describe (also dls and vls) are tools to embed comments in the directory
structure so that humans can figure out what all it is that they are
downloading.  This has some collisions with archie, though, and can
confuse tools like ange-ftp and other remote file access and mirroring
software.

A reasonable project involving describe runs along these lines:

- modify the prospero protocol to pass back comments along with file entries
- modify the prospero server to read these embedded comments in
  directories
- modify archie and prospero clients to display these comments
- modify the archie server to store comments along with file names
- modify the archie server to search through these comments
- modify the mirror program to propogate comments along with files
  and to mirror just the comments from a remote site
- convince site administrators to add comments to their archives, or
  for mirror sites to do that work for them.

lot of work tho.

--Ed
emv@msen.com