This distribution contains the second public release of a package
maintenance and distribution facility for Linux.  Thank you for your
interest in StopAlop, I hope that it will provide as much utility to
your system as it has ours.

The distribution has been uploaded to the incoming directory on tsx-11.
I have asked Michael to move it to the BETA/packaging directory and it
should propagate to other sites.

I have the code labelled as BETA but it has been in use for about a
year at our Center without major problems.  But the first few times one
releases something....  I would appreciate any and all comments when
you find bugs.

Stopalop has the following abilities:

	1.) Generation of packages/distribution.
	2.) Installation of packages.
	3.) Documentation (listing) of installed packages.
	4.) Package removal.
	5.) Verification of package integrity (file presence,
	    permissions and ownerships.).

The accompanying documentation file outlines the design principles and
describes the basic functioning of the program.  Please read through
this before subjecting your filesystem to this utility.

Enclosed in the distribution should be the following files:

	README:		This file.
	StopAlop.doc:	Introductory document and examples.
	COPYING:	The GNU Public License under which StopAlop is
			distributed.
	stopalop:	The utility itself.


	*** Note that it will be very helpful if you review the contents
	    of the StopAlop.doc file before proceeding.

GOALS

	My hope is that the Linux community will be able to use
	StopAlop as a generic package installation method.  The ample
	traffic in the newsgroup's seems to indicate that such a
	utility would be of use.

	A common criticism of UNIX(c) based systems has been the
	difficulties associated with installation/maintenance.  One
	method of having Linux succeed is to avoid committing this
	sin, Linux must be attractive to users who have grown up
	having their hands held.  While I am not a great fan of binary
	only distributions I believe that the current environment
	almost makes this a necessity.  StopAlop is designed to
	provide at least a minimal framework for this distribution. IT
	IS NOT designed to enforce any type of filesystem standard as
	I believe that this is as hopeless as source only distributions.

	StopAlop may not be the answer to this problem but I firmly
	believe that there must be a movement made in the direction of
	some form of standardization of distributions.	Considering
	the load developing on some of the major FTP sites,
	downloading a complete distribution in order to upgrade a
	single component is not an attractive alternative.
	
	Writing installation scripts is not something very sexy but
	absolutely critical to the acceptance of an operating
	environment.  My research group has developed the following
	sets of modules controlled by the StopAlop system.

		1.) Boot/installation diskette.
		2.) Basic binary package, shell-utils, file-utils,
		    UUCP etc.
		3.) EMACS (Version 18.59b).
		4.) TeX.
		5.) XFree1.2.
		6.) Networking.
		7.) GCC/development.

	If there is interest shown by the community I could package
	some of these modules up and place them with the StopAlop
	package.  They are representative of how StopAlop can be used
	to form an integrated release environment.  All of these
	modules form the basis of our corporate Linux network and as
	such are essentially snapshots of fully functional trees.

	NOTE: I am not interested in stepping on any of the package
	distributer's toes.  I am also not interested in defining a
	filesystem standard as I believe that this is hopeless.  I am
	just making this package available in response to ongoing
	discussions in c.o.l.d. and because I think there is a need to
	get a standardized packaging methodology implemented in the Linux
	community.

Any discussions/commentary are welcome.  Hopefully this will prove to
be of utility to some groups.


                           As always,
                           Dr. G.W. Wettstein
                           Oncology Research Division Computing Facility
                           Roger Maris Cancer Center / MeritCare

                           UUCP: uunet!plains!wind!greg
                           INTERNET: greg%wind.UUCP@plains.nodak.edu
                           PHONE: 701-234-2833

`The truest mark of a man's wisdom is his ability to listen to other men
 expound their wisdom.'
