added support for different netcat versions

1 files changed, 29 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 15ac4f1..8b57ae0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,13 +9,41 @@ You start the server using:
     $ ./gosher [<PORT> [<GOPHERDIR>]
 
 If PORT is not specified, it will bind on port 70. If GOPHERDIR is not
-provided, it defaults to "./".
+provided, it defaults to "./". Before starting `gosher` you might need
+to modify the values of the variables `NETCAT` and `STYLE` in `gosher`
+(see "Which netca?" below).
 
 If the selector is a directory, `gosher` will look for a file named
 `gophermap` to render the submenu. If a `gophermap` does not exist,
 `gosher` looks for the index.gph gopherfile in the folder and, if it
 exists, renders it as a gophermap.
 
+## Which netcat?
+
+There are currently several different implementations of `netcat`, and
+each of them works in a slightly different way and/or offers a different
+set of options. For the sake of using `gosher`, the main issue is
+whether your `netcat` implementation does exit or not when its standard
+input gets closed.  Notably, the original `netcat` implementation by
+hobbit@avian.org does **not** exit, while other common implementations
+(OpenBSD `netcat`, `ncat` from the nmap project, and GNU `netcat`).  The
+current version of `gosher` can work with different implementations of
+`netcat`, provided that the variable `NETCAT` points to the `netcat`
+version you want to use, and that the variable `STYLE` in `gosher` is set
+correctly. Please check below what is the recommended combination for
+your version of `netcat`:
+
+	+----------------+--------+
+	| netcat version | STYLE  |
+	+----------------+--------+
+	|  traditional   | 'fork' |
+	+----------------+--------+
+	|  OpenBSD       | 'pipe' |
+	+----------------+--------+
+	|  ncat          | 'pipe' |
+	+----------------+--------+
+
+	
 ## Why `gosher`?
 
 Just for fun. There are only a few TCP/IP application protocols left