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From: elliott@veronica.cs.wisc.edu (James Elliott)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: Compactor - A reason not to use
Message-ID: <1991Jan8.220654.858@spool.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 8 Jan 91 22:06:54 GMT
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My main problem with compactor, at least as I understand the
situation, is that the archive format is "proprietary". Too many
people are still falling into the power-trip trap of keeping
information secret. Granted it gives them more control over things
that they create, but it ends up being significantly less useful to
the rest of the world. (I believe that Stuffit Deluxe has the same
problem).

This means that any features that I might want to see implemented with
respect to compactor archives will have to be implemented by the
author or some appointed person given the arcane knowledge necessary.
It won't be able to be implemented by, say, me. Or the author of
MacTree (it'd be nice to have a viewer for seeing the contents of
compactor archives, but we can't write one since we can't read them.)

Open software and open standards are very important, and they're the
wave of the future. To the extent that they continue to catch on with
Mac developers, the Mac will remain a viable platform.
--
Jim Elliott		      "Like a bridge he'll come between us, not a wall"
elliott@veronica.cs.wisc.edu