Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!agate!shelby!portia.stanford.edu!elaine5.stanford.edu!draphsor From: draphsor@elaine5.stanford.edu (Matt Rollefson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: Compactor - A reason not to use Message-ID: Date: 13 Jan 91 02:03:55 GMT References: <41470@nigel.ee.udel.edu> Sender: news@portia.Stanford.EDU Distribution: comp Organization: AIR, Stanford University Lines: 34 draphsor@elaine5.stanford.edu (me) writes: >johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu writes: >> [Makes point about how FileList and CatStuff probably only read the >> header information for the archive, suggests that the authors of these >> programs probably deduced the format on their own.] >I'm sorry, you're wrong here, at least for CatStuff. It states quite >clearly in the stack that the author of CatStuff asked for, and >received, information about the format of Compactor archives directly >from the author of Compactor, Bill Goodman. It further says that Bill >Goodman was quite helpful and willing to pass on this information. Bill Johnston has pointed out to me that, although I was posting a message to 'set the record straight', I myself posted a misleading message. While I do say that the author of CatStuff received information 'about the format of Compactor archives' from Bill Goodman, my language may suggest that he received information which would allow him to decompress the data. To my knowledge, this is not the case. It is likely that all he received was the header information. So, Bill Johnston's point remains valid, that is that Compactor's format is not publicly accessible, nor necessarily even easily accessible; I have no information on this, as I have not attempted to get the format from Bill Goodman, nor do I know anyone who has. Just setting the record straight. >>-- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu) >-- >Draphsor vo'drun-Aelf draphsor@portia.stanford.edu -- Draphsor vo'drun-Aelf draphsor@portia.stanford.edu