated; discussions are often fast and furious. The
Electronic Frontier Foundation was basically started in a series of online
conversations on the WELL. Although it has a serious San Francisco flavor, it
has users from across the country (enough to support both East Coast and
Midwest conferences).
For its conferences, the WELL uses PicoSpan software, which presents
messages differently than rn or nn. When you enter a conference, you can
call up a list of "topics." Enter a topic number, and all of the messages
start scrolling down the screen, sort of like the music on an old-fashioned
player-piano. There is some online help, but new users are sent a written
manual. *Note Electronic Mail:: for information on access charges (one
advantage to connecting to the WELL through telnet is that unless you live in
the Bay Area, it is likely to be much cheaper than other access methods).
Telnet: `well.sf.ca.us'
*Note The Well:: if you're interested in an intimate look on The WELL.
Youngstown Free-Net
-------------------
The people who created Cleveland Free-Net sell their software for $1 to
anybody willing to set up a similar system. A number of cities now have their
own Free-Nets, including Youngstown, Ohio.
Telnet: `yfn.ysu.edu'
At the "login:" prompt, type `visitor' and hit enter.
======
This is a handy little program which lets you tell others more about you -
and which you can sometimes use to find out more about people whose names you
see on the Net. It uses the same concept as telnet or ftp. But it works with
only one file, called `.plan' (yes, with a period in front). This is a text
file you create with a text editor in your home directory. You can put your
phone number in there, or your address, or anything at all. To finger
somebody else's `.plan' file, type this at the command line:
finger email-address
where email-address is the person's e-mail address. You'll get back a
display that shows the last time the person was online, whether they've
gotten any new mail since that time and what, if anything, is in their
`.plan' file. Some people and institutions have come up with creative uses
for these `.plan' files, letting you do everything from checking the weather
in Massachusetts to getting the latest baseball standings. Try fingering
these e-mail addresses:
Latest National Weather Service weather forecasts for regions in
Massachusetts.
Locations and magnitudes of recent earthquakes around the world.
Current major-league baseball standings and results of the previous
day's games.
The day's events at NASA.
==========================
So you have a friend and you want to find out if he has an Internet
account to which you can write? The quickest way may be to just pick up the
phone, call him and ask him. Although there are a variety of "white pages"
services available on the Internet, they are far from complete - college
students, users of commercial services such as CompuServe and many Internet
public-access sites, and many others simply won't be listed. Major e-mail
providers are working on a universal directory system, but that could be some
time away.
In the meantime, a couple of "white pages" services might give you some
leads, or even just entertain you as you look up famous people or long-lost
acquaintances.
The whois directory provides names, e-mail and postal mail address and
often phone numbers for people listed in it. To use it, telnet to
`internic.net'. No log-on is needed. The quickest way to use it is to type
whois name
at the prompt, where "name" is the last name or organization name you're
looking for.
Another service worth trying is the "knowbot" system reachable by telnet
to `nri.reston.va.us 185'. Again, no log-on is needed. This service
actually searches through a variety of other "white pages" systems, including
the user directory for MCIMail. To look for somebody, type
query name
`name' is the last name of the person you're looking for. You can get
details of other commands by hitting a question mark at the prompt.
Apart from the previously mentioned methods, there exist a periodical
posting on Usenet entitled "How to find people's E-mail addresses" that is
edited and maintained by JONATHAN I. KAMENS. It lists several alternatives
in order of success probability, to enable everybody to find everyone.
Just get `/pub/usenet/news.answers/finding-addresses' from `rtfm.mit.edu'.
*Note FTP:: to find out how to access this server. It's cross-posted each
month to `comp.mail.misc', `soc.net-people', `news.newusers.questions', and
the respective `*.answers' newsgroups.
=====================
* Nothing happens when you try to connect to a telnet site. The site
could be down for maintenance or problems.
* You get a "host unavailable" message. The telnet site is down for some
reason. Try again later.
* You get a "host unknown" message. Check your spelling of the site name.
* You type in a password on a telnet site that requires one, and you get a
"login incorrect" message. Try logging in again. If you get the
message again, hit your control and `]' keys at the same time to
disengage and return to your host system.
* You can't seem to disconnect from a telnet site. Use control-] to
disengage and return to your host system.
FYI:
====
The Usenet newsgroups `alt.internet.services' and `alt.bbs.internet' can
provide pointers to new telnet systems. Scott Yanoff periodically posts his
"Updated Internet Services List" in the former; Thomas Kreeger periodically
posts "Zamfield's Wonderfully Incomplete, Complete Internet BBS List" in the
latter newsgroup. The `alt.bbs.internet' newsgroup is also where you'll
find Aydin Edguer's compendium of Internet-BBS-related FAQs. Peter Scott,
who maintains the Hytelnet database, runs a mailing list about new telnet
services and changes in existing ones. To get on the list, send him a note
at.
*"Good literature is about Love and War.
Trash fiction is about Sex and Violence."*
-- Author Unknown
*"The world's as ugly as sin, and almost as delightful."*
-- Frederick Locker-Lampson
*****************************
Hundreds of systems connected to Internet have file libraries, or
archives, accessible to the public. Much of this consists of free or low-cost
shareware programs for virtually every make of computer. If you want a
different communications program for your IBM, or feel like playing a new
game on your Amiga, you'll be able to get it from the Net.
But there are also libraries of documents as well. If you want a copy of
a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, you can find it on the Net. Copies of
historical documents, from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence
are also yours for the asking, along with a translation of a telegram from
Lenin ordering the execution of rebellious peasants. You can also find song
lyrics, poems, even summaries of every "Lost in Space" episode ever made.
You can also find extensive files detailing everything you could ever
possibly want to know about the Net itself. First you'll see how to get
these files; then we'll show you where they're kept.
The commonest way to get these files is through the file transfer
protocol, or ftp. As with telnet, not all systems that connect to the Net
have access to ftp. However, if your system is one of these, you'll be able
to get many of these files through e-mail (*note Advanced E-mail::.).
Starting ftp is as easy as using telnet. At your host system's command
line, type
ftp site.name
and hit enter, where "site.name" is the address of the ftp site you want
to reach. One major difference between telnet and ftp is that it is
considered bad form to connect to most ftp sites during their business hours
(generally 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time). This is because transferring files
across the network takes up considerable computing power, which during the
day is likely to be needed for whatever the computer's main function is.
There are some ftp sites that are accessible to the public 24 hours a day,
though. You'll find these noted in the list of ftp sites.
How do you find a file you want, though?
Until a few years ago, this could be quite the pain - there was no master
directory to tell you where a given file might be stored on the Net. Who'd
want to slog through hundreds of file libraries looking for something?
ALAN EMTAGE, BILL HEELAN and PETER DEUTSCH, students at McGill University
in Montreal, asked the same question. Unlike the weather, though, they did
something about it.
They created a database system, called archie, that would periodically
call up file libraries and basically find out what they had available.
In turn, anybody could dial into archie, type in a file name, and see
where on the Net it was available. Archie currently catalogs close to 1,000
file libraries around the world.
Today, there are three ways to ask archie to find a file for you: through
telnet, "client" Archie program on your own host system or e-mail. All three
methods let you type in a full or partial file name and will tell you where
on the Net it's stored. If you have access to telnet, you can telnet to one
of the following addresses: `archie.mcgill.ca'; `archie.sura.net';
`archie.unl.edu'; `archie.ans.net'; or `archie.rutgers.edu'. If asked for a
log-in name, type
archie
and hit enter.
When you connect, the key command is prog, which you use in this form:
prog filename
followed by enter, where "filename" is the program or file you're looking
for. If you're unsure of a file's complete name, try typing in part of the
name. For example, `PKZIP' will work as well as `PKZIP201.EXE'. The system
does not support DOS or Unix wildcards. If you ask archie to look for
`PKZIP*', it will tell you it couldn't find anything by that name. One thing
to keep in mind is that a file is not necessarily the same as a program - it
could also be a document. This means you can use archie to search for, say,
everything online related to the Beetles, as well as computer programs and
graphics files.
A number of Net sites now have their own archie programs that take your
request for information and pass it onto the nearest archie database - ask
your system administrator if s/he has it online. These "client" programs seem
to provide information a lot more quickly than the actual archie itself! If
it is available, at your host system's command line, type
archie -s filename
where filename is the program or document you're looking for, and hit
enter. The `-s' tells the program to ignore case in a file name and lets you
search for partial matches. You might actually want to type it this way:
archie -s filename |more
which will stop the output every screen (handy if there are many sites
that carry the file you want). Or you could open a file on your computer
with your text-logging function.
