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From: dubois@uwmacc.UUCP (Paul DuBois)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Packit I vs. II
Message-ID: <2177@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-May-86 12:37:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.2177
Posted: Fri May  2 12:37:49 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 4-May-86 09:45:43 EDT
References: <630@tekig4.UUCP>
Organization: UW-Madison Primate Center
Lines: 40

> I've just been made very aware of something that should've been pretty
> obvious to me, and to us all.  I feel we're all being had.  It's
> probably too late.  The trigger was the following interchange from
> INFO-MAC DIGEST (ARPA):
> ...
> The trouble is that this highway robbery is already working!  Remember
> back when the PackIt-ed postings were few and far between?  When it was
> just as often that people would simply paste together several BinHex-es
> into one file and post it?  Now, I've seen SINGLE FILE POSTINGS
> PackIt-ed just for the presumed compression.
> ...
> And presumed compression it is, folks.  Try this:  PackIt a few
> "typical" things with and without compression.  See which version is
> smaller.  And by how much.  In fact, I suggest people post their
> results; such benchmarking is done with disk performance, why not with
> this? I have found the compression results less than exhilarating, like
> in some cases LESS THAN 1%!  Are my experiences typical?
> ...
> -Brian Diehm

I don't have any stats to report, but I agree with Brian in his general
assessment of PackItII:  I dislike it.  I dislike the introductory message
that it puts up.  I dislike the frequent crashes.  I dislike its
behavior [sic] with DA's.  I dislike having to be wary every time I use
a program.

None of these things were true of the original.  I vote that either
(i) we use regular PackIt more frequently, or (ii) that we get together
and write a protocol for mashing files together, post it and *explicitly*
make it public domain.  Yes, I know, we don't need another "standard".
But PackItII should be put out of business.

Understand, I'm not out for Chesley's hide.  I applaud his MacDeveloper
efforts, and also PackIt.  Not PackItII.
-- 
                                                                    |
Paul DuBois     {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois        --+--
                                                                    |
Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings              |
toward the south?                        Job 39:26