python-lyskom
		      LysKOM support for Python


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  This is good stuff. Use it.


HACKER SUMMARY

  This distribution contains modules to enable Python programs to talk
  to LysKOM servers, and applications using these modules. Highlights:

  Basic LysKOM modules
  --------------------

- The kom.py module contains basic Protocol A support for clients.
  It implements all non-obsolete requests in level 10 of the protocol.
  The module is completely implemented in Python, which means that it's
  convenient to use but rather slow. In addition to the most basic
  Connection class, a CachedConnection class is provided. It offers
  some basic caching and convenience methods.

- The thkom.py module offers the ThreadedConnection class,
  which is kom.Connection with support for Python threads.
  Read more about it in the comment at the top of the file.
  There are two small demonstration programs thkomdemo[12].py to
  show the main new feature.

  Importing mail
  --------------

- Importing mail into LysKOM is the purpose of komimportmail.
  It has support for MIME, threading and all the nice, new
  aux-items.

  See README.komimportmail.

- rfc1522.py is a helper module that decodes MIME-encoded
  mail header lines.

- mimereader.py provides the Message class that ties together
  Python's mimetools and multifile modules in order to 
  simplify reading MIME mail.

- lockingshelve.py is a helper module providing a shelve module
  with locks around all operations.

- lockfile.py is a helper module used to implement the locking
  need by the above module.

  Other programs
  --------------

  Some are really useful (like komshow) while others should
  be considered simple demo programs.

- komshow dumps information about conferences, persons and texts,
  including aux-items.

- komsend posts a text to a LysKOM conference (or mailbox).
  It can set arbitrary aux-items on the text.

- kommsg sends a message to a LysKOM conference or person.

- komgraph emits a VCG graph of a LysKOM article tree. You need
  a VCG program like xvcg to view the result.

- komunread displays a line to stdout for each unread letter you
  have in your letterbox.

- komwho shows a list of logged in persons.

- komparam.py is a helper module used by some of the programs above to
  learn server address, server port, person name/number and password
  from environment variables and/or a "~/.komrc" file. DEPRECATED.
  Use komconnect.py in new programs.

- komconnect.py is a new version of komparam.py that uses the new
  Python 2.3 optparse module for options processing. Use this module
  instead of komparam.py.

- komlasttext displays the highest text number of a readble text.
  DEPRECATED. Use komserverstats instead.

- komserverstats outputs server statistics as reported by the new
  protocol version 11 get-stats call. It can also display the highest
  global or local test numbers at the moment.

- komconfwalker.py defines a class ConfTemporalWalker used to walk a
  conference, processing articles written during a specified
  period. This can be used for gathering various statistics (see
  below).

- komconfstats gives you statistics about a conference.

- komconfwords gives you information about new words used in a
  conference since last run.

- komsociate does something similar to Emacs' M-x dissociated-press.

- topmarkings.py collects statistics about Markings on texts.

- invite-all adds all users in the system to a certain conference. 

- komgazonk is an interesting program to be used for playing gazonk
  in LysKOM. See README.komgazonk.

- komaux shows and sets arbitrary aux-items on all kinds of objects.


COPYRIGHT

  (C) Copyright 1999-2003 Kent Engström, Peter Liljenberg, 
                          Peter Åstrand, Erik Forsberg,
                          Ragnar Ouchterlony.

  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 of the License, 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.

  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
  Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.


CHECKING OUT ANONYMOUSLY

  export CVSROOT=:pserver:[email protected]:/cvsroot/python-lyskom
  cvs login (press RETURN when asked for password)
  cvs co python-lyskom

CONTRIBUTING

If you want to contribute, please ask Kent Engström <[email protected]>
to create an account for you. You will then be able to use Lysator's
CVS server (cvs.lysator.liu.se) to access the repository R/W.


CONTACT INFORMATION

  Please send questions and bug reports to [email protected]