Counting since 28.1.2010 <http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/garbinfo/garb1996.html> Copyright © 1996-2008 by Prof. Timo Salmi Last modified Mon 17-Nov-2008 10:12:34

What is Garbo's current incoming uploads open/closed status?

^*) The X in the addresses is a spamguard to be deleted. Furthermore, all email to the correct addresses is automatically /dev/null'ed. Ask for the current address if you have a special agreement to upload to Garbo archives.

For the uploading instructions (when uploads are applicable) please get both UPLOAD.TXT  and UPTEXT.TXT  and carefully read them.

Hello Valued Garbo Uploader,

Sorry to bother you about this, but I uploaded xxxx201.zip about 2-3 weeks ago (and also xxxx200.zip 3-4 weeks ago), and it has not yet appeared on the garbo site. Is there a chance that this file was lost?

Of course there always is a chance of mishaps, but that is not the case this time. Your upload is still in Garbo's overflowing queue. You have done everything right. The uploaded package is valid, it suits Garbo archives, and your emailed announcement was fine and you sent it to the correct address. The problem is not at your end. It is at ours.

And if not, about how much average time lag should I expect between uploading and when the file is available? Thanks for your help!

At the moment we are in a totally impossible situation. Both Ari Hovila and I, who are originally responsible for Garbo, have other professional tasks. Hence the queues tend to growing at an alarming rate even for the MS-DOS section. In the fall (of 1996) we had two excellent CS apprentices to take care of most of the Garbo uploads, but they have gone back to school long ago. Hence I can't make any predictions or promises. The situation has been blowing up in our hands for a long time now.

This situation cannot be resolved unless the University of Vaasa again arranges sufficient manpower to share the work. I am not overly optimistic, since our university (along with the whole Finnish university sector) is under crippling economies. In fact (written later on the 1-Oct-1998) it has become obvious that this situation with Garbo will not be reversing

Some gentle users from the outside have offered to help, but unfortunately we cannot utilize it option. Both for practical reasons and in principle the Garbo moderators have to be located at our University.

PS. the expected directory is /science

Sigh! This makes the situation even more unfortunate for us both, since as a university site we would like to welcome science material, in particular.

All the best, Timo

Of course I realize that you must be very busy, but if you can find the time, can you let me know if you received the files

Dear Valued Uploader,

We seem to have received a xxxxx.zip file, but your emailed upload announcement has not arrived or did not use the format that we require at Garbo:

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

and if \ when you intend to place them on your server.

Hopefully within a month after we have received your upload announcement in the required format by email to the correct address. But with the current workload vs. capacity I cannot make any promises whatsoever about the projected schedule.

Please also note that our auto-daemon deletes all non-zipped files from our incoming directories. I deduce from your email that you have uploaded the announcement as a *.TXT file instead of emailing it. If so, the file it will have been deleted automatically.

The unfortunate fact is that the gentle uploaders, who do not follow Garbo's procedures, easily end up ignored. We simply do not have the time to notify each and every one of the problems. We would very much like to do so, but we do not have the capacity. We are not a commercial operation with the resources and incentives to match.

All the best, Timo

I have managed to get my program into a school in ....... The teacher says it "fills the children with joy". I would like to upload it to your site and you still tell people how to do it but the site is closed.

Dear Program Author,

I regret if the information leads the potential uploaders on. That is not my purpose. At the moment he Garbo site is almost, but not quite closed. Hence my occasional posting to the pointer to Garbo's upload instructions. I personally handle Turbo Pascal uploads and exceptionally some other material where I have had a long-time (usually covering several years) agreement and relationship with the authors of programs or material which I use myself.

Please tell me whether you can give me special treatment and allow an upload.

I am very sorry, but we do not currently have an archivist to take care of the general uploads even if very worthwhile as I am sure yours is. The only exceptions are the rare cases where I can take the time to handle handle them myself. I will consider MS-DOS virus scanner updates, Turbo Pascal material, and specially invited material. Yours, unfortunately, is not among any of these categories.

As you hopefully have observed, Garbo archives has specialized in (certain categories) of MS-DOS (and very occasional Windows 3.1x) material. One way of looking at Garbo archives is looking at it as if it were a vintage CD-ROM. That most new programs in these days are 32-bit programs written for Windows 95/98/NT/XP (or whatever), in fact works in Garbo's favor. Much of even the old material that we specialized in hence stays ever current. Consider the fact that even if so many users, particularly the new ones, use the newer Windows versions, there still remains a huge user base for old MS-DOS (and Windows 3.1x) programs. That this is so, is easily seen from the steady flow of users' downloads of the material on Garbo archives.

There may become a time when Garbo has to be closed. But I do not foresee that if that happens the reason would be Garbo running out of its usefulness or a lack of interest from its frequent visitors.

All the best, Timo