/00.USING.THIS.SITE

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"Using This Site"
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By Bill Kendrick
Atari 8-bit FTP Archivist

kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu
http://zippy.sonoma.edu/kendrick/

ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/atari/8bit/
http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/8bit/
gopher://gopher.archive.umich.edu:7055/11/atari/8bit/

July 1, 1996 - October 9, 1997

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Searching This FTP Site:

  I've set up an Atari 8-bit FTP archive search engine, called "XL Search,"
  which is accessible via the Web (Lynx users are ok) which includes this
  archive in its database:

    http://zippy.sonoma.edu/kendrick/nbs/xlsearch/


Categories / Subcategories:

  This FTP site is divided into categories.  Each category has its own
  directory.  Most categories are divided into subcategories.  These are
  subdirectories within each directory.

Naming Conventions:

  When possible, and for ease of use and clarity, standard naming conventions
  are used.

  Subdirectories:

    Many subcategory names are used in more than one category (directory).
    This is because between the medias available, many similar programs exist.
    For example, conversion software exists for graphics files, text files
    and sound files.  Since "Graphics", "Text" and "Sound" are each categories,
    a "Converters" subdirectory was placed in each of those three directories.

    The common subdirectory naming convention follows:

      Addons             - Add-on software for existing software
      Collections        - Collections of files
      Converters         - Software to convert between different formats
      Editors            - Software allowing you to create and edit files
    * Printing           - Software used specifically to print files
    * Viewers / Players  - Software used specifically to view or play files

    * - Some conversion software and all editor software allow you to view/play
        the files.  Some editor software allows you to print the files.  The
        categories "Printing" and "Viewews / Players" are for software which
        do not convert or edit files.

  Descriptive Files:

    Eventually, all files located on this site will be paired with a
    descriptive text file explaining what it is.

    The convention which is now in place is that the descriptive file
    have the extension ".blurb".  It should be noted that since all known
    Atari DOSes only support 3-letter filename extensions, when downloaded
    to an Atari, these files will have the extension ".BLU" or ".blu".

"0subs" files:

  In every directory containing subdirectories, a "0subs"-file exists.
  This file is named "0subs.<CURRENT-DIRECTORY>".  For example, the
  "0subs"-file which is within the "Games" directory is called
  "0subs.Games".

  Each "0subs"-file consists of a line containing its own filename,
  a blank line, then a list of each subdirectory followed by its
  description (and often an example of programs which would be placed
  in it).

  For example, a line from the "Games/0subs.Games" file might be:

    "Card/     Card games (ie, poker, blackjack, solitare, etc.)"

"00.CHANGES" File:

  This file contains a list of all major reorganization or removal which
  has occurred recently.

"00.WHERE.IS.IT" File:

  This file contains a list of types of files / programs, and what directory
  they should be in (for example, a "word processor" would be in the
  "/Text/Editors/" directory, since there's no "Wordprocessor" directory).

"00.EXTENSIONS" File:

  This file contains a list of common Atari 8-bit filename extensions and
  their meaning.

Uploading Files:

  If you're lucky enough to get into this archive via FTP, please upload
  (with the appropriate translation ("ASCII" for text files, "BINARY"
  otherwise)) your additions into the "New/" directory.

  If you can only access this archive via Gopher, the Web or some other
  uni-directional way, please e-mail additions to:

    kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu

  Please encode your files with UUencode or MIME ("base 64").

  Always remember to upload a ".blurb" file to describe what you've
  uploaded.  And if there's a specific place you think the file should
  go, please mention it in the ".blurb" and/or in an e-mail to me.

  Please keep your ".blurbs" short, however.  (1/2K or less!)
  If you have text documents for the program, include them in an ARC file
  with the program, or send them seperately as a ".TXT" file.

  Thanks!

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-bjk 10/9/97