==================
snarf version 1.5
October 23, 1997
==================

Description
-----------
     Snarf is a utility I wrote to retrieve documents via the http, finger,
ftp, and gopher protocols. Support for ftp resume and HTTP/ftp proxy servers
is also present.

Usage
-----
     Snarf is invoked with at least one argument, either a fully
qualified URL or an alias from your personal .snarfrc file. (See the
file "snarfrc" for a sample layout for this file.) Snarf then requests
the remote file and saves it locally. The default behavior is for
snarf to save the local file with the same name as the remote one, but
you can explicitly name the local file as the second argument if you
want. Using a dash, "-", as the local filename sends the document
retrieved to standard output.

     To use the HTTP proxy feature, set the SNARF_PROXY variable to the
address of your proxy, such as "http://proxy.mycompany.de:1080". This
will probably change in the future to accomodate a more standard proxy
specification.

Notes
-----
     I wrote this in three days two years ago and it's majorly klugy, but
it works, and pretty niftily now. Peek at the HISTORY file.

     Currently, snarf only does passive FTP. Some sites don't like this.

     People ask me, "Why even bother writing a program like this?
Netscape already does all this!! YOU STINKING DORK!" But then I kick
them and they shut up. The reason I wrote this is so I WOULDN'T have
to use Netscape, when all I really wanted to do is grab Dilbert or
Dr. Fun off the Web. I added gopher and finger support because it was
so easy. And yes, I know, ncftp already supports URLs in the retrieval
of documents, but if I didn't support FTP I'd feel like a filthy liar
in calling this "all-purpose." Also, it's about 5932081k smaller than
ncftp.

     If you find a bug, please write to me, or fix it and mail me the
patch. I know this is some gross code, and I fully intend to fix it,
even if it's just for my own benefit. If you really like this program,
write to me and say so and I will feel happy. I can be reached in the
following ways:

Email: xach@mint.net

Snail mail: Zachary Beane, 17 Talmadge Rd., Waite, ME 04492, USA

Credits
-------
     Many thanks go to:
     o Greg Lewis for helping me find out what flags I
       needed to add to newer SunOSs to get this program to compile.
     o Ganesh (ganesh@cse.iitb.ernet.in) for providing me with a very nice
       snarf-specific ftp interface
     o Sean Connor for helping me patch a few little buffer overruns and
       other cosmetic things. He's incredibly nit-picky, but that's a good
       thing :).
     o The Debian people (doesn't that sound like a rock band) for including
       snarf in Debian distributions, and making more people bother me with
       bug reports (I love them)
     o msw on GIMPnet IRC for doing some beta testing

