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Free Software for Microcomputers

We do not provide support for GNU software on microcomputers because it is peripheral to the GNU Project. However, we are distributing a few such programs on tape, CD-ROM and diskette. We are also willing to publish information about groups who do support and maintain them. If you are aware of any such efforts, please send the details, including postal addresses, archive sites and mailing lists, to either address on the front cover.

See "MS-DOS Distribution" and both CD-ROM articles for more information about microcomputer software available from the FSF. Please do not ask us about any other software. The FSF does not maintain any of it and has no additional information.

• GNU Software not on Apple computers

  In lawsuits, Apple claims the power to stop people from writing any program that has a user interface that works even vaguely like the Macintosh's. If Apple wins in the courts, it will create for itself a new power over the public that will enable it to put an end to free software. So long as Apple is committed to establishing this kind of monopoly, we will not provide any support or software for Apple machines. We ask that you too refrain from developing for or porting to Apple systems, since any more software adds to their business. Don't feed the lawyer that bites you!

• Boston Computer Society

  The BCS has numerous free programs for microcomputers, including some GNU programs. Contact them to see what is available for your machine: Boston Computer Society, 1 Kendall Square - Bldg 1400, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA. Phone: (617) 252-0600.

• GNU Software on the Amiga

  Get Amiga ports of many GNU programs using anonymous FTP from host ftp.funet.fi in `/pub/amiga/gnu' (Europe).

  For info on (or offers to help with) the GCC port and related projects, ask Leonard Norrgard, vinsci@nic.funet.fi. For info on the GNU Emacs port, ask David Gay, dgay@di.epfl.ch, or Mark D. Henning, henning@stolaf.edu. You can get more info via anonymous FTP in prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/MicrosPorts/Amiga.

• GNU Software for Atari TOS and Atari Minix

  Get Atari ports by anonymous FTP from atari.archive.umich.edu (maintained by Howard Chu, hyc@hanauma.jpl.nasa.gov). Ports are discussed on USENET in comp.sys.atari.st.tech & comp.sys.atari.st.

• GNU C/C++ 2.3.3 for OS/2 2.0

  Michael Johnson has written a completely stand-alone port of the GNU C/C++ Version 2.3.3 compiler for OS/2 2.0. It has the C/C++ compilers, the GNU assembler, documentation & both OS/2-specific and the BSD C libraries. You can get it from host hobbes.nmsu.edu in file `/os2/2_x/unix/gnu/gcc2_233' by FTP. To join the mailing list, send a message to os2gcc-request@charon.mit.edu.

• Linux: a free Unix system for 386 machines

  Linux (named after its author, Linus Torvalds, and Minix) is a free Unix clone which implements a subset of System V and POSIX functionality. Linux has been written from scratch and does not contain any proprietary code. Many of the utilities and libraries are GNU Project software. Linux runs only on 386/486 AT-bus (and some EISA-bus) machines. Porting to non-Intel architectures is hard because the kernel makes extensive use of 386 memory management and task primitives. Linux is freely distributable and available via anonymous FTP: tsx-11.mit.edu in `/pub/linux' (USA), nic.funet.fi in `/pub/OS/Linux' (Europe). Ask linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi about their mailing lists. See USENET newsgroup comp.os.linux.misc et al for Linux discussions.

• DJGPP 1.11m1, the GNU C/C++ compiler for MS-DOS

  DJ Delorie has ported GCC/G++ to the 386/483 MS-DOS platform. See "GNU Software Available Now" for details. The FSF is distributing DJGPP on both floppies and CD (see "MS-DOS Distribution" and "Compiler Tools Binaries CD-ROM").

• Demacs, GNU Emacs for MS-DOS

  Manabu Higashida and Hirano Satoshi have released Demacs, a GNU Emacs port for 386/486 MS-DOS. Version 1.2.0 is the first post-beta release. Demacs provides several DOS-specific features: support for binary or text file translation, "8 bit clean" display mode, 80x86 software interrupt calls via an int86 Lisp function, machine-specific features such as function key support, file name completion with drive name, child processes (suspend-emacs and call-process). Dired mode works without `ls.exe'. Anonymous FTP it from: wuarchive.wustl.edu in `/mirrors/msdos/demacs', utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp in `/GNU/demacs' (Japan), and ftp.funet.fi in `/pub/gnu/emacs/demacs' (Europe).

  The FSF is distributing Demacs on floppies (see "MS-DOS Distribution").

• GNU Software on MS-DOS

  You can ask info-gnu-msdos-request@sun.soe.clarkson.edu about MS-DOS ports of GNU programs and related mailing lists. Or anonymous FTP files `/pub/gnu/MicrosPorts/MSDOS*' on prep.ai.mit.edu.

  The FSF is distributing MS-DOS ports of many GNU programs on both floppies & CD (see "MS-DOS Distribution" & "Source Code CD-ROM").

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