After usefulness and usability, the most important aspect of any program is ease of installation. I try to make my tools as easy to install as possible. For example, none of these programs need separate panel, message, table or other data sets. When I package a tool as a load module or REXX exec, I make only one program file and I include any panels in the program file and build them at run time (*). That way, all you have to do is call the program and it will install itself while it runs. You can carry these tools on a diskette and never have to create special ISPF libraries to install them.
Text files: These files contain source code, either REXX or Assembler. They are stored on the web server as ASCII text and should be transferred to your MVS system using FTP or IND$FILE options that will convert ASCII to EBCDIC. Most emulators or FTP systems contain an ASCII keyword for this purpose. IND$FILE also needs the CRLF for text files.
XMIT files: These files contain already linkedload moduleswhich are stored in TSO TRANSMIT (XMIT) format. To receive them, do all of your copies in BINARY. Send these files to a FIXED 80 SEQUENTIALfile on MVS. Do NOT use the CRLF option for IND$FILE. Once the file is on MVS you must use the RECEIVE command with the INDS(filename) parameter to reconstitute the load module. If RECEIVE prompts for a name, you can usually just press enter.
I've been distributing some of these programs (well, TASID at least) for almost 10 years, and 99+% of the installation problems with XMIT files are related to not using binary transfers or not copying the file to an FB80 data set. The other 1% have been server errors and Netscape bugs (fixed in recent releases). If you are having installation problems, please try to use FTP to transfer the files to your MVS system. In fact, you may be even be able to FTP directly from your MVS system via anonymous FTP by using the url /ftp/followed by the .xmi filename. Just remember to do all the .xmi files in binary and the .txt files in ASCII.
If you have problems though, please feel free to contact me. Sometimes I can send files by email or place them on a different server temporarily.
*If you want to imbed panels, messages, tables, and skeletons in your own programs or REXX execs, see Imbedding ISPF elements in an exec or load moduleon the ISPF home page.