Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.apps:4749 comp.sys.mac.misc:9815 comp.sys.mac.programmer:22818 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!midway!ellis.uchicago.edu!lrm3 From: lrm3@ellis.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps,comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: PROPOSAL - Archive Standard Message-ID: <1991Mar20.144455.10701@midway.uchicago.edu> Date: 20 Mar 91 14:44:55 GMT References: Sender: lrm3@midway.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller) Organization: University of Chicago Lines: 29 In article jeffb.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Jeffrey Boser) writes, in part: > >4) Compatability with other machines is NOT the responsability of the > format creator. ie: is it IBM's fault that macs and other machines > cannot read their disks? if you have unix, why dont *you* write > a program to let you peek into compressed files? >[stuff deleted to save bandwidth] >.....Jeff The Stuffit 1.5.1 format is published. The Compactor format is not. How am I supposed to write a UNIX program to decompress Compactor archives if I can't get ahold of the format and then freely distribute the sorce code so that the utility can be compiled on other UNIX machines? Am I supposed to "figure out the format for myself" or something? I don't care who's "responsability" it is to make public archives readable on non-mac platforms. The fact is that if your archives are in Compactor (or Stuffit Deluxe) format, they _can't_. Compactor isn't even 32-bit clean. Ever seen it run under the A/UX 32-bit finder? If the author of the program can't even go to the trouble of writing his program to Apple specs (i.e. 32-bit cleanness) do you really think it will make a good archive format? Macs running A/UX are still Macs...shouldn't we be allowed to use the archive format, too? Lawrence Miller PS: Macs with SuperDrives _can_ read IBM disks. So can NeXTs (with floppies). VAXs can't, but who cares? Of course, you need special hardware if the disk is 5.25", but we are talking about formats, right (_not_ media)? I guess the IBM disk format is public :^)