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From: jrv@sdimax2.mitre.org (VanZandt)
Subject: Re: zip files too large
Message-ID: <1991Jun7.173632.5362@linus.mitre.org>
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References: <9106040634.AA29973@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <1991Jun4.134251.22281@midway.uchicago.edu> <1608@balrog.ctron.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1991 17:36:32 GMT

In article <1608@balrog.ctron.com> dj@ctron.com writes:
>In article <1991Jun4.134251.22281@midway.uchicago.edu>, valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) writes:
>> >I was wondering if, from now on, you could request the authors
>> >to make the zip files about 355k large, to fit on a 360k floppy.
>> 
>> Seriously, look into any of the standard PD splitter type programs...
>
>Part of the djgpp package is a binary split/merge program pair.  djgpp
>itself is 2.2M and I use split/merge to put it on floppies.
>DJ
>dj@ctron.com

There is also a disk free space issue.  Use of merge requires a computer with
enough free disk space for the uuencoded, split .ZIP file and the merged file at
the same time (~100% overhead).  uudecoding requires enough space for the
initial and final file (50% or 200% overhead, depending on how you figure it).
The final unpack operation requires space for the .ZIP file and the final 
files at the same time (~50% overhead).  In contrast, a collection of smaller 
.ZIP files could be unpacked directly from floppies, with no extra space 
required.

I've looked for alternatives.  I have access to several *nix platforms 
with enough space, and unzip which can unpack an archive, but no corresponding 
zip to create smaller archives.  I could use arc, but it can't save the 
directory structure.  Any other ideas?

                                 - Jim Van Zandt (jrv@mbunix.mitre.org)