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From: jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Re: New way to post binaries - disc
Message-ID: <8610280203.AA00422@mitre-bedford.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 28-Oct-86 06:56:45 EST
Article-I.D.: mitre-be.8610280203.AA00422
Posted: Tue Oct 28 06:56:45 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Oct-86 21:06:09 EST
References: <24200008@maggot>
Sender: chin@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The MITRE Corp., Bedford, MA
Lines: 16

One disadvantage to the method mentioned in the abbove-referenced message is
that each encoded byte transmits only 4 bits of information.

By comparison, uuencoded data transmits 6 bits per encoded byte, obviously
50% more for your money.

The problem with uuencode is that it uses certain troublesome characters such
as spaces to encode data.  This problem would be immediately eliminated if we
were to revise uuencode to use only non-troublesome characters.  For example,
the set a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and . and / or any other set of 64 noncontroversial
characters would do the trick.  However, it would make programming simpler if
the selected characters were in two contiguous ranges, such as a-z and
56789:;<=>?@ plus A-Z.  (I think that adds up to 64 of 'em!)

John Sangster
jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa