Informer 1.1 has been tar'ed using GNU tar because it has very long paths.

To extract, use gnutar instead of tar :

gnutar xvf Informer_1.1.bin.tar



What is Informer ?

Informer is a system browser. It is designed to explore your NeXT computer easily. It is a read-only tool : you can not change anything using Informer. This means it should not breaking anything (there is at least one minor exception, though, so read on).
Basically, I wanted to write a tool that would allow me to see the guts of the machine. In the current version, it allows you to inspect the following aspects of your machine :

	· System info
		- general info
		- kernel info
		- virtual memory stats
		- virtual memory graphs
		- shutdown log
		- kernel I/O statistics (like in iostat)
		- boot services
		
	· Users
		- login info
		- login stats
		
	· Groups
		- general info
		
	· Network stats
		- IP
		- TCP
		- ICMP
		- UDP
		- routing
		- memory
		
	· Network interfaces
		- general info
		- addresses
	
	· Processor sets
		- general info
		- activity graphs

	· Processors : type and state
	
	· Tasks
		- general info
		- memory graphs
	
	· Threads 
		- general info
		- activity graphs
		
	· VM regions
		- general info
		- contents in hex or ASCII
	
	· Disks :
		- mount information
		- label
		- geometry.
	
	· Window server
		- general info
		- error messages
		- font cache
		- usage graphs
	
	· Screens : general info
	
	· Windows : general info
	
	· Postscript contexts
		- general info
		- windows
	
	· Postscript dictionaries : contents

	· Processes
		- usage
		- children usage
		- signal handling
		- resource limits
	
	· Kernel loader servers
		- general info
		- ports

Each of these is done by a different module.

I can't give a complete description of each module, but I find the following modules particularly useful and/or fun :

   - the PostScript dictionary browser allows you to navigate in the hierarchy of PostScript dictionaries and examin the values of all variables.
	
   - the shutdown log shows you how long your machine has been on and off.
	
   - the VM region browser allows you to see the contents of the memory of any task.
	
   - the network stats show you all stats for all TCP/IP protocols, and they are easier to read than the output from netstat(1).

There are 45 modules. Just explore them. I believe one of the best features of Informer is how easy it is to use. Most modules have on-line help.


Who can use Informer ?

Anyone (who has root access) can use it, but not everyone will benefit the same way from it. It will be most useful to technically-oriented people, such as programmers and system administrators.


Installation

Informer is kind of big : 1.7 megabyte. Unfortunately, there is no way around it. The program can not be stripped because it uses dynamic linking rather extensively. Ditto for the modules.
You can just copy Informer.app into any place you want, and you should be in business.