The third way, for people without access to either of the above, is e-mail.
Send a message to. You can leave the subject
line blank. Inside the message, type
prog filename
where filename is the file you're looking for. You can ask archie to look
up several programs by putting their names on the same "prog" line, like this:
prog file1 file2 file3
Within a few hours, archie will write back with a list of the appropriate
sites.
In all three cases, if there is a system that has your file, you'll get a
response that looks something like this:
Host sumex-aim.stanford.edu
Location: /info-mac/comm
FILE -rw-r--r-- 258256 Feb 15 17:07 zterm-09.hqx
Location: /info-mac/misc
FILE -rw-r--r-- 7490 Sep 12 1991 zterm-sys7-color-icons.hqx
Chances are, you will get a number of similar looking responses for each
program. The "host" is the system that has the file. The "Location" tells
you which directory to look in when you connect to that system. Ignore the
funny-looking collections of r's and hyphens for now. After them, come the
size of the file or directory listing in bytes, the date it was uploaded, and
the name of the file.
Now you want to get that file.
Assuming your host site does have ftp, you connect in a similar fashion to
telnet, by typing:
ftp sumex-aim.stanford.edu
(or the name of whichever site you want to reach). Hit enter. If the
connection works, you'll see this:
Connected to sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
220 SUMEX-AIM FTP server (Version 4.196 Mon Jan 13 13:52:23 PST 1992) ready.
Name (sumex-aim.stanford.edu:adamg):
If nothing happens after a minute or so, hit control-C to return to your
host system's command line. But if it has worked, type
anonymous
and hit enter. You'll see a lot of references on the Net to "anonymous
ftp." This is how it gets its name - you don't really have to tell the
library site what your name is. The reason is that these sites are set up so
that anybody can gain access to certain public files, while letting people
with accounts on the sites to log on and access their own personal files.
Next, you'll be asked for your tpassword. As a password, use your e-mail
address. This will then come up:
230 Guest connection accepted. Restrictions apply.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp>
Now type
ls
and hit enter. You'll see something awful like this:
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 2636
-rw-rw-r-- 1 0 31 4444 Mar 3 11:34 README.POSTING
dr-xr-xr-x 2 0 1 512 Nov 8 11:06 bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 0 0 11030960 Apr 2 14:06 core
dr--r--r-- 2 0 1 512 Nov 8 11:06 etc
drwxrwsr-x 5 13 22 512 Mar 19 12:27 imap
drwxr-xr-x 25 1016 31 512 Apr 4 02:15 info-mac
drwxr-x--- 2 0 31 1024 Apr 5 15:38 pid
drwxrwsr-x 13 0 20 1024 Mar 27 14:03 pub
drwxr-xr-x 2 1077 20 512 Feb 6 1989 tmycin
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
Ack! Let's decipher this Rosetta Stone.
First, ls is the ftp command for displaying a directory (you can actually
use dir as well, but if you're used to MS-DOS, this could lead to confusion
when you try to use dir on your host system, where it won't work, so it's
probably better to just remember to always use ls for a directory while
online).
The very first letter on each line tells you whether the listing is for a
directory or a file. If the first letter is a `d', or an `l', it's a
directory. Otherwise, it's a file.
The rest of that weird set of letters and dashes consist of "flags" that
tell the ftp site who can look at, change or delete the file. You can safely
ignore it. You can also ignore the rest of the line until you get to the
second number, the one just before the date. This tells you how large the
file is, in bytes. If the line is for a directory, the number gives you a
rough indication of how many items are in that directory - a directory
listing of 512 bytes is relatively small. Next comes the date the file or
directory was uploaded, followed (finally!) by its name.
Notice the `README.POSTING' file up at the top of the directory. Most
archive sites have a "read me" document, which usually contains some basic
information about the site, its resources and how to use them. Let's get
this file, both for the information in it and to see how to transfer files
from there to here. At the ftp> prompt, type
get README
and hit enter. Note that ftp sites are no different from Unix sites in
general: they are case-sensitive. You'll see something like this:
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for README (4444 bytes).
226 Transfer complete. 4444 bytes received in 1.177seconds (3.8 Kbytes/s)
And that's it! The file is now located in your home directory on your host
system, from which you can now download it to your own computer. The simple
`get' command is the key to transferring a file from an archive site to your
host system.
If the first letter on the line starts with a `d', then that is a
directory you can enter to look for more files. If it starts with an `r',
then it's a file you can get. The next item of interest is the fifth column,
which tells you how large the item is in bytes. That's followed by the date
and time it was loaded to the archive, followed, finally, by its name. Many
sites provide a `README' file that lists simple instructions and available
files. Some sites use files named `Index' or `INDEX' or something similar.
If you want to download more than one file at a time (say a series of
documents, use mget instead of get; for example:
mget *.txt
This will transfer copies of every file ending with .txt in the given
directory. Before each file is copied, you'll be asked if you're sure you
want it. Despite this, mget could still save you considerable time - you
won't have to type in every single file name.
There is one other command to keep in mind. If you want to get a copy of
a computer program, type
bin
and hit enter. This tells the ftp site and your host site that you are
sending a binary file, i.e., a program. Most ftp sites now use binary format
as a default, but it's a good idea to do this in case you've connected to one
of the few that doesn't.
To switch to a directory, type
cd directory-name
(substituting the name of the directory you want to access) and hit enter.
Type
ls
and hit enter to get the file listing for that particular directory. To
move back up the directory tree, type
cd ..
(note the space between the d and the first period) and hit enter. Or you
could type
cdup
and hit enter. Keep doing this until you get to the directory of
interest. Alternately, if you already know the directory path of the file
you want (from our friend archie), after you connect, you could simply type
get directory/subdirectory/filename
On many sites, files meant for public consumption are in the pub or public
directory; sometimes you'll see an info directory.
Almost every site has a bin directory, which at first glance sounds like a
bin in which interesting stuff might be dumped. But it actually stands for
"binary" and is simply a place for the system administrator to store the
programs that run the ftp system. Lost+found is another directory that looks
interesting but actually never has anything of public interest in them.
Before, you saw how to use archie. From our example, you can see that
some system administrators go a little berserk when naming files.
Fortunately, there's a way for you to rename the file as it's being
transferred. Using our archie example, you'd type
get zterm-sys7-color-icons.hqx zterm.hqx
and hit enter. Instead of having to deal constantly with a file called
`zterm-sys7-color-icons. hqx', you'll now have one called, simply,
`zterm.hqx'.
Those last three letters bring up something else: Many program files are
compressed to save on space and transmission time. In order to actually use
them, you'll have to use an un-compress program on them first.
There are a wide variety of compression methods in use. You can tell
which method was used by the last one to three letters at the end of a file.
Here are some of the more common ones and what you'll need to un-compress the
files they create (and these decompression programs can all be located
through archie).
`.txt'
`.TXT'
By itself, this means the file is a document, rather than a program.
`.ps'
`.PS'
A PostScript document (in Adobe's page description language). You can
print this file on any PostScript capable printer, or use a previewer,
like GNU project's GhostScript.
`.doc'
`.DOC'
Is another common suffix for documents. No de-compression is needed,
unless it is followed by
`.Z'
This is a Unix compression method. To uncompress the file, type
`uncompress filename.Z' and hit enter at your host system's command
prompt. If it's a text file, you can read it online by typing `zcat
file.txt.Z |more' at your host system's command line. There is a
Macintosh program called "MacCompress" that you can use on your machine
if you want to download the file (use archie to find where you can get
it!). There's an MS-DOS equivalent, often found as `u16.ZIP', which
means it is itself compressed in the ZIP format.
`.zip'
`.ZIP'
An MS-DOS format. Use the PKZIP package (usually found as `PKZ201.exe'
or something similar).
`.gz'
The GNU project's compression format. A variant of the PKZIP format. Use
`gunzip filename.gz' to uncompress.
`.zoo'
`.ZOO'
A Unix and MS-DOS format. Requires the use of a program called zoo.
`.Hqx'
`.hqx'
A Macintosh format that needs BinHex for de-compression.
