Getting the `gawk' Distribution
-------------------------------

   `gawk' is distributed as a `tar' file compressed with the GNU Zip
program, `gzip'.  You can get it via anonymous `ftp' to the Internet
host `prep.ai.mit.edu'.  Like all GNU software, it will be archived at
other well known systems, from which it will be possible to use some
sort of anonymous `uucp' to obtain the distribution as well.  You can
also order `gawk' on tape or CD-ROM directly from the Free Software
Foundation.  (The address is on the copyright page.) Doing so directly
contributes to the support of the foundation and to the production of
more free software.

   Once you have the distribution (for example, `gawk-2.15.0.tar.z'),
first use `gzip' to expand the file, and then use `tar' to extract it.
You can use the following pipeline to produce the `gawk' distribution:

     # Under System V, add 'o' to the tar flags
     gzip -d -c gawk-2.15.0.tar.z | tar -xvpf -

This will create a directory named `gawk-2.15' in the current directory.

   The distribution file name is of the form `gawk-2.15.N.tar.Z'.  The
N represents a "patchlevel", meaning that minor bugs have been fixed in
the major release.  The current patchlevel is 0, but when retrieving
distributions, you should get the version with the highest patchlevel.

   If you are not on a Unix system, you will need to make other
arrangements for getting and extracting the `gawk' distribution.  You
should consult a local expert.