Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!vax5.cit.cornell.edu!ii9y
From: ii9y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction
Subject: Amiga FTP Summary
Message-ID: <1991Jun24.160111.5688@vax5.cit.cornell.edu>
Date: 24 Jun 91 16:01:11 EDT
Distribution: comp
Organization: CIT, Cornell University
Lines: 64

Well, it looks like people already posted answers to my questions,
but for what it's worth:

   Here is the summary I promised.  Thanks, everyone who contributed to 
the pile of mail I received.  I'll give sources for answers I got from 
only one person.

I asked:
1) I can't seem to download some files.  I get an error message 
something like "not a plain file".  How do I get these?

   Most people suggested that I was trying to ftp a binary file in text 
mode.  Various commands such as "type I", "type image", "bin", and 
"binary" were suggested, depending, I suppose, on the version of FTP 
you're using.
   The other possibility mentioned was that I was trying to ftp a 
directory instead of a file.

I asked:
2) In ab20, there's a file called "FILES.Z" which according to the 
readme is supposed to be an index to what files are at that site.  But 
it seems to be compressed in some way I'm not familiar with.  I've tried 
arc, zoo, lharc, warp, etc. but nothing works.

   Files with the .z extension are Unix compress files.  The command is 
"compress -d <filename>.z", "decompress <filename>.z", "uncompress 
<filename>.z", or "uncompress <filename>" under Unix.  (Some people say 
that you should leave in the ".z", others say no.  On my local machine, 
you have to rename "<filename>.z" to "<filename>_z".  I suppose it 
depends on which system you're using.)
   Many people also said that there is a compress program available for 
the Amiga on one of the Fred Fish disks. 

I asked:
3) Is there any way to look at the contents of a readme file without 
exiting FTP?

   The usual procedure seems to be that you get the file to the local 
system, then use shell commands to look at it, such as "! more 
<filename>".  The "!" lets you execute a shell command from inside ftp, 
   Alternatives: Others said to use <ctrl-Z> to suspend the task, then 
read it, then "fg" to continue.  (This is about what I had been doing, 
but it's not as convenient under VMS.)  mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu suggests 
"get <filename> -".  A command that works on ab20 is "quote xcat 
<filename>".

I asked:
4) I downloaded Oberon from ab20, but it's crippleware.  Anyone know if 
the full version is done yet, and how much it costs?

According to <htgoebel@faui09.informatik.uni-erlangen.de>, AmigaOberon 
2.0 has been available for a month, in Europe at least, for "SFr. 290 
(DM300 + MWSt)" (I'm not sure I can decipher that.)  You can also get it 
directly from the author at the address given on the demo disk.  There 
is also a source-level, runtime debugger available for "DM 200 (+MWSt)".  
 
Thanks again to everyone who responded.

P.S. Is it proper to directly quote people's E-mail messages if I said 
that I would be summarizing them?  I wasn't sure, so I tried not to in 
this message.

Brian Slesinsky
ii9y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu