We'd love to have you submit your software as an addition to the Linux archive, but please keep in mind several things as you prepare your stuff for submission:

In order to make the Linux archive as useful as possible, we have to be strict about the form of software submissions. We've written a number of specialized search utilities for the archives (such as Linsearch below), but these search programs rely on archived submissions which have full sets of metadata associated with them. Without that metadata, it's difficult to sort the software, and it's especially difficult for people to find the software.

That's why potential contributors need to follow the submissions guidelines exactly as they are written. We utilize a program called Keeper to archive the software submissions (originally written by Eric Raymond), and Keeper is very particular about the form of submissions. If you don't submit your stuff exactly as Keeper desires, it will reject the submission and we'll all lose.

No need to worry, however. We've made it very easy for you to submit something that Keeper (and software users) will love. Just follow the checklist below and you'll be assured of sending us a complete software archive.

• You must submit a Linux Software Map description, hereafter referred to as an LSM. The LSM is the template for the metadata that we require for our archive.
• You must submit the LSM in exactly the form as it is represented in the template. This means that it must have the ".lsm" file extention; it must be in plain text only (no Word or RTF files); it must include the header "Begin4" and the footer "End". These lines are essential for the Linsearch program which reads the LSM in order to successfully archive the material. Complete directions for setting up your LSM are available on the LSM template page.
• The LSM must include your current and correct email address or your submission will be automatically *deleted*!! The Keeper program looks for an email address, and if it doesn't find one, it suggests deleting the submission before it is ever archived, which is often what happens. We need an email address to contact you in case the submission is incomplete, or if the form of submission is a little out of whack.

To submit Linux stuff to ibiblio.org, do this:

1. Make a copy of the LSM-TEMPLATE found in /pub/linux/LSM-TEMPLATE
2. Fill out the lsm entry exactly as it's listed.
3. Upload your files (your iso, perhaps an MD5sum and the lsm file) to ibiblio. In your ftp client, put the hostname as "ibiblio.org". You can use an "anonymous" User ID. Once you've been able to get in to the system, go into the /incoming/linux directory (note: uploading to pub/linux/Incoming is no longer permitted) and upload your stuff. It will take a day or two for the software to be run through the keeper program and placed in its appropriate spot in the ibiblio/pub/linux hierarchy.

To reiterate: Anything you submit without an LSM will be rejected.

Please try to use one of the standard distribution licenses (to be placed in the "Copying-Policy" field of the LSM) from http://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/LICENSES/theory.html

Doing the above stuff will make the maintainers' lives easier, which will get your software processed faster, which will make you wiser, stronger, sexier, brighten your teeth, and improve your karma.

send comments to ibiblio linux archive maintainers