`.shar'
`.Shar'
A Unix format. Use unshar.
`.tar'
Another Unix format, often used to compress several related files into
one big file. Use tar. Often, a "tarred" file will also be compressed
with the `.Z' method, so you first have to use uncompress and then tar.
`.TAZ'
Sometimes used for compressed tar archives `.tar.Z', that are stored on
"3 letter suffix only systems" (aka MS-DOS).
`.sit'
`.Sit'
A Macintosh format, requires StuffIt.
`.ARC'
A DOS format that requires the use of ARC or ARCE.
`.LHZ'
Another DOS compression format; requires the use of LHARC.
A few last words of caution: Check the size of a file before you get it.
The Net moves data at phenomenal rates of speed. But that 500,000-byte file
that gets transferred to your host system in a few seconds could take more
than an hour or two to download to your computer if you're using a 2400-baud
modem. Your host system may also have limits on the amount of bytes you can
store online at any one time. Also, although it is really extremely unlikely
you will ever get a file infected with a virus, if you plan to do much
downloading over the Net, you'd be wise to invest in a good anti-viral
program, just in case.
==================
System administrators are like everybody else - they try to make things
easier for themselves. And when you sit in front of a keyboard all day, that
can mean trying everything possible to reduce the number of keys you actually
have to hit each day.
Unfortunately, that can make it difficult for the rest of us.
Connect to many ftp sites, and one of the entries you'll often see is a
directory named `bin'.
You might think this is a bin where interesting things get thrown. It's
not. "Bin" is short for "binary," i.e., the programs that make the ftp site
work, to which you won't have access anyway.
Etc is another seemingly interesting directory that turns out to be
another place to store files used by the ftp site itself. `lost+found'
directories are used by Unix systems for some routine housekeeping - again,
nothing of any real interest.
Then, once you get into the actual file libraries, you'll find that in
many cases, files will have such non-descriptive names as `V1.1-AK.TXT'. The
best known example is probably a set of several hundred files known as RFCs,
which provide the basic technical and organizational information on which
much of the Internet is built. These files can be found on many ftp sites,
but always in a form such as `RFC101.TXT', `RFC102.TXT' and so on, with no
clue whatsoever as to what information they contain.
Fortunately, almost all ftp sites have a "Rosetta Stone" to help you
decipher these names. Most will have a file named `README' (or some variant)
that gives basic information about the system. Then, most directories will
either have a similar `README' file or will have an index that does give
brief descriptions of each file. These are usually the first file in a
directory and often are in the form `00INDEX.TXT'. Use the ftp command to
get this file. You can then scan it online or download it to see which files
you might be interested in.
Another file you will frequently see is called `ls-lgR.Z'. This contains
a listing of every file on the system, but without any descriptions (the name
comes from the Unix command `ls -lgR', which gives you a listing of all the
files in all your directories). The `.Z' at the end means the file has been
compressed, which means you will have to use a Unix un-compress command
before you can read the file.
And finally, we have those system administrators who almost seem to
delight in making things difficult - the ones who take full advantage of
Unix's ability to create absurdly long file names. On some FTP sites, you
will see file names as long as 80 characters or so, full of capital letters,
underscores and every other orthographic device that will make it almost
impossible for you to type the file name correctly when you try to get it.
Your secret weapon here is the mget command. Just type mget, a space, and
the first five or six letters of the file name, followed by an asterisk, for
example:
mget This_F*
The FTP site will ask you if you want to get the file that begins with that
name. If there are several files that start that way, you might have to
answer `n' a few times, but it's still easier than trying to recreate a
ludicrously long file name.
=========
What follows is a list of some interesting ftp sites, arranged by
category. With hundreds of ftp sites now on the Net, however, this list
barely scratches the surface of what is available. Liberal use of archie
will help you find specific files.
The times listed for each site are in Eastern time and represent the
periods during which it is considered acceptable to connect.
Amiga
-----
`ftp.uu.net' Has Amiga programs in the `systems/amiga' directory.
Available 24 hours.
Atari
-----
`atari.archive.umich.edu' Find almost all the Atari files you'll ever
need, in the `atari' directory. 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.
Books
-----
`pit-manager.mit.edu' (aka `rtfm.mit.edu') The `pub/usenet/rec.arts.books'
directory has reading lists for various authors as well as lists of
recommended bookstores in different cities. Unfortunately, this site uses
incredibly long file names - so long they may scroll off the end of your
screen if you are using an MS-DOS or certain other computers. Even if you
want just one of the files, it probably makes more sense to use mget than get.
This way, you will be asked on each file whether you want to get it;
otherwise you may wind up frustrated because the system will keep telling you
the file you want doesn't exist (since you may miss the end of its name due
to the scrolling problem). 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Computer Ethics
---------------
`ftp.eff.org' The home of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Use cd to
get to the pub directory and then look in the EFF, SJG and CPSR directories
for documents on the EFF itself and various issues related to the Net, ethics
and the law. Available 24 hours.
Consumer
--------
`pit-manager.mit.edu' The `pub/usenet/misc.consumers' directory has
documents related to credit. The `pub/usenet/rec.travel.air' directory will
tell you how to deal with airline reservation clerks, find the best prices on
seats, etc. See under Books for a caveat in using this ftp site. 6 p.m. - 6
a.m.
Cooking
-------
`wuarchive.wustl.edu' Look for recipes and recipe directories in the
`usenet/rec.food.cooking/ recipes' directory.
`gatekeeper.dec.com' Recipes are in the `pub/recipes' directory.
Esperanto
---------
`ftp.stack.urc.tue.nl' You'll find text files about the Esperanto
artificial language in the `pub/ esperanto' directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Evolutionary Computation
------------------------
`lumpi.informatik.uni-dortmund.de' If you're interested in one possible
future of computation, and also are interested in global optimization
problems, evolutionary biology and genetics, you might want to take a look at
this server. For an overview on the field, you should get the file
`pub/EA/docs/hhgtec.ps.Z', aka "The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Evolutionary
Computation". Available 24 hours.
FTP Addresses
-------------
`iraun1.ira.uka.de' Run by the computer-science department of the
University of Karlsruhe in Germany, this site offers lists of anonymous-FTP
sites both internationally (in the `anon.ftp.sites' directory) and in Germany
(in `anon.ftp.sites.de'). 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.
`ftp.netcom.com' The `pub/profiles' directory has lists of ftp sites.
Government
----------
`ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu' The `SENATE' directory contains bibliographic records
of U.S. Senate hearings and documents for the past several Congresses. Get
the file `README.DOS9111', which will explain the cryptic file names. 6 p.m.
- 6 a.m.
`nptn.org' The General Accounting Office (GAO) is the investigative wing of
Congress. The `pub/e.texts/gao.reports' directory represents an experiment
by the agency to use ftp to distribute its reports. Available 24 hours.
History
-------
`nptn.org' This site has a large, growing collecting of text files. In
the `pub/e.texts/freedom. shrine' directory, you'll find copies of important
historical documents, from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence
and the Emancipation Proclamation. Available 24 hours.
`ra.msstate.edu' Mississippi State maintains an eclectic database of
historical documents, detailing everything from Attilla's battle strategy to
songs of soldiers in Vietnam, in the `docs/history' directory. 6 p.m. - 6
a.m.
`seq1.loc.gov' The Library of Congress has acquired numerous documents
from the former Soviet government and has translated many of them into
English. In the `pub/soviet.archive/text. english' directory, you'll find
everything from telegrams from Lenin ordering the death of peasants to
Khrushhchev's response to Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. The
`README' file in the `pub/soviet.archive' directory provides an index to the
documents. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Hong Kong
---------
`nok.lcs.mit.edu' GIF pictures of Hong Kong pop stars, buildings and
vistas are available in the `pub/hongkong/HKPA' directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Internet
--------
`ftp.eff.org' The `pub/internet-info' directory has a number of documents
explaining the Internet and Usenet. Available 24 hours.
`nic.ddn.mil' The `internet-drafts' directory contains information about
Internet, while the `scc' directory holds network security bulletins. 6 p.m.
- 6 a.m.
Law
---
`info.umd.edu' U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1989 to the present are
stored in the `info/Government/US/SupremeCt' directory. Each term has a
separate directory (for example, `term1992'). Get the `README' and `Index'
files to help decipher the case numbers. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
`ftp.uu.net' Supreme Court decisions are in the court-opinions directory.
