README - ESP Package Manager (EPM) 3.7
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WHAT IS EPM?

    EPM is the software packaging tool that we now use at Easy
    Software Products.  It is a simple tool that generates
    software and patch distributions in various formats,
    including:

	- AIX software packages ("installp")
	- AT&T software packages ("pkgadd"), used by Solaris and others
	- BSD packages ("pkg_create")
	- Compaq Tru64 UNIX ("setld")
	- Debian Package Manager ("dpkg")
	- HP-UX software packages ("swinstall")
	- IRIX software manager ("inst", "swmgr", or "tardist")
	- MacOS X software packages ("name.pkg")
	- Portable (installation and removal scripts with tar files)
        - Red Hat Package Manager ("rpm")
	- Slackware software packages ("name.pkg")

    EPM also includes graphical "setup" and "uninstall" programs
    that can be provided with your distributions to make
    installation and removal of more than one package a snap.


WHY ANOTHER SOFTWARE PACKAGING TOOL?

    We developed EPM because we are tired of developing and
    testing N different software distributions, each with their
    own input files and setup requirements.

    Also, when we started looking at selling software for Linux
    we saw that there are at least four different "standard"
    distribution formats, and none of them are compatible with
    the other.  Clearly we needed something that could be used
    for all platforms, *without* requiring special software
    packages on the customer's system!


HOW DO I COMPILE EPM?

    See the file "INSTALL" for more info on that.


HOW DO I USE EPM?

    Please look at the EPM manual; preformatted copies are
    included in the "doc/epm-manual.html" and
    "doc/epm-manual.pdf" files.

    An example EPM software list file is provided with this
    distribution in the file "epm.list".


DO I HAVE TO PAY TO DISTRIBUTE SOFTWARE USING EPM?

    No!  EPM is free software and any installations you create
    are unencumbered by licensing of any kind (not even the
    GPL.)


WHAT'S NEW IN EPM?

    See the file "CHANGES" for change information.


REPORTING PROBLEMS

    Report all problems and submit all patches to
    "epm@easysw.com".


OTHER RESOURCES

    Easy Software Products maintains a news server for the
    discussion of ESP and ESP-sponsored software.  The news
    server is:

        news.easysw.com

    If you don't have NNTP access from your systems, point your
    web browser at the following URL:

        http://www.easysw.com/espnews.php


COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFO

    EPM is Copyright 1999-2003 by Easy Software Products, All
    Rights Reserved.

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it
    and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
    License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    version 2, or (at your option) any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be
    useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied
    warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
    PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more
    details.
