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From: paul@cgh.UUCP (Paul Homchick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: pkarc v3.5 and arc v5.20
Message-ID: <628@cgh.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Jun-87 20:12:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: cgh.628
Posted: Sun Jun 21 20:12:06 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Jun-87 02:06:39 EDT
References: <4431@iuvax.UUCP> <206900040@mirror>
Reply-To: paul@cgh.UUCP (Paul Homchick)
Organization: Chimitt Gilman Homchick Inc., Radnor, PA
Lines: 28
Keywords: pkarc arc self-extracting
Summary: ixnay on pkarc files and self-extracting archives

/* From <206900040@mirror> in comp.sys.ibm.pc by jvc@mirror.UUCP */
>
>The self extracting files were not meant to be replacements for the
>archive programs.  They are meant to be a method of giving someone a
>archive without having to also give them the program that was used to
>create the archive.  This attempts to solve the "incompatibility"
>problem between the different archive programs.
>
>Self extracting archives will help make it so that it doesn't matter
>how the files where archived because anyone can unarc them without software.

The "incompatibility" problem is entirely due to the existence of an
archiving program that creates files with ".ARC" extensions which
existing and mainstream ARC programs cannot deal with.  This is akin to
someone distributing ".EXE" files that DOS cannot load and run. 

The "solution" to this problem is now offered as the self-extracting
archive file which creates a whole new set of problems.

If most people would resolve to stop using PKARC, or if its author could
be persuaded to adopt another filetype extention when "squashed" format
files are created, then the first problem would not exist, and this
unfortunate "solution" would not be necessary.  The phrase: "tangled web"
comes to mind. 
-- 
                            Paul Homchick
Chimitt Gilman Homchick, Inc.; One Radnor Station, Suite 300; Radnor, PA 19087
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