This is GNU Finger, version 1.37.

   Please read about Basic Installation in `support/INSTALL', even if
you have previous experience with installing GNU Finger.  You are
encouraged to report bugs if you find any; see the file `support/BUGS'
for details.

   The protocol used by the finger server process for polling the
clients has changed in 1.36. This means that the code in this
distribution is incompatible with releases older than 1.36.

   It's important to do the following precautions when installing this
version in a network where a version of GNU Finger older than 1.36 has
been used until this point:

	* Kill the old fingerd server process

	* Remove the old `clients' file and all in.cfingerd 
	  and fingerd binaries on the network

	* Perform the installation as outlined in support/INSTALL

   If you do not do the above, then you stand to corrupt the finger
databases, because the old fingerd may poll clients which will return
information in the new format, or the new fingerd will poll clients
which use the old format. In either case, the information will be
misparsed and completely bogus entries will be written to the
database.

   The new protocol has been designed to be flexible with regard to
extensions. A new version of fingerd will be able to talk to an older
version of in.cfingerd that returns a different set of data. Or the
other way around. This means all future releases of GNU Finger will be
mutually compatible.

						-- Jan Brittenson
						   bson@gnu.ai.mit.edu
