Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!bu.edu!att!linac!midway!mimsy!nmrdc1!minixug!arrakis!root
From: root@arrakis.nl.mugnet.org (The root)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: rn for Minix now on plains.nodak.edu
Message-ID: <910203943@arrakis.nl.mugnet.org>
Date: 3 Feb 91 05:45:24 GMT
References: <1991Jan30.000227.10279@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: Alphasoft Nederland
Lines: 60

In article <1991Jan30.000227.10279@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>, wayne@csri.toronto.edu (Wayne Hayes) wrote:
> Ok, it's done and it's all the devil's fault.
Ain't he a busybody ;-)

>						My "quick hack" (== 2 days
> of intense hacking) of rn is up on plains.nodak.edu.  I plopped it into
> pub/Minix/ftp_contrib/minix-rn.tar-X, and asked Glen to move it to the
> directory pub/Minix/all.contrib.
tar-X? Uh-oh...

>				   Note that it is COMIC'd, not compressed.
Ouch! I was afraid it would be something like this.

> Comic gives FAR better compression ratios, and I live on a 386/33, so
> it compresses pretty quick.  Not to worry about de-comic'ing, though.  It
> decomics at about the same speed as uncompress.  If you don't have
> comic, I highly suggest you get it.
Now this asks for a flame....

#FLAME ON

  This must be the umpthieth time somebody tries to sell a new compression
program to the net. We've had ARC, zoo, 16 bit compress, lharc, and now
COMIC. Well, it ain't comical!
  The reason all official postings are in 13- (or 12-) bit compressed format
is NOT because of it's high compression rate, but BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY
FORMAT EVERYBODY CAN READ!
  I suppose ARC has died silently,
  PkZip is MessDos only,
  Zoo I've seen up and running, but it's compression rate is not
    very impressive,
  16-bit compress won't run on 64K+64K,
  COMIC, ... well this is the first time I heard about it.
I saved lharc to be the last, because I've seen it run on MS-DOS, TOS,
UNIX, Minix-ST, and (hearsay from Fred vK) Minix-PC. It's compression
rate is excellent, and it's speed is acceptable. It's perfect when compared
to compress, and it combines the functions of tar & compress (including
file mode bits, date, etc.).

BUT, I _won't_ ever post or ftp files compressed by it, because
that wasn't the deal...

#FLAME OFF

But anyway, I'm interested in news-readers. Right now I'm running
vn on Minix-ST, and that works fine. Vn is a rather basic newsreader
though, I would like one with a little more capabilities.

Greetings, Bert


=====================================================================
    Bert Laverman		email: bert@arrakis.nl.mugnet.org
    Molukkenstraat 148		work:  laverman@cs.rug.nl
    9715 NZ  Groningen
    The Netherlands		tel.:  +31 50 - 733587

      "The ability to produce garbage is a sign of power."
	  -J.B. Goodenough (at RMISE workshop on Software Reuse)
=====================================================================