MCC Interim Linux
*****************

These README files describe the MCC interim version of Linux.  They apply
to version 0.99.p8+, which is the most recently released version.
They are taken from the document available in this directory as
Interim.dvi and as Interim.ps.

Files:

     README             This file.
     README.linux       Linux-specific information.
     README.ftp         Getting the files.
     README.prepare     Preparing to install Linux.  Package sizes.
     README.install     Installing MCC interim Linux.
     README.recover     Recovering from fatal disasters.
     README.adapt       Tailoring MCC interim Linux to suit your taste.
     README.fdisk       The Linux fdisk program.
     Acknowledgements   Where the programs come from.
     BUGS+WARNINGS      A current list of problems and fixes.


Introduction
************

The MCC interim versions of Linux are designed to allow people who
are not Unix experts to install a version of the Linux operating system
on a PC.  The installed system should be self-contained, but easy to
extend.


What are the MCC interim versions of Linux?
===========================================

When Linux version 0.10 first appeared in the autumn of 1991, it was
released by Linus Torvalds as a pair of floppy disks, known as the
"boot" and "root" disks.  Linus himself released several utilities which
did not fit on these disks.  Eventually quite a number of contributions
were available.  Software distribution was rather chaotic, and you
needed a lot of effort to collect a complete base system.

The Manchester Computing Centre (MCC) is a part of the University of
Manchester, supporting computing at the University, at UMIST (the
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), and at
several other British universities.

We began to make Linux available by anonymous ftp in November 1991,
and we released the first MCC interim version of Linux (version 0.12+)
the following February.  This version made use of ramdisk code written
by Theodore Ts'o to mount a virtual root disk at boot time from the
kernel floppy.  (This type of distribution was used earlier by Andrew
Tannenbaum to distribute his operating system MINIX.)  With version
0.99p8+, we abandoned the ramdisk-as-root and adopted a combined
bootable root disk.  The first combined root disk was created by H J Lu
(who made essential use of Werner Almesberger's LILO software).  Unlike
H J's bootable root disk, the MCC disk does not contain an executable
shell.

Very shortly after the first MCC interim version of Linux appeared,
other people released similar versions: Dave Safford's TAMU releases
and Martin Junius's MJ versions were eventually followed by Peter
Macdonald's massive, comprehensive SLS releases and H J Lu's small base
systems.  What distinguishes the MCC versions from these others?

From its first release, MCC interim Linux has included basic
utilities, the GNU C compiler, and the sources to the current kernel
release.  The software included in MCC distributions comes from a wide
variety of sources, but we try to make sources to all of it available,
though not as part of the distribution.  MCC interim versions aim to
provide a stable base system, which can be installed in a short time,
and to which other software can be added with relatively little effort.
 Every binary file in an MCC distribution has been compiled under that
version of the kernel, by that version of `gcc', is linked with that
version of the libraries, and has been tested to some extent.  The only
exception to this is the GNU C compiler and libraries, which we take
directly from H J Lu's distribution.

We install this version of Linux on small 386-SX machines for our C
and Unix courses, and we need to be able to install it on twelve
machines in about one hour.  We also distribute this version of Linux
to our clients in Manchester.  We make no attempt to include a wide
variety of packages, or large packages such as X386.  The emacs and
info packages were added to MCC interim Linux only because we have been
using them for our courses.  People who want a distribution which
contains nearly everything should get the SLS versions, which are about
five times the size of MCC, and quite comprehensive.

Our versions are called "interim" because they are not intended to be
final or official.  They are small, harmonious, and moderately tested.
They do not conform to everyone's taste -- what release does? -- but
they should provide a stable base to which other software can be added.

This version of Linux is prepared to allow you to upgrade an existing
system, as well as to install a complete new system.  The limitations
are mainly that partitions must contain minix or ext2 file systems: ext
and xiafs file systems are not supported in the installation, though
they can be mounted from the installed system with no difficulty.
Upgrading an old system looks just like installing a new system, except
that you don't need to run `mkswap' and `mkfs' before installing. 
Instead you should run `fsck', which you can do from the boot disk. 
Old binaries are deleted, except for some old libraries, which may be
required by programs which you have acquired from somewhere else.

Text files, especially the configuration files in `/etc', are more
of a problem.  We don't want to throw away the old files, which you may
have spent some considerable time polishing, but we must install new
configuration files, or else the system may not boot properly, or may
work badly if it boots at all.  For this reason, the installation
creates a special directory named `/backupdirs'.  In this directory it
creates subdirectories such as `etc', `etc/lilo', `root', and
`home/user'.  Any old configuration files which might be overwritten
during the upgrade are moved to these directories before the new files
are installed.  After installation, you may cautiously compare the new
files with the old ones, and incorporate your personal preferences into
the new files.

You must be particularly careful with files such as `/etc/inittab'
or `/etc/rc', since mistakes in these may prevent the system from
booting, or cause serious problems while the system is running.  It is a
good idea to read the man pages for `init' and `inittab' before making
any changes to these files.  A number of other `rc' files are created
in `/etc' during the installation; these are described to some extent
in `/etc/inittab'.  See README.adapt.


Copyright and conditions of distribution
========================================

Software today comes under a wide variety of copyright restrictions,
and it is important to know what conditions apply to the software you
use.  The software in MCC interim versions of Linux, and other software
which can be added to it, is copyrighted in a variety of ways.  In
general, all of it is available to be used by anyone, and the source to
all of it is available as well.  If you intend to use Linux or any of
its parts for commercial purposes, you should get the source files and
read the copyrights contained in them.  (A list of the sources can be
found in Acknowledgments.)  Most Linux software falls under one
of the following categories:

GNU copyleft
     The GNU General Public License applies to the Linux kernel, to the
     GNU C and C++ compilers, to all utilities distributed by the Free
     Software Foundation, and to many contributed utilities.  This
     copyright, also known as a copyleft, is designed to ensure that
     the source to software is available, and that you can give away or
     sell copies of the source and of compiled binaries.  There is no
     warranty, but you are obliged to notify anyone of any changes
     which you have made to the original.  You are obliged to publish
     on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and a disclaimer of
     warranty.  Works derived from copylefted works must be released
     under the same terms.  The terms are specified in the GNU General
     Public License, which is available by anonymous ftp.  See README.ftp.

GNU library license
     The GNU library license applies to the GNU C++ library and to all
     works that must be linked with this library.  This allows
     commercial binaries to be supplied in an unlinked form, so that
     purchasers can link the binaries with other versions of the
     library.

BSD copyright
     The BSD copyright applies to all source from the University of
     California at Berkeley.  Source may be reused freely, but it
     should contain a notice to the effect that all or part of the
     software was developed by the University of California at
     Berkeley.  Moreover, the name of the University may not be used to
     endorse or promote such products.

MIT copyright
     The X Window System, version 11, is copyrighted by the
     Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and `X Window System' is a
     trademark owned by MIT.  Most of the source for this software was
     developed by the MIT X Consortium, and is covered by the MIT
     copyright.  This is similar to the BSD copyright in permitting
     free commercial use of MIT code, subject to the inclusion of
     similar notices giving credit for any MIT code used in the final
     product.

Public domain software
     Some programs in this distribution are in the public domain.  They
     have no copyright attached and can be used in any way without any
     obligation or restriction.
