The files on Peanuts
                     =========================

The files are compressed with GNU-zip (*.gz) and tarred with GNU-tar
or with normal unix tar (*.tar). You may want to get and install
GNU-zip first. A precompiled and ready-to-run version of GNU-zip is in
Unix/archiver/gzip.1.2.3.NI.b.tar

For almost every program package, a description file called
[NameOfPackage].README or [NameOfPackage].[versionNumber].README
exist. The binaries in the archive are available for different
architectures. NeXTStep is available on 68k processors ('black
hardware'), on Intel 486 and Intel pentium processors ('white
hardware'), on HP/PA and on SUN SPARC architecture. 

The file names follow the convention:

NameOfPackage.[version].[architecture].[distribution].[archivers]

 version:       the release and/or version number of the program
 architecture:  if the archive contains binaries, for which architecture?
 distribution:  what does the archive contain? source, binary, both?
 archivers:     file-extensions of the archive program(s)

version
=======
The version number can have different formats. Usually it consists of 
the release and the version number (e.g. 1.04). Release numbers with 0 
are normally beta releases (e.g. 0.13) Some packages also use a 
version number like 920904 or 20.Feb.1993 indicating the date of their 
release. If there is no version number mentioned, it is the first and 
only release so far.

architecture
============
The architecture of the binary is a combination of currently up to 4 
letters in a fixed order (NIHS):

    N    NeXT m68k ('black hardware')
    I    Intel 486 and Intel Pentium processor ('white Hardware')
    H    HP/PA architecture from HP ('green hardware')
    S    SPARC architecture from SUN ('yellow hardware')

The binary is a Multi-Architecture-binary (MAB) or FAT-binary, if it 
contains code, running on two or more architectures.

distribution
============
The contents of the archive. A combination of up to 4 letters, also in 
fixed order (bsda):

    b    binaries for the architectures mentioned under 'architecture'
    s    sources included. The sources may (!) compile on every platform
    d    data file: non-executable binary, source or any other file
    a    library included. The library is for the specified architecture
	    
The 'd' and 'a' are informal. They are normally only included, when 
there are additional files (libraries, sound etc.) beside the binaries 
or sources in the archive.

archivers 
=========
The extension specifying the programs utilized for archiving and 
compressing of the files. 

    tar         GNU-tar or normal unix tar
    gz          GNU-zip
    Z           normal unix compress
    compressed  archived and compressed using the NeXT workspace
	    
NOTE: 'Z' and 'compressed' are not supported on this archive! The 
usual case therefore is '*.tar', '*.gz' or '*.tar.gz'. However these
extensions may occur in the NeXTanswers directory which is a mirror
of the FTP archive by NeXT.

Examples:
=========

	tarZan.1.0.N.bs.tar.gz
	Columns.2.97.N.b.tar.gz
	DrivePerformance.1.1.NI.b.tar.Z