Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!husc6!m2c!wpi!macman
From: macman@wpi.wpi.edu (Chris Silverberg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: StuffIt Deluxe (Compactor)
Keywords: StuffIt, Compactor
Message-ID: <14997@wpi.wpi.edu>
Date: 4 Sep 90 15:54:45 GMT
References: <1990Aug29.093732.7927@cs.UAlberta.CA> <4390@sage.cc.purdue.edu> <504@6sceng.UUCP>
Reply-To: macman@wpi.wpi.edu (Chris Silverberg)
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester ,MA
Lines: 36

In article <504@6sceng.UUCP> blm@6sceng.UUCP (Brian Matthews) writes:

>This means I have to have two programs where one now suffices, and even
>if UnStuffIt Deluxe is free, it will only be for a Mac.  I can unstuff
>on Unix and PCs now.

>|>   2) Compactor uses unknown/undocumented data structures and compression
>|>      methods. This eliminates the possibility of developing tools on 
>|>      other systems for processing compactor files (as is possible with
>|>      StuffIt files) and makes it virtually impossible to try to recover
>|>      partial contents in the case of a corrupted archive.

>So does StuffIt Deluxe.

I think the implication was that Stuffit Deluxe does at least two CRC
checks when making an archive, while it's not know what Compactor does
to maintain its data integrity.

>Add to that StuffIt's (and StuffIt Deluxe's) horrible user interface, and
>Compactor is looking much better.  Now if Bill (Goodman, the author of
>Compactor) would release the file format or source code to do the
>compaction/decompaction, I could see Compactor becoming the new
>standard.
 
Interface is a subjective opinion, so i'm not going to win any arguments over
this issue, but IMHO, i've found Stuffit to have an excellent interface,
easy to use and understand, while Compactor's average window was a bit
displeasing... just me though...

- Chris
 
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