Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!mips!bridge2!ngg
From: ngg@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM (Norman Goodger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: StuffIt in the trash!
Message-ID: <2829@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM>
Date: 13 Sep 90 20:44:38 GMT
References: <1990Sep4.182943.22627@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Organization: 3Com Corp., Mt. View, CA
Lines: 48

In article <1990Sep4.182943.22627@ccu.umanitoba.ca> umcarls9@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Charles Carlson) writes:
>One other thing that no one has mentioned yet about StuffIt is its history!
>
>I'm not sure of exact dates here, but I got my Mac SE exactly 2 years ago,
>and StuffIt 1.5.1 was the current version at the time....Now almost
>2 years later we have StuffIt 1.6 and StuffIt Deluxe....Thats TWO FRIGGING!
>YEARS WITHOUT AN UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>To me, thats a totally unacceptable time to go without any updates whatsoever!
>Especially since StuffIt was severely lacking in features <needed! features,
>such as the ability to peek into folders and extract selected files!>
>be used to archive the software on public access sites'.   I think its
>rather hypocritcal to be supporting the free distribution of software,
>the shareware and freeware world, then using a commercial program to
>distribute it with! Especially since there is a quite acceptable alternative!
>As for its proprietary format: someone said that it will be given away, they
>just want to know who has it...How do they expect that?   What about all
>these Unix machines that need the source code in order to make the binary?
>Or is Alladin planning on keeping around binaries for every flavour of CPU
>and operating system that someone might want to run it on?
>Charles
	
	This sounds like a case of the tail wagging the dog. What
	does the length of time between updates have to do with the
	problem at hand. No one else in that two years was out running
	around creating new compression utilities till this year.

	The idea of peeking into folders that you thought you needed
	for so long probably only came to mind now that Deluxe does
	indeed incorporate that feature.

	Stuffit 1.51 has always been shareware, thus the thinking that
	you should not be using commercial software on public archives
	is rather moot. Unless you were using the freeware versions
	of Unstuffit, you should have paid for using Stuffit 1.51 long
	ago.

	The propriatary format of Deluxe Archives does not seem that big
	a deal. If Alladin is willing to license the format to those
	wishing to develop decompression utilities for other platforms,
	I see nothing wrong with that either. Seems like good old
	fashion capitolism to me... Course there are always going to
	be those that want something good for nothing. 
	
-- 
Norm Goodger				SysOp - MacInfo BBS @415-795-8862
3Com Corp.				Co-SysOp FreeSoft RT - GEnie.
Enterprise Systems Division             (I disclaim anything and everything)
UUCP: {3comvax,auspex,sun}!bridge2!ngg  Internet: ngg@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM