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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!cca!mirror!jvc
From: jvc@mirror.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: pkarc v3.5 and arc v5.20
Message-ID: <206900039@mirror>
Date: Thu, 11-Jun-87 12:25:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: mirror.206900039
Posted: Thu Jun 11 12:25:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jun-87 12:48:14 EDT
References: <4431@iuvax.UUCP>
Lines: 51
Nf-ID: #R:iuvax.UUCP:-443100:mirror:206900039:000:1991
Nf-From: mirror.UUCP!jvc    Jun 11 12:25:00 1987


News Flash:

Incompatibility is not as big an issue anymore (as long as the
unpacking is being done on a MS/PC-DOS machine).  With PKARC 3.5
it is possible to create your own self-unpacking archives.  Now you
can distribute pkarced files to ANYONE with a MS/PC-DOS machine and
they can unpack it WITHOUT using any software.

There are instructions in the pkarc manual but the procedure is as
follows:

1) Pkarc the files you wish to archive.  You CAN use squashing.

2) Copy the archive file to the end of the file PKSFX.PGM (this file
   (is created by one of the programs that comes with PKARC 3.5) as
   follows:
		copy/b pksfx.pgm + archive.arc file.exe
   where archive.arc is the full archive name created in step one,
   file.exe is the name of the file you want to be self extracting and
   it must have an extention of .EXE.

   All the options for pkxarc except -v will work with the self
   extracting archive.  For example:
		file -l
   where file is the self extracting archive, will display the
   software license,
		file -g<password>
   will extract garbled file w/password.



The argument that posting SOURCE in an archived format is unfair to
non-MS/PC-DOS users still holds.  [I don't really think its hurts
anyone that reads this group but I want to avoid flames]


NOTE:  ADDING PKSFX.PGM TO THE BEGINING OF THE FILE DOES ADD 9758
       BYTES TO THE FILE, BUT, SINCE THE ARCHIVE FILE IS GENERALLY
       >64K THE OVERHEAD IS INSIGNIFICANT (and of course, the recipiant
       doesn't have to know what software you used to pack it and 
       doesn't have to have software to unpacked which makes the overhead
       even more insignificant).  PLEASE SEND ANY FLAMES ABOUT THIS 
       OVERHEAD TO /DEV/NULL.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Champeaux	jvc@mirror.TMC.COM
		{mit-eddie, ihnp4, wjh12, cca, cbosgd, seismo}!mirror!jvc
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