Python Distribution =================== Most subdirectories have a README or INDEX files explaining the contents. src/ Python source (C core and Python librarys) for most platforms doc/ Documentation (PostScript, LaTeX, HTML, ...) contrib/ Contributed software mac/ Apple Macintosh specific files (See http://www.python.org/windows for the core of the win32 Python universe.) pc/ DOS, Windows 3.1(1), OS/2 specific files win32/ Windows NT specific files (see also wpy/ and pythonwin/) nt/ Same directory as 'win32' - see just above binaries-1.5/ UNIX binaries (not as current as you'd like :-( ) binaries-1.4/ Older UNIX binaries binaries-1.3/ Older UNIX binaries binaries-1.2/ Older UNIX binaries binaries-1.1/ Older UNIX binaries mail/ Old mailing list archives - 1992 -> April 1995 (See http://www.python.org/locator/ for search of mailing list traffic from 1995 to the present.) misc/ Miscellaneous pythonwin/ Windows NT distribution from Mark Hammond wpy/ Portable GUI library (NT, Win32s and Unix/X/Tk) vms/ VMS specific files Extensions (may be combined): .gz compressed with "gzip". .tar UNIX tar file .exe DOS or Windows executable .shar self-unpacking UNIX shell archive .hqx Mac BinHex 4.0 .sit StuffIt Light(TM) Mac archive .sea StuffIt Light(TM) self-extracting Mac archive .bin MacBinary format .html HyperText Mark-up Language (WWW) .el Emacs Lisp .ps PostScript .lect Lectern display format .zip DOS zip archive .tgz == .tar.gz You can force the ftp server to deliver gzipped versions of files, and/or tar directories, by adding the appropriate suffix to the name of the actual file you're fetching. Eg, 'get README.gz' will get a gzipped version of this file, and 'get misc.tar.gz' will fetch a gzipped tar archive of the misc subdir.