Subject: comp.binaries.cbm FAQ
Summary: This posting contains information needed to submit programs to the comp.binaries.cbm moderated newsgroup.
Date: 21 Jun 1997 05:59:40 GMT

Archive-name: commodore/binaries-faq/part1
Author: William R Ward <cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com>
Posting-frequency: monthly
Version: 1.3
URL: http://www.bayview.com/cbm-binaries/faq.html

  FAQ for comp.binaries.cbm
  William R. Ward, cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com
  Version 1.3, 1997/03/04

  This posting contains information needed to submit programs to the
  comp.binaries.cbm moderated newsgroup.
  ______________________________________________________________________

  Table of Contents:

  1.      About comp.binaries.cbm

  1.1.    Introduction

  1.2.    Why isn't my message showing up right away?

  1.3.    Who are the moderators?

  1.4.    Are there archives of the newsgroup?

  1.5.    Where can I get an up-to-date copy of this FAQ?

  1.6.    What other documents do you recommend?

  2.      Submission Guidelines

  2.1.    What types of programs are allowed?

  2.1.1.  For which platforms may I submit programs?

  2.1.2.  What about copyrighted software?

  2.2.    What format should the program be in?

  2.2.1.  How should I encode the program?

  2.2.2.  How should I encode multiple files?

  2.2.3.  May I use D64, T64, ZIP, or P00 (emulator formats)?

  2.2.4.  What other archive software may I use?

  2.2.5.  What should be on the Subject: line?

  2.2.6.  What should be in the message body?

  2.2.7.  Should I split large postings into multiple files?

  2.3.    How do I submit a program?

  2.4.    Can I cross-post to other newsgroups?

  2.5.    How often may I post my program?

  3.      Disclaimer
  ______________________________________________________________________

  1.  About comp.binaries.cbm

  1.1.  Introduction

  Welcome to comp.binaries.cbm!  This is USENET's distribution point for
  software for Commodore 8-bit computers.  This group is intended for
  posting public domain or freely distributable software for the
  Commodore 64, 128, PET, Plus/4, or any of the other 8-bit computers
  manufactured by the late Commodore Business Machines.  Note that
  software for Amiga and CBM-built PC clones do not qualify; see
  comp.binaries.amiga for Amiga software, and the various
  comp.binaries.ibm.pc.* newsgroups for PC compatibles.

  This document attempts to answer most questions which you might have
  about submitting software for the newsgroup.  Please read it before
  attempting to submit a program, or before asking the moderators for
  help.

  1.2.  Why isn't my message showing up right away?

  This is a moderated newsgroup.  This means that all messages must be
  approved by one of the moderators before appearing in the newsgroup.
  E-mail all submissions to cbm-binaries@bayview.com.  If you try to
  post it using your news software, it will probably be automatically
  forwarded to that address; however this is not recommended, as there
  are sometimes problems when this is done.

  If you wish to communicate with the moderators you should send your
  message to cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com.  Send any questions,
  suggestions, or criticisms to that address.  If you have any
  disagreements that cannot be resolved in private e-mail with the
  moderators, you may wish to post about it on the newsgroups
  news.admin.net-abuse.misc and/or comp.sys.cbm.

  1.3.  Who are the moderators?

  The newsgroup is moderated by a team of people.  If you would like to
  volunteer, send mail to cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com to enquire.

  o  William     R. Ward, hermit@bayview.com

  o  Cameron Kaiser, spectre@deepthought.armory.com

  o  darkforc@tiac.net

  o  Tony Bossaller, para@mo.net

  o  Tom Hoot, thoot@starbase.neosoft.com

  1.4.  Are there archives of the newsgroup?

  All messages posted to the newsgroup are archived by the moderators.
  Currently this archive is not available online, but if you send a
  request to the moderators in private e-mail, it should be possible to
  get a copy of an old message.

  1.5.  Where can I get an up-to-date copy of this FAQ?

  This document is posted approximately every 30 days to the newsgroups
  comp.binaries.cbm, comp.sys.cbm, news.answers, and comp.answers.  It
  is also available online via FTP and the World-Wide Web at the
  following addresses:

  o  FTP:
     <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/commodore/binaries-
     faq/part1>

  o  WWW:  <http://www.bayview.com/cbm-binaries/faq.html>

  o  WWW:  <http://www.jbrain.com/pub/cbm/faq/cbm-binaries-faq.1.2.txt>

  o  MAIL: Send mail to brain@mail.msen.com with ``MAILSERV'' in the
     Subject line, and the command ``get /pub/cbm/faq/cbm-binaries-
     faq.1.2.txt'' in the body of the message.