You'll want to get the index file, which tells you which file numbers go with
which file names. The decisions come in Word Perfect and Atex format only.
Available 24 hours a day.
Libraries
---------
`ftp.unt.edu' The library directory contains numerous lists of libraries
with computerized card catalogs accessible through the Net.
Literature
----------
`nptn.org' In the `pub/e.texts/gutenberg/etext91' and `etext92'
directories, you can get copies of Aesop's Fables, works by Lewis Carroll and
other works of literature, as well as the Book of Mormon. Available 24 hours.
`world.std.com' The `obi' directory has everything from online fables to
accounts of Hiroshima survivors. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Macintosh
---------
`sumex-aim.stanford.edu' This is the premier site for Macintosh software.
After you log in, switch to the info-mac directory, which will bring up a
long series of sub-directories of virtually every free and shareware Mac
program you could ever want. 9 p.m. - 9 a.m.
`ftp.uu.net' Carries copies, or "mirrors" of Macintosh programs from the
Simtel20 collection in the `systems/mac/simtel20' directory. Available 24
hours a day.
Movie Reviews
-------------
`lcs.mit.edu' Look in the movie-reviews directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
MS-DOS
------
`wuarchive.wustl.edu' This carries one of the world's largest collections
of MS-DOS software. The files are actually copied, or "mirrored" from a
computer at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range (which uses ftp
software that is totally incomprehensible). It also carries large
collections of Macintosh, Windows, Atari, Amiga, Unix, OS9, CP/M and Apple II
software. Look in the mirrors and systems directories. The `gif' directory
contains a large number of GIF graphics images. Accessible 24 hours.
`ftp.uu.net' Carries copies, or "mirrors" of MS-DOS programs from the
Simtel20 collection in the `systems/msdos/simtel20' directory. Available 24
hours a day.
Music
-----
`cs.uwp.edu' The `pub/music' directory has everything from lyrics of
contemporary songs to recommended CDs of baroque music. It's a little
different - and easier to navigate - than other ftp sites. File and
directory names are on the left, while on the right, you'll find a brief
description of the file or directory, like this:
SITES 1528 Other music-related FTP archive sites
classical/ - (dir) Classical Buying Guide
database/ - (dir) Music Database program
discog/ = (dir) Discographies
faqs/ = (dir) Music Frequently Asked questions files
folk/ - (dir) Folk Music Files and pointers
guitar/ = (dir) Guitar TAB files from ftp.nevada.edu
info/ = (dir) rec.music.info archives
interviews/ - (dir) Interviews with musicians/groups
lists/ = (dir) Mailing lists archives
lyrics/ = (dir) Lyrics Archives
misc/ - (dir) Misc files that don't fit anywhere else
pictures/ = (dir) GIFS, JPEGs, PBMs and more.
press/ - (dir) Press Releases and misc articles
programs/ - (dir) Misc music-related programs for various machines
releases/ = (dir) Upcoming USA release listings
sounds/ = (dir) Short sound samples
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
When you switch to a directory, don't include the `/'. 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.
`potemkin.cs.pdx.edu' The Bob Dylan archive. Interviews, notes,
year-by-year accounts of his life and more, in the `pub/dylan' directory. 9
p.m. - 9 a.m.
`ftp.nevada.edu' Guitar chords for contemporary songs are in the
`pub/guitar' directory, in subdirectories organized by group or artist.
Pets
----
`pit-manager.mit.edu' The `pub/usenet/rec.pets.dogs' and
`pub/usenet.rec.pets.cats' directories have documents on the respective
animals. See under Books *Note Books:: for a caveat in using this ftp site.
6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Pictures
--------
`wuarchiv.wustl.edu' The `graphics/gif' directory contains hundreds of GIF
photographic and drawing images, from cartoons to cars, space images to pop
stars. These are arranged in a long series of subdirectories.
Photography
-----------
`ftp.nevada.edu' Photolog is an online digest of photography news, in the
`pub/photo' directory.
Religion
--------
`nptn.org' In the `pub/e.texts/religion' directory, you'll find
subdirectories for chapters and books of both the Bible and the Koran.
Available 24 hours.
Sex
---
`pit-manager.mit.edu' Look in the `pub/usenet/alt.sex' and
`pub/usenet/alt.sex.wizards' directories for documents related to all facets
of sex. See under Books *Note Books:: for a caveat in using this ftp site. 6
p.m. - 6 a.m.
Science Fiction
---------------
`elbereth.rutgers.edu' In the pub/sfl directory, you'll find plot
summaries for various science-fiction TV shows, including Star Trek (not only
--------------------------------------
The Federal Information Exchange in Gaithersburg, MD, runs two systems at
the same address: FEDIX and MOLIS. FEDIX offers research, scholarship and
service information for several federal agencies, including NASA, the
Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration. Several more
federal agencies provide minority hiring and scholarship information. MOLIS
provides information about minority colleges, their programs and professors.
Telnet: `fedix.fie.com'
User name: fedix
(for the federal hiring database) or "molis" (for the minority-college
system). Both use easy menus to get you to information.
History
-------
Stanford University maintains a database of documents related to Martin
Luthor King.
Telnet: `forsythetn.stanford.edu'
Account: socrates
At the main menu, type `select mlk' and hit enter.
Quotations
----------
See under Dictionary.
Religion
--------
See under Dictionary *Note Dictionary::.
Ski Reports
-----------
See under Weather *Note Weather::.
Space
-----
NASA Spacelink in Huntsville, Ala., provides all sorts of reports and
data about NASA, its history and its various missions, past and present.
You'll find detailed reports on every single probe, satellite and mission
NASA has ever launched along with daily updates and lesson plans for teachers.
The system maintains a large file library of GIF-format space graphics,
but you can't download these through telnet. If you want them, you have to
dial the system directly, at (205) 895-0028.
Telnet: `spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov'
When you connect, you'll be given an overview of the system and asked to
register and chose a password.
The NED-NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database lists data on more than 100,000
galaxies, quasars and other objects outside the Milky Way.
Telnet: `ipac.caltech.edu'
Log in: ned
You can learn more than you ever wanted to about quasars, novae and
related objects on a system run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
in Cambridge, Mass.
Telnet: `cfa204.harvard.edu'
Log in: einline
The physics department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst runs
a bulletin-board system that provides extensive conferences and document
libraries related to space.
Telnet: `spacemet.phast.umass.edu'
Log on with your name and a password.
Supreme Court Decisions
-----------------------
The University of Maryland Info Database maintains U.S. Supreme Court
decisions from 1991 on in its Government area.
Telnet: `info.umd.edu'
User name: info
Chose a terminal type and hit enter (or just hit enter if you are using
VT100). At the main menu, choose the number next to "Government" and hit
enter. One of your options will then be for "US." Select that number and
then, at the next menu, choose the one next to "Supreme Court."
Telnet Addresses
----------------
Hytelnet, at the University of Saskatchewan, is an online guide to
hundreds of telnet sites around the world.
Telnet: `access.usask.ca'
Log in: hytelnet
Thesaurus
---------
See under Dictionary *Note Dictionary::.
Time
----
To find out the exact time:
Telnet: `india.colorado.edu 13'
You'll see something like this:
Escape character is '^]'.
Sun Apr 5 14:11:41 1992
Connection closed by foreign host.
The middle line tells you the date and exact Mountain Standard Time, as
determined by a federal atomic clock.
If you want a more philosophical approach to your time, the U.S. Naval
Observatory's Automated Data Service has copies of detailed papers on such
things as "the nature of time." It also carries information on how to buy a
clock, along with arcana on such things as "leap seconds."
Telnet: `tycho.usno.navy.mil'
Log on: ads
After you log in and register, you'll get the following menu:
MAIN OPTIONS: info, note, ptti, exp, internet, nav, aust, tco, gps,
loran, omega, series, transit, astro, tv, soft, vlf, goes, gpsftp,
PAGE(/), HELP(?), COMMENT, EXIT(Bye)
Type
info
and hit enter for many of the text files.
Weather
-------
The University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanographic and
Space Sciences supplies weather forecasts for U.S. and foreign cities, along
with skiing and hurricane reports.
Telnet: `madlab.sprl.umich.edu 3000' (note the 3000)
No log-in name is needed.
*Note Weather (FTP):: in the FTP list for information on downloading
satellite and radar weather images.
