Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!spool.mu.edu!olivea!tardis!tymix!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!cwi.nl!sander From: sander@cwi.nl (Sander Plomp) Newsgroups: comp.compression Subject: Re: Self Extracting Files Message-ID: <3745@charon.cwi.nl> Date: 20 Jun 91 08:45:48 GMT Article-I.D.: charon.3745 References: <1991Jun17.205910.17669@apex.com> <1991Jun19.140345.18650@bellcore.bellcore.com> <1991Jun20.034508.17792@convex.com> Sender: news@cwi.nl Lines: 46 >i am suprised nobody brought another issue up, so i will. i think >it is relevant, too... >i am extremely reluctant to advocate self extracting archives for 2 >reasons: 1) in order to get at the stuff, u have to execute something >(meaning more chance of viral infection), and 2) you can only extract >on a particular system. the latter may make sense if what u archived >will only work on that particular system tho it still makes it impossible >to read an included text file like docs without the target system. however, >the former is impossible to overlook. self extracting files are probably >most useful for third party software distribution where these issues >are probably moot (tho i know of at least one commercial package which >was distributed with a virus, non-intentionally). >-bill >rosenkra@convex.com I, too, hate the selfextracting archives, for exactly the same reasons. Yes, they are: (1) The ideal virus carrier. (2) Exceptionally non portable. Nearly always MS-DOS and nothing but MS-DOS. and, (3) Since we all have the archiver around anyway, whats the use of sending the uncompression routines along every time. Remember, we were talking about compression. (I know it's not that much, but since it's useless and dangerous anyway..) The reason that self extracting archives where invented was simple. When SEA distributed ARC as shareware via BBS systems, people often got incomplete versions. Of course you cannot use ARC to distribute ARC so the self extracting archive was invented as a way to make sure everyone got both the programs and the manual. For doing this, self extracting archives are very useful. For nearly any other purpose they are a pain in the ass. \footnote{ I wonder if anybody patented self extracting archives or something like that. These days every neat or not so neat trick seems to get patented. Anybody know? } -- Sander Plomp Internet: sander@cwi.nl Fidonet: 2:283/500.4