Add entry for `display-message-or-buffer'.

[bpt/emacs.git] / etc / DISTRIB

						-*- text -*-
For an order form for all Emacs and FSF distributions deliverable from
the USA, see the file `ORDERS' in this directory (etc/ in the GNU
Emacs distribution or /pub/gnu/GNUinfo on ftp.gnu.org).  For a
European order form, see `ORDERS.EUROPE'.  For a Japan order form,
see `ORDERS.JAPAN'.
\f
	   GNU Emacs availability information, April 1998
Copyright (C) 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998
	   Free Software Foundation, Inc.

	Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute
	verbatim copies of this document provided that the
	copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved.

GNU Emacs is legally owned by the Free Software Foundation, but we
regard the foundation more as its custodian on behalf of the public.

In the GNU project, when we speak of "free software", this refers to
liberty, not price.  Specifically, it refers to the users' freedom to
study, copy, change and improve the software.  Sometimes users pay
money for copies of GNU software, and sometimes they get copies at no
charge.  But regardless of how they got the software, or whether it
was modified by anyone else along the way, they have the freedom to
copy and change it--those freedoms are what "free software" means.

The precise conditions for copying and modification are stated in the
document "GNU General Public License," a copy of which is required to
be distributed with every copy of GNU Emacs.  It is usually in a file
named `COPYING' in the same directory as this file.  These conditions
are designed to make sure that everyone who has a copy of GNU Emacs
(including modified versions) has the freedom to redistribute and
change it.

If you do not know anyone to get a copy of GNU Emacs from, you can
order a cd-rom from the Free Software Foundation.  We distribute Emacs
versions 19 and 20.  We also distribute nicely typeset copies of the
Emacs user manual, Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, the Emacs reference
card, etc.  See file `ORDERS'.

If you have Internet access, you can copy the latest Emacs
distribution from hosts, such as ftp.gnu.org.  There are several
ways to do this; see the file `FTP' for more information.  Even
better, get the latest version of the file from `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/FTP'
on ftp.gnu.org for the most current arrangements.  It may also be
possible to copy Emacs via uucp; the file `FTP' contains information
on that too.

Emacs has been run on both Berkeley Unix and System V Unix, on a
variety of types of cpu.  It also works on VMS and on Apollo
computers, though with some deficiencies that reflect problems in
these operating systems.  See the file `MACHINES' in this directory
(see above) for a full list of machines that GNU Emacs has been tested
on, with machine-specific installation notes and warnings.  There is
also Demacs that works on newer MS-DOS machines (see file `ORDERS').

Note that there is significant variation between Unix systems
supposedly running the same version of Unix; it is possible that what
works in GNU Emacs for me does not work on your system due to such an
incompatibility.  Since I must avoid reading Unix source code, I
cannot even guess what such problems may exist.

GNU Emacs is distributed with no warranty (see the General Public
License for full details, in the file `COPYING' in this directory (see
above)), and neither I nor the Free Software Foundation promises any
kind of support or assistance to users.  The foundation keeps a list
of people who are willing to offer support and assistance for hire.
See the file `SERVICE'.  You can get the latest version from
ftp.gnu.org in file `/pub/gnu/GNUinfo/SERVICE'.

However, we plan to continue to improve GNU Emacs and keep it
reliable, so please send me any complaints and suggestions you have.
I will probably fix anything that I consider a malfunction.  I may
make improvements that are suggested, but I may choose not to.
Improving Emacs is not my highest priority now.

If you are on the Internet, report bugs to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org.
Otherwise, phone or write the Foundation at:

	Free Software Foundation
	59 Temple Place - Suite 330
	Boston, MA  02111-1307
	Voice:  +1-617-542-5942
	Fax:    +1-617-542-2652

General questions about the GNU Project can be asked of
gnu@gnu.org.

If you are a computer manufacturer, I encourage you to ship a copy of
GNU Emacs with every computer you deliver.  The same copying
permission terms apply to computer manufacturers as to everyone else.
You should consider making a donation to help support the GNU project;
if you estimate what it would cost to distribute some commercial
product and divide it by five, that is a good amount.

If you like GNU Emacs, please express your satisfaction with a
donation: send me or the Foundation what you feel Emacs has been worth
to you.  If you are glad that I developed GNU Emacs and distribute it
as freeware, rather than following the obstructive and antisocial
practices typical of software developers, reward me.  If you would
like the Foundation to develop more free software, contribute.

Your donations will help to support the development of additional GNU
software.  GNU/Linux systems (variants of GNU, based on the kernel
Linux) have millions of users, but there is still much to be done.
For more information on GNU, see the file `GNU' in this directory (see
above).

			Richard M Stallman
			Chief GNUisance,
			President of the Free Software Foundation