                                                           W3C Software Read Me
                        W3C REFERENCE CODE DISTRIBUTION
                                       
   
   ___________________________________
   

        (c) COPYRIGHT MIT 1995.
        Please first read the full copyright statement in the file COPYRIGH.

   This is the README file which you get when you unwrap one of our
   distribution files. Each package contains source code for building one or
   more of our Web applications and related helper applications. The set of W3C
   Web applications is currently:
   
      Reference Library (libwww)
      
      Line Mode Browser
      
      Command Line Tool
      
      Mini Server
      
      Mini Robot
      
      Socket Listen Tool
      
   Please note that the W3C Reference Library distribution file is required in
   order to build any of the other applications. At the bottom of this file,
   you will find pointers to more information about each application.
   
Handling the Distribution Files

   A distribution file contains the source code for one or more of the modules.
   W3C also provides a set of precompiled binaries which are available for W3C
   members directly via HTTP or as public domain via anonymous FTP from
   ftp.w3.org.
   
   All distribution files are available as compressed tar files, gzipped tar
   files, or as zip files. For the compressed tar files, first uncompress and
   untar the file <dist>.tar.Z where <dist> is the name of the specific
   distribution:
   

        uncompress <dist>.tar.Z

        gunzip <dist>.tar.gz

   Then untar the file by typing
   

        tar xf <dist>.tar

   For the zip files, type the following:
   

        unzip <dist>.zip

Compilation

   Compilation can be put into two groups depending on your platform and if it
   is supported in the BUILD script or not. The BUILD script is placed in the
   WWW directory and you can use it to compile and link the W3C applications.
   The BUILD script figures out what platform you are on and generates a
   Makefile which consists of a platform independent part and a platform
   dependent part.
   
  COMPILATION ON ALREADY SUPPORTED UNIX PLATFORMS
  
   NoteStop here and take a look at the patches &nbsp;to see if you have to
   apply any source code patches
   
   We use autoconf in order to compile the reference source code on Unix
   platforms. Please read the INSTALL document for instructions.
   
  COMPILATION ON UN-SUPPORTED UNIX PLATFORMS
  
   For other Unix platforms please read the guide on how to adjust the BUILD
   script for compilation on your platform.
   
  COMPILATION ON WINDOWS
  
   For Windows we have some special documentation on how you can produce DLLs
   out of the Reference Library.
   
Reference Library (libwww)

   The W3C Reference Library is a general code base that can be used to build
   clients and servers. It contains code for accessing HTTP, FTP, Gopher, News,
   WAIS, Telnet servers, and the local file system. Furthermore it provides
   modules for parsing, managing and presenting hypertext objects to the user
   and a wide spectra of generic programming utilities. The Library is the
   basis for many World-Wide Web applications and all the W3C software is build
   on top of it. The Library is a required part of all other W3C applications
   in this distribution.
   
   The Library documentation is included in the distribution file and you can
   find the top page at
   

        Library/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Line Mode Browser

   The W3C Line Mode Browser is a simple character based client. It is
   developed for use on dumb terminals and as a test tool for the Common Code
   Library. It can be run in interactive mode, non- interactive mode and as a
   proxy client. Furthermore it gives a variety of possibilities for data
   format conversion, filtering etc. It is primarily intended as a test-tool
   for quick access to the Web or used in batch jobs.
   
   Installation is very simple as the application can run without any
   particular setup. You can specify your own HOME PAGE using the WWW_HOME
   environment variable. Remember toy setup a NNTPSERVER environment variable
   before you try to access a news server.
   
   The Line Mode Browser documentation is included in the distribution file and
   you can find the top page at
   

        LineMode/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Mini Server

   The W3C Mini Server is a cross platform server frame work that can be used
   as a basis for writing portable servers. It is NOT a full server - only a
   frame! It is developed in C and serves as an example of a server application
   using the W3C Reference Library.
   
   The Mini Server documentation is included in the distribution file and you
   can find the top page at
   

        MiniServ/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Command Line Tool

   The W3C Command Line Tool is a cross platform command line tool for
   accessing the Web. It is developed in C and serves as an example of a client
   application using the W3C Reference Library and as a test-tool for quick
   access to the Web from scripts, cron jobs etc. It gives a variety of
   possibilities for data format conversion, filtering etc. It is primarily
   intended as a test-tool for quick access to the Web or used in scripts, cron
   jobs etc.
   
   The Command Line Tool documentation is included in the distribution file and
   you can find the top page at
   

        ComLine/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Mini Robot

   The W3C Mini Robot is a cross platform command line tool for accessing the
   Web. It is developed in C and serves as an example of a robot application
   using the W3C Reference Library and as a test-tool for quick access to the
   Web from scripts, cron jobs etc. It is primarily intended as a test-tool for
   quick access to the Web or used in scripts, cron jobs etc.
   
   The W3C Mini Robot documentation is included in the distribution file and
   you can find the top page at
   

        Robot/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Socket Listen Tool

   The W3C Socket Listen Tool is a cross platform tool for debugging what is
   being sent over the wire. It simply listens on a socket and forwards
   everything to stderr or whatever is available on the actual platform. It is
   developed in C and serves as an example application using the W3C Reference
   Library
   
   The W3C Socket Listen Tool documentation is included in the distribution
   file and you can find the top page at
   
        Listen/User/Overview.html

   You can also use the online documentation
   
Got Problems or Comments?

   If you encounter problems, would like to feed back suggestions good ideas
   etc. then please send a mail explaining your problem and the version of the
   W3C software to libwww@w3.org
   
   Have fun!
   
   
   ___________________________________
   
                                          Henrik Frystyk Nielsen, February 1996
                                                                               
   
