(Logo and goto: Prof. Timo Salmi, Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Vaasa, Finland) (Visits counter image) Counting since 9.11.2005
<http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/garbinfo/garb0010.html>
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Last modified Sun 17-Oct-2010 17:40:30
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What is garbo.uwasa.fi

In case you are not familiar with Garbo archives here is an outline. Garbo (http://garbo.uwasa.fi/ and ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/) is located at the University of Vaasa , Finland. It is a joint effort of the Computer Centre and the Department of Accounting and Finance  at the University. Garbo archives have a carefully specialized collection shareware, freeware and public domain programs available by anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol), a mail server, and through World Wide Web. Garbo is currently run on a Linux Pentium. 
The scope of the Garbo archives at the end of some years:
(Still pretty much the same)
            1996 1997 1998       1996 1997 1998
            ---- ---- ----       ---- ---- ----
 /pc         675  712  726 Mb    5249 5463 5525 MS-DOS files
 /windows    309  314  324 Mb    1045 1054 1065 Windows 3.1x files
 /win95       30   31   31 Mb     113  114  114 Windows 95+ files
 /linux        2  129  129 Mb       6   48   48 Linux files
 /unix        64   66   71 Mb     370  378  393 Unix files
 /mac         49   53   53 Mb     143  147  147 Mac files
 /next        40   40   40 Mb     132  132  132 Next files
 /X11          9    9    9 Mb      91   91   91 X11 files
 /ql           1    1    1 Mb     104  104  110 Sinclair QL files
The downloads are made worldwide by users from Internet sites in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. There are some 2000 universities connected to Internet, and there also is a great number of business enterprises which have an access. Garbo archives are mirrored by about ten FTP sites around the world for the local users.

Garbo works in cooperation rather than in direct competition with the general scope sites on the net. Being a university site Garbo's general mission can be stated as "The enhancement of skills, rational knowledge and scientific understanding". To advance these goals Garbo has much material that, while specialized, is hoped to be of general, knowledge related interest. Thus Garbo is more of a theme oriented than a large-number-of-programs oriented repository. The main themes for Garbo are:

The main file indexes at Garbo are

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/INDEX.ZIP 
  The annotated list of Garbo's MS-DOS files, zipped

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/INDEXTS.ZIP 
  Details of the contents of each TS-package in zipped form

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/windows/WINDEX.ZIP 
  Zipped version of WINDEX - lists all Garbo Windows 3.1x (16-bit) files

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/win95/W95INDEX.ZIP 
  The annotated list of Garbo's Windows95/../XP/.. (32-bit) files, zipped

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/unix/UINDEX.ZIP 
  List of garbo.uwasa.fi UNIX files in zipped form

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/ql/QLINDEX.TXT 
  Annotated list of garbo.uwasa.fi Sinclair QL files

Also see

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/TODAYTIP.TXT
  Timo's today's Garbo tip

If you consider submitting material to Garbo archives, the very first thing check is What is Garbo's current incoming uploads open/closed status?  If it seems that your material still fits, and the system is not closed, before uploading get and carefully read the following two advice files.

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/UPLOAD.TXT
  Instructions for submitting material to Garbo archives

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/UPTEXT.TXT
  The required formula for your Garbo upload announcements

   All the best, Timo 

From: ts(ät)uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi)
To: A Garbo User
Subject: Re: What is garbo.uwasa.fi
Hello Garbo User,

I was pleased to see an article with the above subject. But it turns out that you did not explain what I have been wondering about. Namely, what is the relationship between Garbo, SimTel.Net, and Walnut Creek?

There is no relationship as such. Garbo is an entirely independent operation, even if, naturally, the maintainers often are in contact. However, the net and the times have changed since I wrote that the first time. The repositories are more independent than ever, and many authors now have their own sites for their programs. The contacts way back then have ceased.

I am beginning to get Coast-to-Coast and Walnut Creek straightened out, but I still do not quite see how Garbo fits in on a relative basis.

Those archive sites like Simtel.Net way back then were broad scope sites that invited the whole gamut of material for all the major PC OSes. Garbo is a more specialized operation. Our main area is MS-DOS even if we have material for Windows 3.1x, Windows 95, UNIX, Mac and Sinclair QL as well. Furthermore, within MS-DOS we have the specializations I wrote about. Besides, we have the strong educational interest which I also wrote about.

Although there naturally is much overlap, Garbo is not a subset of the other sites. In fact, in advance thinking to the contrary, I made a survey about it a couple of years ago. To my surprise well over a quarter of our files were unique even then. We also carry some sections that the referred sites do not. Most importantly there is Garbo's scientific astronomy images collection which has grown fairly large and quite popular. You can connect to it also directly using http://garbo.uwasa.fi/Astro.html.

Additional differences are to be found in the arrangement and descriptions of the material at Garbo. We have a unique directory structure which we have independently developed ourselves. Our file descriptions in our indexes also are somewhat different from the others, as you can see if you compare files that happen to overlap.

Quality control is a delicate issue, since there is no doubt that also the other sites do very well. However, there have been a few cases when we have been even more demanding than the broad-scope sites before accepting material to our archives. In particular, I am distressed to see material that relates to counter-scientific humbug areas such as numerology, astrology, prophesies and other forms of fringe science entertainment that in the final analysis prey on man's dark-age superstitions and ignorance.

To summarize, there are some features that underlie Garbo. Its scientific university background and its specializations. These make for the biggest differences. Simtel.Net and Coast-to-Coast (or whichever are the current big names on the net) are broad-scope commercial sites drawing their income and their maintainers' salaries from CD-ROM sales. There is no secret about Garbo's true purpose either. In the end it is to provide a platform for an international publicity of the scientific work that we do at the state-owned University of Vaasa, even if Garbo does it in a roundabout way.

One final piece of information. In case you are interested how Garbo came to be, and where her name came from, please see

  ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pd2/garbohis.zip
  A popularized history of Garbo archives by Timo Salmi

Since others are probably similarly confused, you might want to post the answer.

Yes, I will make my answers publicly available.

All the best, Timo
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