File names

The distributions that I make available have the following convention for file names:

• Full distributions:

        package-version-yyyymmdd.TAR-GZ

        package-version-yyyymmdd.ZIP

• Update kits:

        package-version-UPDATES-yyyymmdd.TAR-GZ

        package-version-UPDATES-yyyymmdd.ZIP

where "package" is the name of the package, "version" is the version of said package, and "yyyymmdd" is the creation date (also called "revision date") of the package.

Updates have the word "UPDATE" in the file name. If you have an older revision of a package, you only need to fetch the update kits of later dates than the revision you have. You do not need to fetch the update that has the same revision date as the revision you have. Those kits should be unpacked in the same directory tree as you have your copy of the full distribution in. The updates must be unpacked in correct date order. If you make an error that you can't get out of, the best thing you have to do is to fetch the latest full kit and the updates of later date and start over.

You might wonder why I need to insert the revision date in the file name. After all, the files are dated by the operating system. The reason is that those dates are not to be trusted. A mirror site will obviously not have the same dates as the origining site. Also, if files are copied on the originating site, file timestamps may be garbled as well.