===========
You might think that Usenet, with its hundreds of newsgroups, would be
enough to satisfy the most dedicated of online communicators.
But there are a number of "bulletin-board" and other systems that provide
even more conferences or other services, many not found directly on the Net.
Some are free; others charge for access. They include:
Cimarron
--------
Run by the Instituto Technical in Monterey, Mexico, this system has
Spanish conferences, but English commands, as you can see from this menu of
available conferences:
List of Boards
Name Title
General Board general
Dudas Dudas de Cimarron
Comentarios Comentarios al SYSOP
Musica Para los afinados........
Libros El sano arte de leer.....
Sistemas Sistemas Operativos en General.
Virus Su peor enemigo......
Cultural Espacio Cultural de Cimarron
NeXT El Mundo de NeXT
Ciencias Solo apto para Nerds.
Inspiracion Para los Romanticos e Inspirados.
Deportes Discusiones Deportivas
To be able to write messages and gain access to files, you have to leave a
note to SYSOP with your name, address, occupation and phone number. To do
this, at any prompt, hit your M key and then enter, which will bring up the
mail system. Hitting H brings up a list of commands and how to use them.
Telnet: `bugs.mty.itesm.mx' (8 p.m. to 10 a.m., Eastern time, only).
At the "login:" prompt, type `bbs' and hit enter.
Cleveland Free-Net
------------------
The first of a series of Freenets, this represents an ambitious attempt to
bring the Net to the public. Originally an in-hospital help network, it is
now sponsored by Case Western Reserve University, the city of Cleveland, the
state of Ohio and IBM. It uses simple menus, similar to those found on
CompuServe, but organized like a city:
<<< CLEVELAND FREE-NET DIRECTORY >>>
1 The Administration Building
2 The Post Office
3 Public Square
4 The Courthouse & Government Center
5 The Arts Building
6 Science and Technology Center
7 The Medical Arts Building
8 The Schoolhouse (Academy One)
9 The Community Center & Recreation Area
10 The Business and Industrial Park
11 The Library
12 University Circle
13 The Teleport
14 The Communications Center
15 NPTN/USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS
------------------------------------------------
h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help
Your Choice ==>
The system has a vast and growing collection of public documents, from
copies of U.S. and Ohio Supreme Court decisions to the Magna Carta and the
U.S. Constitution. It links residents to various government agencies and has
daily stories from USA Today. Beyond Usenet (found in the Teleport area), it
has a large collection of local conferences on everything from pets to
politics. And yes, it's free!
Telnet: `freenet-in-a.cwru.edu' or `freenet-in-b.cwru.edu'
When you connect to Free-Net, you can look around the system. However, if
you want to be able to post messages in its conferences or use e-mail, you
will have to apply in writing for an account. Information on this is
available when you connect.
Dialog
------
This commercial service offers access to a large variety of databases -
for a fairly sizable fee. You need a Dialog account to use the system
through the Net.
Telnet: `dialog.com'
DUBBS
-----
This is a bulletin-board system in Delft in the Netherlands. The
conferences and files are mostly in Dutch, but the help files and the system
commands themselves are in English.
Telnet: `tudrwa.tudelft.nl'
ISCA BBS
--------
Run by the Iowa Student Computer Association, it has more than 100
conferences, including several in foreign languages. After you register, hit
`K' for a list of available conferences and then `J' to join a particular
conference (you have to type in the name of the conference, not the number
next to it). Hitting H brings up information about commands.
Telnet `bbs.isca.uiowa.edu'
At the "login:" prompt, type `bbs' and hit enter.
Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL)
----------------------------------
Itself a major Net access point in the San Francisco area, the WELL is
also a unique online community that maintains dozens of conferences on every
imaginable topic (seven devoted just to the Grateful Dead). WELL users are
intelligent and opinionated; discussions are often fast and furious. The
Electronic Frontier Foundation was basically started in a series of online
conversations on the WELL. Although it has a serious San Francisco flavor, it
has users from across the country (enough to support both East Coast and
Midwest conferences).
For its conferences, the WELL uses PicoSpan software, which presents
messages differently than rn or nn. When you enter a conference, you can
call up a list of "topics." Enter a topic number, and all of the messages
start scrolling down the screen, sort of like the music on an old-fashioned
player-piano. There is some online help, but new users are sent a written
manual. *Note Electronic Mail:: for information on access charges (one
advantage to connecting to the WELL through telnet is that unless you live in
the Bay Area, it is likely to be much cheaper than other access methods).
Telnet: `well.sf.ca.us'
*Note The Well:: if you're interested in an intimate look on The WELL.
Youngstown Free-Net
-------------------
The people who created Cleveland Free-Net sell their software for $1 to
anybody willing to set up a similar system. A number of cities now have their
own Free-Nets, including Youngstown, Ohio.
Telnet: `yfn.ysu.edu'
At the "login:" prompt, type `visitor' and hit enter.
======
This is a handy little program which lets you tell others more about you -
and which you can sometimes use to find out more about people whose names you
see on the Net. It uses the same concept as telnet or ftp. But it works with
only one file, called `.plan' (yes, with a period in front). This is a text
file you create with a text editor in your home directory. You can put your
phone number in there, or your address, or anything at all. To finger
somebody else's `.plan' file, type this at the command line:
finger email-address
where email-address is the person's e-mail address. You'll get back a
display that shows the last time the person was online, whether they've
gotten any new mail since that time and what, if anything, is in their
`.plan' file. Some people and institutions have come up with creative uses
for these `.plan' files, letting you do everything from checking the weather
in Massachusetts to getting the latest baseball standings. Try fingering
these e-mail addresses:
Latest National Weather Service weather forecasts for regions in
Massachusetts.
Locations and magnitudes of recent earthquakes around the world.
Current major-league baseball standings and results of the previous
day's games.
The day's events at NASA.
==========================
So you have a friend and you want to find out if he has an Internet
account to which you can write? The quickest way may be to just pick up the
phone, call him and ask him. Although there are a variety of "white pages"
services available on the Internet, they are far from complete - college
students, users of commercial services such as CompuServe and many Internet
public-access sites, and many others simply won't be listed. Major e-mail
providers are working on a universal directory system, but that could be some
time away.
In the meantime, a couple of "white pages" services might give you some
leads, or even just entertain you as you look up famous people or long-lost
acquaintances.
The whois directory provides names, e-mail and postal mail address and
often phone numbers for people listed in it. To use it, telnet to
`internic.net'. No log-on is needed. The quickest way to use it is to type
whois name
at the prompt, where "name" is the last name or organization name you're
looking for.
Another service worth trying is the "knowbot" system reachable by telnet
to `nri.reston.va.us 185'. Again, no log-on is needed. This service
actually searches through a variety of other "white pages" systems, including
the user directory for MCIMail. To look for somebody, type
query name
`name' is the last name of the person you're looking for. You can get
details of other commands by hitting a question mark at the prompt.
Apart from the previously mentioned methods, there exist a periodical
posting on Usenet entitled "How to find people's E-mail addresses" that is
edited and maintained by JONATHAN I. KAMENS. It lists several alternatives
in order of success probability, to enable everybody to find everyone.
Just get `/pub/usenet/news.answers/finding-addresses' from `rtfm.mit.edu'.
*Note FTP:: to find out how to access this server. It's cross-posted each
month to `comp.mail.misc', `soc.net-people', `news.newusers.questions', and
the respective `*.answers' newsgroups.
=====================
* Nothing happens when you try to connect to a telnet site. The site
could be down for maintenance or problems.
* You get a "host unavailable" message. The telnet site is down for some
reason. Try again later.
* You get a "host unknown" message. Check your spelling of the site name.
* You type in a password on a telnet site that requires one, and you get a
"login incorrect" message. Try logging in again. If you get the
message again, hit your control and `]' keys at the same time to
disengage and return to your host system.
* You can't seem to disconnect from a telnet site. Use control-] to
disengage and return to your host system.
FYI:
====
The Usenet newsgroups `alt.internet.services' and `alt.bbs.internet' can
provide pointers to new telnet systems. Scott Yanoff periodically posts his
"Updated Internet Services List" in the former; Thomas Kreeger periodically
posts "Zamfield's Wonderfully Incomplete, Complete Internet BBS List" in the
latter newsgroup. The `alt.bbs.internet' newsgroup is also where you'll
find Aydin Edguer's compendium of Internet-BBS-related FAQs. Peter Scott,
who maintains the Hytelnet database, runs a mailing list about new telnet
services and changes in existing ones. To get on the list, send him a note
at
*"Good literature is about Love and War.
