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From: Adam.Frix@p2.f200.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Adam Frix)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: StuffIt Deluxe
Message-ID: <70648.26EFB654@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG>
Date: 13 Sep 90 02:10:00 GMT
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Mark Wilkins writes in a message on 10 Sep 90:

MW>    I may be coming into this discussion late, but why hasn't 
MW>  anyone talked about StuffIt Classic, which packs and unpacks 
MW>  StuffIt Deluxe archives and is distributed on the same terms 
MW>  as StuffIt 1.5.1? 
MW>    It seems to me that when copies of StuffIt Classic are more 
MW>  common then there shouldn't be a problem with StuffIt Deluxe 
MW>  files...


But there's no version of StuffIt which runs on a Unix box.  Marty et al. want
to get the archives on a foreign (non-Mac) platform, and decode the .hqx file.
 But what they then have is a file usable only on a Mac.  Not so, necessarily;
with the 1.5.1 format available, Marty et al. have access to tools written for
Unix which can go into those archives (while still on the Unix box), find out
what files are in it, and even extract things like Read.me files, which they
can indeed read.

But the Deluxe format isn't public knowledge, so Marty et al. have no way of
knowing where in that archive the files are, how to find filenames, where to
go to extract whatever files they want, etc.  Remember, they want to do this
on a foreign platform, and there's no Aladdin-sanctioned Unix UnStuffIt or whatever
(yet?).  They would write their own tools, if only they knew the format.  So
they lobby for public formats for public archives.  Sounds fair.  However, from
my end, I don't see where bitching at Aladdin is the thing to do.  Nobody ever
promised that the format with the name "StuffIt" would eternally be available
publicly.  Just because it has been for several years, doesn't mean it should
be forever.  So if Aladdin doesn't come up with a solution, I think it'll be
up to one of the Unix guys to write the emacs of archivers.  (Where's Richard
Stallman?)  Just make sure it can easily be incorporated into DOS, Mac, Amiga,
etc. archive programs.  StuffIt already has the ability to handle plug-in tools;
I think public pressure would force them to adapt the Usenet standard, if there
was one, and create a module.  And, of course, since comp.binaries.* is theoretically
moderated, such a public format could be enforced.

--Adam--
 

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