  If you find other locations where these files are available, please
  tell me about them so that I can include them here.  Thanks.

  1.6.  What other documents do you recommend?

  Note: The Comp.binaries.cbm Home Page <http://www.bayview.com/cbm-
  binaries/> contains additional links not listed here.

  The comp.sys.cbm FAQ files maintained by Jim Brain
  (brain@mail.msen.com) are an invaluable source of information about
  Commodore computers.  You can find them at:

  o  FTP:  <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.sys.cbm/>

  o  WWW:  <http://www.msen.com/~brain/faqhome.html>

  Also the web pages maintained by Jim Brain for Commodore computers at
  <http://www.msen.com/~brain/cbmhome.html> contain a wealth of other
  information and links of interest to Commodore owners.

  Another document that might be of interest is the list of Commodore
  FTP sites.  It is posted bimonthly on comp.sys.cbm and
  comp.emulators.cbm and is available via FTP from
  <ftp://ftp.armory.com/pub/user/spectre/TEXT-ARCHIVE/ftp-sites.zip> (in
  PKZIP format).  It is maintained by Howard Herman (hlh@panix.com).

  2.  Submission Guidelines

  2.1.  What types of programs are allowed?

  2.1.1.  For which platforms may I submit programs?

  You may submit software for any Commodore 8-bit computer, including
  but not limited to the 64, 128, PET/CBM, Plus/4, 16, or VIC-20.

  You may also submit software for any other kind of computer, provided
  that there is a direct and obvious connection to Commodore computing.
  Examples include cross-(diss)assemblers, file server programs that
  emulate a Commodore disk drive, etc.  However, emulators and software
  that is intended for emulators rather than for actual Commodore
  hardware are not accepted.  See the newsgroup comp.emulators.cbm for
  more information about Commodore emulators.

  2.1.2.  What about copyrighted software?

  You may not submit copyrighted software unless the copyright owner has
  approved free distribution through channels such as this.  This means
  no hacked software, no ROM dumps, and no music/video captures from
  such software.
  Even if the company that originally published the program you want to
  distribute is no longer in business, somebody owns the copyright.
  Either they were bought out, in which case the ownership of
  intellectual property transferred to the new owner, or they went
  under, in which case it went to the creditors or stayed with the
  author or an executive of the company.  However in no case do
  copyrights simply vanish, unless they are released by the copyright
  holder.

  Public domain software, where there is no copyright, is welcome, along
  with software using a freeware or shareware approach where free
  distribution is allowed while the author retains copyright.

  2.2.  What format should the program be in?

  2.2.1.  How should I encode the program?

  Use the uuencode format for encoding your program.  Please do not use
  Base64 (MIME) encoding.  It is possible to use MIME to include an
  attachment in uuencode format, however, which is acceptable.

  2.2.2.  How should I encode multiple files?

  If your program contains more than one file you should use a separate
  message for each one, or combine them in a self extracting archive.

  2.2.3.  May I use D64, T64, ZIP, or P00 (emulator formats)?

  No.  You should gear your submission for the lowest common
  denominator, which usually means a C64 and one 1541 floppy drive.
  While there are ways to extract those formats for use on Commodore
  hardware, it usually requires extra disk drive(s) and/or memory
  expansion which you cannot assume everyone will have.  Do not assume
  everyone who downloads it will run an emulator--many Commodore die-
  hards read USENET with their 64's and a Unix shell account, or through
  a BBS dialing in with their 64.

  That having been said, if all you have is a D64 file or one of the
  other formats, and no way to convert it, submit it anyway.  We have
  utilities to convert the files, but would prefer not to have to use
  them on each submission.

  2.2.4.  What other archive software may I use?

  If you submit an archive containing multiple files, please use some
  form of self extracting archive.  If you don't have the ability to
  create one, contact the moderators at cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com
  and ask for help.

  2.2.5.  What should be on the Subject: line?

  The subject line should clearly describe the basic requirements for
  the software along with a description, such as:

  o  Subject: [C64] Demo: Really Cool Demo (PAL only)

  o  Subject: [C128] Game: Hangman game I wrote for 128

  o  Subject: [KIM-1] Utility: Web Browser for KIM-1

  2.2.6.  What should be in the message body?

  The message body should contain a more detailed description of the
  software, how to unpack it, what the requirements are, and how to use
  it.  Don't just include the documentation in the archive; let people
  read it before going through the work of transferring it to their
  Commodore.

