mc/README

-*-Text-*-

Contents:
---------
  Requirments
  GNOME edition requirments
  Features
  Midnight Commander editions
  Where to get more information
  The Midnight Commander
  Mini-docs
  Obtaining the Midnight Commander
  Reporting problems.

This version of the Midnight Commander comes with two interfaces: a
graphical one for the GNOME desktop (http://www.gnome.org) and a text
mode interface (the same old user interface we have had for a long
time). 

Most of the engine is shared between both versions, but they come with
radically different interfaces:  the GNOME version is aimed to be a
simple to use tool for novice users.

Requirments
-----------

To compile the GNU Midnight Commander you need at least to have a copy
of the glib library, this library is available in ftp://ftp.gtk.org/pub/gtk.

GNOME edition requirements
--------------------------

Optionally, if you want to compile the GNOME edition, you need to
install the GNOME libraries and its dependencies.

The GNOME libraries are available in:

    ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gnome-libs


Features
--------

This is version 4 of the Midnight Commander, a free Norton Commander
Clone with many useful features. The Midnight Commander comes with
mouse support on xterms and optionally on the Linux console.

The Midnight Commander is a directory browsing tool which bears a
certain remote resemblance to John Socha's Norton Commander for DOS.
It is feature packed:

	o Built in Virtual File System: manipulate remote files
	systems through the ftp protocol or Midnight Commander's own
	mcfs protocol.  Browse tar, compressed tar files, rpm, zip,
	cpio, lha and rar files with a single click.  

	o All of the Midnight Commander operations work with the virtual
	file system, enabling you to do complex tasks.

	o Mouse support on the Linux console and under X11's xterms. 

	o Learn Keys: The Midnight Commander may be configured at run
	time to support any kind of input keys for a given terminal,
	making its operation even on the most wierd terminals a
	breeze. 

	o Text and hex editors are available for you to use.

	o Hotlist allows you to keep a list of common visited
	locations (including ftp sites).

	o Command completion: By pressing Alt-Tab in any place where a
	filename or an executable are expected, the Midnight Commander
	will complete for you the name.  If you quickly press Alt-Tab
	twice you can get a listbox with the possible completions
	available. 

	o Subshell support: Run your commands by a real shell
	interpreter.  The Midnight Commander interacts with bash, tcsh
	and zsh to provide you with all of the facilities available in
	your shell.

	o Find file command can now search inside the contents of
	files.

	o Background operations allows you to copy or move files from
	any virtual file system while you do other tasks (ie, you can
	do background ftp copies).

	o Proxy support with our ftpfs.

	o Linux file recovery: If you are using Linux system, you can
	recover deleted files from an ext2fs partition with the
	undelete file system.  This is a low level file recovery
	function that will recover files deleted by any program in
	Linux. 

	Please note that the undelete file system can only recover
	12 file system blocks if the file was deleted with a kernel 
	in the 2.0.x series.  The 2.1.x series have fixed this and you
	can recover all of the file contents there.

	o External panelization: You can run any arbitrary external
	command and the Midnight Commander will display the output
	generated as a file listing that can be manipulated as a
	regular directory. 

	o Emacs like key bindings in all of our widgets.

	o Powerfull context dependant actions are available. 

	o Powerfull built-in file viewer:  The file viewer, together
	with the context dependant actions is used to format man pages
	on the fly, coloring mail messages and more.


Where to get more information:
------------------------------

There is a mailing list for discussion on enhancing the program, future
directions and announcements; if you want to subscribe, send mail to:

majordomo@roxanne.nuclecu.unam.mx

There is a WWW page for the Midnight Commander with the URL:
<http://mc.blackdown.org/mc/>.


The Midnight Commander:
-----------------------

The Midnight Commander is released under the GNU General Public License
version 2.0 or any later version.  A copy of the file is included with
this distribution package.

If you have comments, you can send them to me:

miguel@roxanne.nuclecu.unam.mx

or if it would benefit more people, to the mailing list:

mc@roxanne.nuclecu.unam.mx

Help develop and enhance free software.


Mini-documentation:
-------------------

These are hints for the text mode edition:

o Use the F-Keys for invoking the commands in the function key bar.
  If your terminal doesn't support F-keys, you can use the <ESC digit>
  sequence to invoke the corresponding F-digit key.

o Tab changes the current panel.

o All input lines have emacs-like key-bindings (command history is
  accessed through the M-p and M-n keys).

o The panels accept C-n, C-p for browsing the panel (like in emacs).

o M-Enter copies the currently selected file name to the input line.

o M-Tab completes the current word (or tries to).

o The Virtual File System is a cute addition to the project, you may 
  browse in tar and compressed tar files as well as browsing remote 
  machines with the mcfs file system.

o Please read the manual page.

o Read the file src/TODO for the current projects.

You can access the whole documentation online with the F1 key,
although it's not as nice as the groff printed manual page :-)


Where you may obtain the Midnight Commander
-------------------------------------------

The software should be available by anonymous ftp at sunsite.unc.edu
in the directory /pub/Linux/utils/file and at ftp.nuclecu.unam.mx
in the directory /linux/local.

The last alpha versions are available at ftp.nuclecu.unam.mx in the
directory /linux/local/devel.

European mirrors of both version 3.1 and alpha versions are available
at sunsite.mff.cuni.cz in the directory /GNU/mc and at ftp.teuto.de
in the directory /lmb/mc.


Reporting problems
------------------

Please, send a detailed description of your problem to the
mc-bugs@roxanne.nuclecu.unam.mx address.

Include the version of the program, the operating system that you are
using, the compiler and compiler flags used to compile the program (if
you know them), what kind of distribution you are using (if a
GNU/Linux system).

If the program crashed and produces a core dump, please provide a
stack trace of the program.

You can do this by running dbx or gdb like this:

gdb mc core
(gdb) where