1) What is PACT?

   PACT stands for Portable Application Code Toolkit. It is a
   self-contained set of tools which support developing and
   using portable programs particularly scientific and engineering
   applications.  It attacks several portability problem areas:
             Binary Data
             Graphics
             Interprocess Communication
   PACT is composed of several (currently 9) specific packages
   each of which address a specific functionality.

2) What machines does PACT run on?

   PACT has been tested on the following systems:
        AIX 2 and up
        HP-UX
        Irix 4.x
        Irix 5.x
        Linux 1.x
        MAC OS 6 and up
        OSF 1.x
	SunOS 4.x
        SunOS 5.x (Solaris)
        Ultrix 
        Unicos 7 and up

   The Macintosh version is hard to manage because of the tools
   available on the platform.  We are trying to improve the
   ease of installation on the Macintosh.

   PACT has run on DOS boxes in the past but needs to be updated.
   The plan has been to use DJGPP and the BGI version of the
   associated library (Desqview X is another possibility).
   MS Windows is also a possibility since alpha ports of the key
   pieces of PACT have been done there from time to time.

3) Where can I get PACT?

   PACT is available via anonymous FTP from phoenix.ocf.llnl.gov
   in the pub directory. There are three files to watch for:
   pact.README which explains how to install PACT; pactmm_dd_yy-src
   which is the self configuring, self installing distribution
   file; and pactmm_dd_yy-doc.tar.Z which contains the PostScript
   form of the documents for PACT.

4) How can I get in touch with PACT developers and users?

   The PACT team has setup a Majordomo based mailing list for
   PACT.  You can subscribe to it by sending the following message
   to pact@rugrat.llnl.gov

         subscribe pact

5) What are the PACT packages?

     SCORE   - hash functions, string handling, environment leveling
     PML     - math routines, geometry, linear solvers, etc
     PDB     - portable binary data handling
     PPC     - portable IPC, RPC, message passing
     PGS     - portable graphics and GUI tools
     PANACEA - simulation code services
     SCHEME  - a R3RS level SCHEME interpreter library
     SX      - a SCHEME with extensions/bindings for all of PACT
     ULTRA   - 1d data presentation, manipulation, analysis code

   PACT is held together by a system of C shell scripts called the
   manager.  The PACT manager can also be used by other code systems
   to assist with source maintenance and control.