  2.2.7.  Should I split large postings into multiple files?

  No.  Let the moderators do that.  We will post your message in
  multiple parts, with a "Part 0" containing your description along with
  any comments we might add, and the actual software in "Part 1" through
  "Part n" (depending on its size).  That way people can read the
  description before downloading the rest.  Submit your message via e-
  mail in one large message (unless it is so large that the e-mail
  system rejects it!).

  2.3.  How do I submit a program?

  Once you have your submission ready, you should submit it to the
  moderators via e-mail to cbm-binaries@bayview.com.  Submissions are
  typically reviewed approximately once a day, especially on weekdays.
  You can simply post your message to comp.binaries.cbm, and your news
  server will probably forward the message to the moderators
  automatically in e-mail.  However, the return address may be incorrect
  if you do this, which may make it difficult for people to reply to
  you.  Therefore, direct e-mail is recommended instead.

  If your submission is rejected, you should receive a message
  indicatying why it was rejected, unless the moderators could not
  contact you or had already notified you for a similar previous
  message.  Messages which are massively crossposted, chain letters, or
  spam, will be deleted without acknowledgement, and (if illegal) may be
  forwarded to the authorities for prosecution.

  At least one of the moderators must decode and test your program
  before approving it.  This may cause some delay, but if everything
  works it should be approved and posted within a week.  You will
  receive an e-mail notification when your message is posted; if you
  don't get the e-mail confirming approval and you think it should have
  been appproved, wait a couple of days, and if it is still not there
  then notify the moderators by email at cbm-binaries-
  request@bayview.com.

  2.4.  Can I cross-post to other newsgroups?

  Cross-posting isn't permitted.  It is not necessary to cross-post or
  re-post your program to comp.sys.cbm, since binaries are not permitted
  there and only binaries will be accepted on comp.binaries.cbm.  The
  reason this newsgroup was created was to cut down on the volume in
  comp.sys.cbm.  Please help in this effort.

  If you wish to post a question and want the advice or help of
  comp.sys.cbm readers, post there instead of to comp.binaries.cbm.
  Messages that do not contain Commodore software will not be approved.

  2.5.  How often may I post my program?

  You should not post the same software more than once every six months
  at the most.  You may post upgrades as often as they come along,
  however.  If you want to download something previously posted, contact
  the moderators at cbm-binaries-request@bayview.com and ask for a copy
  from the archives.

  3.  Disclaimer

       Note: Due to the litigous nature of modern (especially Amer-
       ican) society, and to the risks involved in running any
       software obtained from the Internet, I feel it is necessary
       to disclaim any liability for the software posted in this
       newsgroup.

  Approval of programs for the comp.binaries.cbm newsgroup implies no
  warranty as to the serviceability or suitability of purpose of the
  software.  You assume all risk for any possible damage done to your
  system, business, or any other possible harmful effects of running
  software obtained from this newsgroup.

  By submitting programs to the moderators either directly or
  indirectly, the submitter implicitly agrees that the material may be
  posted on the USENET newsgroup comp.binaries.cbm.  Furthermore, the
  moderators may edit the text of your message to clarify or add
  information about your software.  In submitting a program you certify
  that to the best of your knowledge that either the contents of your
  submission are in the public domain, or that the copyright holder has
  approved free distribution by posting on this newsgroup, being
  archived, posting on the World Wide Web, re-publishing, putting it in
  a collection, sending via electronic mail, or otherwise distributing
  it over the Internet in any manner whatsoever, for any purposes, by
  any person.

  Typing, transmission, or other errors and inaccuracies of commission
  or omission may occur, and the moderators assumes no liability for
  these errors.

  Programs submitted are the responsibility of the submitter.  The
  moderators will not be held liable for the legality or accuracy of the
  content of such material.  While the moderators make an effort to
  ensure that posting the software is legal, the ultimate responsibility
  lies with the submitter.  In addition, the moderators will not be held
  liable by either submitters, copyright owners, or users of software
  posted here for any errors of commission or omission the moderators
  may make.  If there is a dispute between the submitter and any other
  party, the submitter agrees to indemnify and hold the moderators
  harmless, and to assume all liability for the content of the posting
  and any disputses arising from it.

  If you disagree with these conditions, do not submit programs to the
  moderators for posting to comp.binaries.cbm and do not use the
  information the moderators post to comp.binaries.cbm.

  Your use of any programs or files posted in comp.binaries.cbm
  constitutes complete and unconditional acceptance of the terms stated
  here. This disclaimer to be interpreted in accordance with the laws of
  the State of California, United States of America.
