Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!dftsrv!mimsy!mojo!russotto
From: russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Public Archive Format Issues
Keywords: encryption conversion issues
Message-ID: <1990Sep20.013226.17253@eng.umd.edu>
Date: 20 Sep 90 01:32:26 GMT
References: <6050@spt.entity.com> <2267@runxtsa.runx.oz.au>
Sender: news@eng.umd.edu (The News System)
Organization: College of Engineering, Maryversity of Uniland, College Park
Lines: 69

In article <2267@runxtsa.runx.oz.au> clubmac@runxtsa.runx.oz.au (Australia's Largest Mac Users Group) writes:
>In article <6050@spt.entity.com> mdc@spt.entity.com (Marty Connor) writes:
>>Proposal for the Macintosh:
>>Stick with Stuffit 1.5.1 format for now.  If a better format becomes
>>public knowledge, then wait for a 1.5.1 -> Better-Public-Format
>>program to appear.  Then switch to the new Public-Format.
>>In this way vendors will be encouraged to make formats public to sell
>>to all the people who use public bboards to download.
>

>This is totally screwball. How many people seriously want to unstuff files
>on a Unix host? I compress all the binhex, download it using ZMODEM and use
>MacCompress to de-compress the binhex, then use StuffIt 1.5.1 to decode the
>binhex, then unstuff the resulting file.
>
>There is only one reason for not adopting Stuffit Deluxe archives, is that
>the format is not available to the infinitesimal group who want to unstuff on
>a machine other than a Macintosh. Since Stuffit Classic is still shareware,
>people can use the stuffit deluxe format, and only pay the shareware fee.
>
>I can bet that Marty didn't pay his shareware fee of $20, like the thousands
>of shareware sneaks out there that use Stuffit for free.
*FLAME ON*
You presumptious shithead. What makes you think that YOUR situation is
universal, or even common?  And where do you get off calling him a shareware
sneak based on no evidence?  
*FLAME OFF*

Here's another bunch of people who might want to stuff/unstuff on other than
a Mac: archive maintainers and BBS operators.  

>>Benefits:
>>Programmers will be able to manipulate archives without permission
>>from greedy companies.
>
>Great Marty, now you're calling Aladdin greedy. Wow you must be the last
>American socialist...
>
>Did you expect Stuffit to evolve without money? The shareware scheme failed
>because people were too lousy to pay the $20.

In many other cases, yes, but there were other reasons Stuffit is no longer
shareware.  (Hint: Ray Lau graduated high school)

>>Companies will have incentive to give decent documentation and support
>>to make it worth buying a proprietary product.
>
>It's already worth it to buy products like Stuffit Deluxe & DiskDoubler.

In your not so humble (and incorrect, in MY NSHO) opinion.

>>Request:
>>If you believe these concerns are valid, please post this message to
>>as many bulletin boards and online services as possible so that others
>>can help keep public data in public formats.
>
>Yes, lets hold back progress for the benefit of a handful of people that
>want to do unusual things with Macintosh shareware archives. This would be
>analogous to Apple withholding System software because it crashed on Mac
>clones....

We aren't asking for Aladdin to write a program to do all this stuff on
non-macs-- only for them to make the information available to do so.  If
you want another software analog, it would be like Apple refusing to release
Inside Mac so that only they and other big companies willing to pay to
learn the interfaces could program it.
--
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
      .sig under construction, like the rest of this campus.