Trash fiction is about Sex and Violence."*
-- Author Unknown
*"The world's as ugly as sin, and almost as delightful."*
-- Frederick Locker-Lampson
*****************************
Hundreds of systems connected to Internet have file libraries, or
archives, accessible to the public. Much of this consists of free or low-cost
shareware programs for virtually every make of computer. If you want a
different communications program for your IBM, or feel like playing a new
game on your Amiga, you'll be able to get it from the Net.
But there are also libraries of documents as well. If you want a copy of
a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, you can find it on the Net. Copies of
historical documents, from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence
are also yours for the asking, along with a translation of a telegram from
Lenin ordering the execution of rebellious peasants. You can also find song
lyrics, poems, even summaries of every "Lost in Space" episode ever made.
You can also find extensive files detailing everything you could ever
possibly want to know about the Net itself. First you'll see how to get
these files; then we'll show you where they're kept.
The commonest way to get these files is through the file transfer
protocol, or ftp. As with telnet, not all systems that connect to the Net
have access to ftp. However, if your system is one of these, you'll be able
to get many of these files through e-mail (*note Advanced E-mail::.).
Starting ftp is as easy as using telnet. At your host system's command
line, type
ftp site.name
and hit enter, where "site.name" is the address of the ftp site you want
to reach. One major difference between telnet and ftp is that it is
considered bad form to connect to most ftp sites during their business hours
(generally 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time). This is because transferring files
across the network takes up considerable computing power, which during the
day is likely to be needed for whatever the computer's main function is.
There are some ftp sites that are accessible to the public 24 hours a day,
though. You'll find these noted in the list of ftp sites.
How do you find a file you want, though?
Until a few years ago, this could be quite the pain - there was no master
directory to tell you where a given file might be stored on the Net. Who'd
want to slog through hundreds of file libraries looking for something?
ALAN EMTAGE, BILL HEELAN and PETER DEUTSCH, students at McGill University
in Montreal, asked the same question. Unlike the weather, though, they did
something about it.
They created a database system, called archie, that would periodically
call up file libraries and basically find out what they had available.
In turn, anybody could dial into archie, type in a file name, and see
where on the Net it was available. Archie currently catalogs close to 1,000
file libraries around the world.
Today, there are three ways to ask archie to find a file for you: through
telnet, "client" Archie program on your own host system or e-mail. All three
methods let you type in a full or partial file name and will tell you where
on the Net it's stored. If you have access to telnet, you can telnet to one
of the following addresses: `archie.mcgill.ca'; `archie.sura.net';
`archie.unl.edu'; `archie.ans.net'; or `archie.rutgers.edu'. If asked for a
log-in name, type
archie
and hit enter.
When you connect, the key command is prog, which you use in this form:
prog filename
followed by enter, where "filename" is the program or file you're looking
for. If you're unsure of a file's complete name, try typing in part of the
name. For example, `PKZIP' will work as well as `PKZIP201.EXE'. The system
does not support DOS or Unix wildcards. If you ask archie to look for
`PKZIP*', it will tell you it couldn't find anything by that name. One thing
to keep in mind is that a file is not necessarily the same as a program - it
could also be a document. This means you can use archie to search for, say,
everything online related to the Beetles, as well as computer programs and
graphics files.
A number of Net sites now have their own archie programs that take your
request for information and pass it onto the nearest archie database - ask
your system administrator if s/he has it online. These "client" programs seem
to provide information a lot more quickly than the actual archie itself! If
it is available, at your host system's command line, type
archie -s filename
where filename is the program or document you're looking for, and hit
enter. The `-s' tells the program to ignore case in a file name and lets you
search for partial matches. You might actually want to type it this way:
archie -s filename |more
which will stop the output every screen (handy if there are many sites
that carry the file you want). Or you could open a file on your computer
with your text-logging function.
The third way, for people without access to either of the above, is e-mail.
Send a message to
line blank. Inside the message, type
prog filename
where filename is the file you're looking for. You can ask archie to look
up several programs by putting their names on the same "prog" line, like this:
prog file1 file2 file3
Within a few hours, archie will write back with a list of the appropriate
sites.
In all three cases, if there is a system that has your file, you'll get a
response that looks something like this:
Host sumex-aim.stanford.edu
Location: /info-mac/comm
FILE -rw-r--r-- 258256 Feb 15 17:07 zterm-09.hqx
Location: /info-mac/misc
FILE -rw-r--r-- 7490 Sep 12 1991 zterm-sys7-color-icons.hqx
Chances are, you will get a number of similar looking responses for each
program. The "host" is the system that has the file. The "Location" tells
you which directory to look in when you connect to that system. Ignore the
funny-looking collections of r's and hyphens for now. After them, come the
size of the file or directory listing in bytes, the date it was uploaded, and
the name of the file.
Now you want to get that file.
Assuming your host site does have ftp, you connect in a similar fashion to
telnet, by typing:
ftp sumex-aim.stanford.edu
(or the name of whichever site you want to reach). Hit enter. If the
connection works, you'll see this:
Connected to sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
220 SUMEX-AIM FTP server (Version 4.196 Mon Jan 13 13:52:23 PST 1992) ready.
Name (sumex-aim.stanford.edu:adamg):
If nothing happens after a minute or so, hit control-C to return to your
host system's command line. But if it has worked, type
anonymous
and hit enter. You'll see a lot of references on the Net to "anonymous
ftp." This is how it gets its name - you don't really have to tell the
library site what your name is. The reason is that these sites are set up so
that anybody can gain access to certain public files, while letting people
with accounts on the sites to log on and access their own personal files.
Next, you'll be asked for your tpassword. As a password, use your e-mail
address. This will then come up:
230 Guest connection accepted. Restrictions apply.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp>
Now type
ls
and hit enter. You'll see something awful like this:
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls.
total 2636
-rw-rw-r-- 1 0 31 4444 Mar 3 11:34 README.POSTING
dr-xr-xr-x 2 0 1 512 Nov 8 11:06 bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 0 0 11030960 Apr 2 14:06 core
dr--r--r-- 2 0 1 512 Nov 8 11:06 etc
drwxrwsr-x 5 13 22 512 Mar 19 12:27 imap
drwxr-xr-x 25 1016 31 512 Apr 4 02:15 info-mac
drwxr-x--- 2 0 31 1024 Apr 5 15:38 pid
drwxrwsr-x 13 0 20 1024 Mar 27 14:03 pub
drwxr-xr-x 2 1077 20 512 Feb 6 1989 tmycin
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
Ack! Let's decipher this Rosetta Stone.
First, ls is the ftp command for displaying a directory (you can actually
use dir as well, but if you're used to MS-DOS, this could lead to confusion
when you try to use dir on your host system, where it won't work, so it's
probably better to just remember to always use ls for a directory while
online).
The very first letter on each line tells you whether the listing is for a
directory or a file. If the first letter is a `d', or an `l', it's a
directory. Otherwise, it's a file.
The rest of that weird set of letters and dashes consist of "flags" that
tell the ftp site who can look at, change or delete the file. You can safely
ignore it. You can also ignore the rest of the line until you get to the
second number, the one just before the date. This tells you how large the
file is, in bytes. If the line is for a directory, the number gives you a
rough indication of how many items are in that directory - a directory
listing of 512 bytes is relatively small. Next comes the date the file or
directory was uploaded, followed (finally!) by its name.
Notice the `README.POSTING' file up at the top of the directory. Most
archive sites have a "read me" document, which usually contains some basic
information about the site, its resources and how to use them. Let's get
this file, both for the information in it and to see how to transfer files
from there to here. At the ftp> prompt, type
get README
and hit enter. Note that ftp sites are no different from Unix sites in
general: they are case-sensitive. You'll see something like this:
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for README (4444 bytes).
226 Transfer complete. 4444 bytes received in 1.177seconds (3.8 Kbytes/s)
And that's it! The file is now located in your home directory on your host
system, from which you can now download it to your own computer. The simple
`get' command is the key to transferring a file from an archive site to your
host system.
