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From: rbj@ICST-CMR.ARPA.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: Compressed and split gcc's are on prep and ingres.berkeley.edu
Message-ID: <8703302253.AA11192@icst-cmr.arpa.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 17:53:15 EST
Article-I.D.: icst-cmr.8703302253.AA11192
Posted: Mon Mar 30 17:53:15 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 03:11:29 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: world
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? In article <8703230652.AA03678@ingres.Berkeley.EDU> gnu@INGRES.BERKELEY.EDU (John Gilmore) writes:
? >I have compressed /u2/emacs/gcc.tar to create gcc.tar.Z.  I also split
? >that down into 100K chunks, named gcc.tar.Z.1 through gcc.tar.Z.11.
? 
? john,
? 
?   i'm surprised you would commit two errors here.  first, you *should*
?   have placed the split files in a directory called "gcc.tar.Z-split"
?   to minimize the number of files in the already too fat emacs
?   directory, and secondly, you should have used split(1) to create
?   names of the form gcc.tar.Z.aa, gcc.tar.Z.ab, ..., gcc.tar.Z.ba and
?   so on.  with your numbering scheme, i couldn't just say
?   
? 	cat gcc.tar.Z.* > gcc.tar.Z

I would recommend that we seriously rethink our distribution scheme.
I object to this method on several grounds: [1] given that you had to
explain the method, it is not obvious (maybe you should include a shell
script or makefile to automate splitting/reassembling, [2] even tho
each piece is *transmitted* separately, the whole depends on *every* bit
of information, [3] which makes selection of certain pieces impossible,
[2] huge amounts of space are required for the uncompress.

I propose that each directory be first tarred, and then compressed. If
the resulting file is too large, then limit the tar, as in
lisp.a-l.tar.Z and lisp.m-z.Z. Or perhaps lisp.el.tar.Z and
lisp.elc.tar.Z. After all, must we be forced to retrieve the cpp,
shortnames, and manual directorys every time we snarf emacs? Do we
really need the .elc files or could we do byte-recompile-directory
just as well. And now that gcc is a separate product, shouldn't we
separate gdb as well? And what of all the other futilitys that make up
the gnu project? Where are they? C'mon, let's get it together!

?   to put the file back together--i had to enumerate all of the
?   extensions.
? 
?   the split on prep has a -c option so that you can specify the byte
?   count of each file. 

Which brings me to another point. What is the real limit on file size?
32K? 65K? 100K? 200K? Anything that sounds reasonable?
 
?   i cc'd comp.emacs on this so that others would not learn from this
?   bad example.  sorry john.
? 		      					--bw

	(Root Boy) Jim "Just Say Yes" Cottrell	<rbj@icst-cmr.arpa>
Is he the MAGIC INCA carrying a FROG on his shoulders?? Is the FROG
his GUIDELIGHT?? It is curious that a DOG runs already on the ESCALATOR...