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\hbox to size{\hbox{\vbox{\vfill
 \hbox{\:MColumbia University \:Lin the City of New York}
 \vskip 0.1in
 \hbox{\:NCENTER FOR COMPUTING ACTIVITIES}
 \hbox{612 West 115th Street}
 \hbox{New York, N.Y. 10025}
 \hbox{(212) 280-5126}
}}\hss\vbox{\hbox{\hss\:Xb}\vfill\hbox{\hss\:IFebruary 29, 1984}}}
\parskip 12pt\vskip .25in
\:R
Dear KERMIT User,

Included on the enclosed tape are all the successful implementations of KERMIT
done or received by us to date.  Many new implementations have been received,
and old ones improved, since the Fourth Edition of the {\:IKermit User Guide}
was published in July, 1983.  That edition of the {\:IUsers Guide} was out of
date until recently.  Enclosed you will find the Fifth Edition.  It has been
written, in some cases, with forthcoming releases of certain KERMIT programs in
mind; thus rather than out of date, it may be ahead of its time.  

Your tape includes source files and documentation, plus binaries when
practical.  Also included is a file called {\:A00README.TXT}, which describes
the contents of the tape in more detail.  That file is also enclosed, on paper,
along with one copy each of the {\:IKermit Users Guide} and the {\:IKermit
Protocol Manual}.  The Users Guide contains installation instructions for the
various implementations.

The popularity of KERMIT has been far greater than we ever expected, and we
have been swamped with requests.  Unfortunately, we are not set up as a
software distribution center; we have neither sufficient staff nor computing
resources for the job.  Therefore, we ask a reproduction and handling fee of
100 dollars to cover the costs of media, postage, labor, and computer
resources, as described in the enclosed flyer.  This policy has been in effect
since May 1983; it has allowed us to send shipments of higher quality in a
more timely fashion.

The software, sources and documentation, remain free.  KERMIT is distributed in
this manner with the understanding that it will never be sold as a product.
This is done in the hope that use of Kermit will become widespread enough to
make communications between any two computers a real possibility rather than a
pipedream.  We encourage you to return any new implementations, bug fixes, or
documentation to us so we can pass them along to others.  We also encourage you
to pass KERMIT along directly to other sites that ask you about it, rather than
referring them back to us.  We only ask that profit not be your goal, credit be
given where it is due, and that new material be sent back to us so that we can
maintain a definitive and comprehensive set of KERMIT implementations.

Meanwhile, new implementations of KERMIT are under development and old ones are
being improved.  This is a continuous process.  If you are interested in new
developments, feel free to give me a call in a few months.
\par\vskip 20pt
\hbox to size{{\hskip 3.5in}Sincerely,}
\vskip 30pt
\hbox to size{{\hskip 3.5in}Frank da Cruz\hss}
\hbox to size{{\hskip 3.5in}Manager of System Integration\hss}
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{\:ISpecial note to security and military installations or contractors:}\ 
\ Please use KERMIT only for peaceful and benevolent purposes.
\par\vfill
\end