If the first letter on the line starts with a `d', then that is a
directory you can enter to look for more files. If it starts with an `r',
then it's a file you can get. The next item of interest is the fifth column,
which tells you how large the item is in bytes. That's followed by the date
and time it was loaded to the archive, followed, finally, by its name. Many
sites provide a `README' file that lists simple instructions and available
files. Some sites use files named `Index' or `INDEX' or something similar.
If you want to download more than one file at a time (say a series of
documents, use mget instead of get; for example:
mget *.txt
This will transfer copies of every file ending with .txt in the given
directory. Before each file is copied, you'll be asked if you're sure you
want it. Despite this, mget could still save you considerable time - you
won't have to type in every single file name.
There is one other command to keep in mind. If you want to get a copy of
a computer program, type
bin
and hit enter. This tells the ftp site and your host site that you are
sending a binary file, i.e., a program. Most ftp sites now use binary format
as a default, but it's a good idea to do this in case you've connected to one
of the few that doesn't.
To switch to a directory, type
cd directory-name
(substituting the name of the directory you want to access) and hit enter.
Type
ls
and hit enter to get the file listing for that particular directory. To
move back up the directory tree, type
cd ..
(note the space between the d and the first period) and hit enter. Or you
could type
cdup
and hit enter. Keep doing this until you get to the directory of
interest. Alternately, if you already know the directory path of the file
you want (from our friend archie), after you connect, you could simply type
get directory/subdirectory/filename
On many sites, files meant for public consumption are in the pub or public
directory; sometimes you'll see an info directory.
Almost every site has a bin directory, which at first glance sounds like a
bin in which interesting stuff might be dumped. But it actually stands for
"binary" and is simply a place for the system administrator to store the
programs that run the ftp system. Lost+found is another directory that looks
interesting but actually never has anything of public interest in them.
Before, you saw how to use archie. From our example, you can see that
some system administrators go a little berserk when naming files.
Fortunately, there's a way for you to rename the file as it's being
transferred. Using our archie example, you'd type
get zterm-sys7-color-icons.hqx zterm.hqx
and hit enter. Instead of having to deal constantly with a file called
`zterm-sys7-color-icons. hqx', you'll now have one called, simply,
`zterm.hqx'.
Those last three letters bring up something else: Many program files are
compressed to save on space and transmission time. In order to actually use
them, you'll have to use an un-compress program on them first.
There are a wide variety of compression methods in use. You can tell
which method was used by the last one to three letters at the end of a file.
Here are some of the more common ones and what you'll need to un-compress the
files they create (and these decompression programs can all be located
through archie).
`.txt'
`.TXT'
By itself, this means the file is a document, rather than a program.
`.ps'
`.PS'
A PostScript document (in Adobe's page description language). You can
print this file on any PostScript capable printer, or use a previewer,
like GNU project's GhostScript.
`.doc'
`.DOC'
Is another common suffix for documents. No de-compression is needed,
unless it is followed by
`.Z'
This is a Unix compression method. To uncompress the file, type
`uncompress filename.Z' and hit enter at your host system's command
prompt. If it's a text file, you can read it online by typing `zcat
file.txt.Z |more' at your host system's command line. There is a
Macintosh program called "MacCompress" that you can use on your machine
if you want to download the file (use archie to find where you can get
it!). There's an MS-DOS equivalent, often found as `u16.ZIP', which
means it is itself compressed in the ZIP format.
`.zip'
`.ZIP'
An MS-DOS format. Use the PKZIP package (usually found as `PKZ201.exe'
or something similar).
`.gz'
The GNU project's compression format. A variant of the PKZIP format. Use
`gunzip filename.gz' to uncompress.
`.zoo'
`.ZOO'
A Unix and MS-DOS format. Requires the use of a program called zoo.
`.Hqx'
`.hqx'
A Macintosh format that needs BinHex for de-compression.
`.shar'
`.Shar'
A Unix format. Use unshar.
`.tar'
Another Unix format, often used to compress several related files into
one big file. Use tar. Often, a "tarred" file will also be compressed
with the `.Z' method, so you first have to use uncompress and then tar.
`.TAZ'
Sometimes used for compressed tar archives `.tar.Z', that are stored on
"3 letter suffix only systems" (aka MS-DOS).
`.sit'
`.Sit'
A Macintosh format, requires StuffIt.
`.ARC'
A DOS format that requires the use of ARC or ARCE.
`.LHZ'
Another DOS compression format; requires the use of LHARC.
A few last words of caution: Check the size of a file before you get it.
The Net moves data at phenomenal rates of speed. But that 500,000-byte file
that gets transferred to your host system in a few seconds could take more
than an hour or two to download to your computer if you're using a 2400-baud
modem. Your host system may also have limits on the amount of bytes you can
store online at any one time. Also, although it is really extremely unlikely
you will ever get a file infected with a virus, if you plan to do much
downloading over the Net, you'd be wise to invest in a good anti-viral
program, just in case.
==================
System administrators are like everybody else - they try to make things
easier for themselves. And when you sit in front of a keyboard all day, that
can mean trying everything possible to reduce the number of keys you actually
have to hit each day.
Unfortunately, that can make it difficult for the rest of us.
Connect to many ftp sites, and one of the entries you'll often see is a
directory named `bin'.
You might think this is a bin where interesting things get thrown. It's
not. "Bin" is short for "binary," i.e., the programs that make the ftp site
work, to which you won't have access anyway.
Etc is another seemingly interesting directory that turns out to be
another place to store files used by the ftp site itself. `lost+found'
directories are used by Unix systems for some routine housekeeping - again,
nothing of any real interest.
Then, once you get into the actual file libraries, you'll find that in
many cases, files will have such non-descriptive names as `V1.1-AK.TXT'. The
best known example is probably a set of several hundred files known as RFCs,
which provide the basic technical and organizational information on which
much of the Internet is built. These files can be found on many ftp sites,
but always in a form such as `RFC101.TXT', `RFC102.TXT' and so on, with no
clue whatsoever as to what information they contain.
Fortunately, almost all ftp sites have a "Rosetta Stone" to help you
decipher these names. Most will have a file named `README' (or some variant)
that gives basic information about the system. Then, most directories will
either have a similar `README' file or will have an index that does give
brief descriptions of each file. These are usually the first file in a
directory and often are in the form `00INDEX.TXT'. Use the ftp command to
get this file. You can then scan it online or download it to see which files
you might be interested in.
Another file you will frequently see is called `ls-lgR.Z'. This contains
a listing of every file on the system, but without any descriptions (the name
comes from the Unix command `ls -lgR', which gives you a listing of all the
files in all your directories). The `.Z' at the end means the file has been
compressed, which means you will have to use a Unix un-compress command
before you can read the file.
And finally, we have those system administrators who almost seem to
delight in making things difficult - the ones who take full advantage of
Unix's ability to create absurdly long file names. On some FTP sites, you
will see file names as long as 80 characters or so, full of capital letters,
underscores and every other orthographic device that will make it almost
impossible for you to type the file name correctly when you try to get it.
Your secret weapon here is the mget command. Just type mget, a space, and
the first five or six letters of the file name, followed by an asterisk, for
example:
mget This_F*
The FTP site will ask you if you want to get the file that begins with that
name. If there are several files that start that way, you might have to
answer `n' a few times, but it's still easier than trying to recreate a
ludicrously long file name.
=========
What follows is a list of some interesting ftp sites, arranged by
category. With hundreds of ftp sites now on the Net, however, this list
barely scratches the surface of what is available. Liberal use of archie
will help you find specific files.
The times listed for each site are in Eastern time and represent the
periods during which it is considered acceptable to connect.
Amiga
-----
`ftp.uu.net' Has Amiga programs in the `systems/amiga' directory.
Available 24 hours.
Atari
-----
`atari.archive.umich.edu' Find almost all the Atari files you'll ever
need, in the `atari' directory. 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.
Books
-----
`pit-manager.mit.edu' (aka `rtfm.mit.edu') The `pub/usenet/rec.arts.books'
directory has reading lists for various authors as well as lists of
recommended bookstores in different cities. Unfortunately, this site uses
incredibly long file names - so long they may scroll off the end of your
screen if you are using an MS-DOS or certain other computers. Even if you
want just one of the files, it probably makes more sense to use mget than get.
