
(:source 
   :version  3 
   :ip-address "128.2.209.13"
   :ip-name "alex.sp.cs.cmu.edu"
   :tcp-port 210
   :database-name "readmes"
   :cost 0.00 
   :cost-unit :free 
   :maintainer "Vincent.Cate@cs.cmu.edu"
   :description "

The 'readmes' database lets you search README files from anonymous FTP
sites all around the word.  Since README files describe the contents of a
directory, they frequently have the important keywords to allow you to find 
what you are looking for.  The nice thing about this is that you do not 
need to know the name of the thing you are looking for, just some good 
keywords.

How useful the README files are depends on quality of the description of
the stuff in that directory.  Some of the time all that the README file
does is tell you how to FTP something (very sad).  However, they are
frequently very useful.

It is fun that this Wide Area Information Server has collected its
information from a very wide area.  It is also fun that all of these
places are adding stuff to my database without knowing it.  Even better,
their FTP servers are part of my filesystem without them knowing it
(see below).

Archie was used to find files with names containing 'README'.  For each
file Archie indicates a host, directory, and filename.  These triples were
converted into paths for my experimental filesystem, Alex.  Alex gives me
transparent read access to files in anonymous FTP sites.  So once I had
the filenames, I could go straight to waisindex.  However, for reliability
and performance reasons, I actually keep a copy of the files just for the
readmes database.

If anyone wants a copy of all of the README files (especially if you want
to build your own database) just let me know and I will make a tar.Z file
for you.  This is approaching 30,000 README files and is already over
100 MB (still growing).

In case it is not obvious, the first part of the path, after '/alex',
contains the hostname with the most significant part first (like 'edu').
Since Alex is not yet released, you will have to figure out how much is
the host name (note that 'pub' is a great clue) and FTP the files
yourself.  With Alex you can just grab the path with your mouse and go
there (Alex is coming soon to a network near you).

A similar database could be done for files matching 'Index', or for files
matching '*.bib', or for all TechReports, or any other set of files out 
in anonymous FTP sites.  If there is interest, I can do something else 
(or help someone else do something).  I will probably do TechReports.

Keywords: Resource Discovery, README, Alexandria, Carnegie Mellon,
          anonymous FTP, Alex, readmes, TechReports, Vincent Cate

  -- Vince Cate
     vac@cs.cmu.edu
"
)