This way, you will be asked on each file whether you want to get it;
otherwise you may wind up frustrated because the system will keep telling you
the file you want doesn't exist (since you may miss the end of its name due
to the scrolling problem). 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Computer Ethics
---------------
`ftp.eff.org' The home of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Use cd to
get to the pub directory and then look in the EFF, SJG and CPSR directories
for documents on the EFF itself and various issues related to the Net, ethics
and the law. Available 24 hours.
Consumer
--------
`pit-manager.mit.edu' The `pub/usenet/misc.consumers' directory has
documents related to credit. The `pub/usenet/rec.travel.air' directory will
tell you how to deal with airline reservation clerks, find the best prices on
seats, etc. See under Books for a caveat in using this ftp site. 6 p.m. - 6
a.m.
Cooking
-------
`wuarchive.wustl.edu' Look for recipes and recipe directories in the
`usenet/rec.food.cooking/ recipes' directory.
`gatekeeper.dec.com' Recipes are in the `pub/recipes' directory.
Esperanto
---------
`ftp.stack.urc.tue.nl' You'll find text files about the Esperanto
artificial language in the `pub/ esperanto' directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Evolutionary Computation
------------------------
`lumpi.informatik.uni-dortmund.de' If you're interested in one possible
future of computation, and also are interested in global optimization
problems, evolutionary biology and genetics, you might want to take a look at
this server. For an overview on the field, you should get the file
`pub/EA/docs/hhgtec.ps.Z', aka "The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Evolutionary
Computation". Available 24 hours.
FTP Addresses
-------------
`iraun1.ira.uka.de' Run by the computer-science department of the
University of Karlsruhe in Germany, this site offers lists of anonymous-FTP
sites both internationally (in the `anon.ftp.sites' directory) and in Germany
(in `anon.ftp.sites.de'). 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.
`ftp.netcom.com' The `pub/profiles' directory has lists of ftp sites.
Government
----------
`ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu' The `SENATE' directory contains bibliographic records
of U.S. Senate hearings and documents for the past several Congresses. Get
the file `README.DOS9111', which will explain the cryptic file names. 6 p.m.
- 6 a.m.
`nptn.org' The General Accounting Office (GAO) is the investigative wing of
Congress. The `pub/e.texts/gao.reports' directory represents an experiment
by the agency to use ftp to distribute its reports. Available 24 hours.
History
-------
`nptn.org' This site has a large, growing collecting of text files. In
the `pub/e.texts/freedom. shrine' directory, you'll find copies of important
historical documents, from the Magna Carta to the Declaration of Independence
and the Emancipation Proclamation. Available 24 hours.
`ra.msstate.edu' Mississippi State maintains an eclectic database of
historical documents, detailing everything from Attilla's battle strategy to
songs of soldiers in Vietnam, in the `docs/history' directory. 6 p.m. - 6
a.m.
`seq1.loc.gov' The Library of Congress has acquired numerous documents
from the former Soviet government and has translated many of them into
English. In the `pub/soviet.archive/text. english' directory, you'll find
everything from telegrams from Lenin ordering the death of peasants to
Khrushhchev's response to Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. The
`README' file in the `pub/soviet.archive' directory provides an index to the
documents. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Hong Kong
---------
`nok.lcs.mit.edu' GIF pictures of Hong Kong pop stars, buildings and
vistas are available in the `pub/hongkong/HKPA' directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Internet
--------
`ftp.eff.org' The `pub/internet-info' directory has a number of documents
explaining the Internet and Usenet. Available 24 hours.
`nic.ddn.mil' The `internet-drafts' directory contains information about
Internet, while the `scc' directory holds network security bulletins. 6 p.m.
- 6 a.m.
Law
---
`info.umd.edu' U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1989 to the present are
stored in the `info/Government/US/SupremeCt' directory. Each term has a
separate directory (for example, `term1992'). Get the `README' and `Index'
files to help decipher the case numbers. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
`ftp.uu.net' Supreme Court decisions are in the court-opinions directory.
You'll want to get the index file, which tells you which file numbers go with
which file names. The decisions come in Word Perfect and Atex format only.
Available 24 hours a day.
Libraries
---------
`ftp.unt.edu' The library directory contains numerous lists of libraries
with computerized card catalogs accessible through the Net.
Literature
----------
`nptn.org' In the `pub/e.texts/gutenberg/etext91' and `etext92'
directories, you can get copies of Aesop's Fables, works by Lewis Carroll and
other works of literature, as well as the Book of Mormon. Available 24 hours.
`world.std.com' The `obi' directory has everything from online fables to
accounts of Hiroshima survivors. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Macintosh
---------
`sumex-aim.stanford.edu' This is the premier site for Macintosh software.
After you log in, switch to the info-mac directory, which will bring up a
long series of sub-directories of virtually every free and shareware Mac
program you could ever want. 9 p.m. - 9 a.m.
`ftp.uu.net' Carries copies, or "mirrors" of Macintosh programs from the
Simtel20 collection in the `systems/mac/simtel20' directory. Available 24
hours a day.
Movie Reviews
-------------
`lcs.mit.edu' Look in the movie-reviews directory. 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
MS-DOS
------
`wuarchive.wustl.edu' This carries one of the world's largest collections
of MS-DOS software. The files are actually copied, or "mirrored" from a
computer at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range (which uses ftp
software that is totally incomprehensible). It also carries large
collections of Macintosh, Windows, Atari, Amiga, Unix, OS9, CP/M and Apple II
software. Look in the mirrors and systems directories. The `gif' directory
contains a large number of GIF graphics images. Accessible 24 hours.
`ftp.uu.net' Carries copies, or "mirrors" of MS-DOS programs from the
Simtel20 collection in the `systems/msdos/simtel20' directory. Available 24
hours a day.
Music
-----
`cs.uwp.edu' The `pub/music' directory has everything from lyrics of
contemporary songs to recommended CDs of baroque music. It's a little
different - and easier to navigate - than other ftp sites. File and
directory names are on the left, while on the right, you'll find a brief
description of the file or directory, like this:
SITES 1528 Other music-related FTP archive sites
classical/ - (dir) Classical Buying Guide
database/ - (dir) Music Database program
discog/ = (dir) Discographies
faqs/ = (dir) Music Frequently Asked questions files
folk/ - (dir) Folk Music Files and pointers
guitar/ = (dir) Guitar TAB files from ftp.nevada.edu
info/ = (dir) rec.music.info archives
interviews/ - (dir) Interviews with musicians/groups
lists/ = (dir) Mailing lists archives
lyrics/ = (dir) Lyrics Archives
misc/ - (dir) Misc files that don't fit anywhere else
pictures/ = (dir) GIFS, JPEGs, PBMs and more.
press/ - (dir) Press Releases and misc articles
programs/ - (dir) Misc music-related programs for various machines
releases/ = (dir) Upcoming USA release listings
sounds/ = (dir) Short sound samples
226 Transfer complete.
ftp>
When you switch to a directory, don't include the `/'. 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.
`potemkin.cs.pdx.edu' The Bob Dylan archive. Interviews, notes,
year-by-year accounts of his life and more, in the `pub/dylan' directory. 9
p.m. - 9 a.m.
`ftp.nevada.edu' Guitar chords for contemporary songs are in the
`pub/guitar' directory, in subdirectories organized by group or artist.
Pets
----
`pit-manager.mit.edu' The `pub/usenet/rec.pets.dogs' and
`pub/usenet.rec.pets.cats' directories have documents on the respective
animals. See under Books *Note Books:: for a caveat in using this ftp site.
6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
Pictures
--------
`wuarchiv.wustl.edu' The `graphics/gif' directory contains hundreds of GIF
photographic and drawing images, from cartoons to cars, space images to pop
stars. These are arranged in a long series of subdirectories.
Photography
-----------
`ftp.nevada.edu' Photolog is an online digest of photography news, in the
`pub/photo' directory.
Religion
--------
`nptn.org' In the `pub/e.texts/religion' directory, you'll find
subdirectories for chapters and books of both the Bible and the Koran.
Available 24 hours.
Sex
---
`pit-manager.mit.edu' Look in the `pub/usenet/alt.sex' and
`pub/usenet/alt.sex.wizards' directories for documents related to all facets
of sex. See under Books *Note Books:: for a caveat in using this ftp site. 6
p.m. - 6 a.m.
Science Fiction
---------------
`elbereth.rutgers.edu' In the pub/sfl directory, you'll find plot
summaries for various science-fiction TV shows, including Star Trek (not only