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From: davidsen@steinmetz.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: nice if arc/pkarc knew about subdirectories
Message-ID: <7734@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Oct-87 15:58:23 EST
Article-I.D.: steinmet.7734
Posted: Fri Oct 30 15:58:23 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Nov-87 09:45:15 EST
References: <4290@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <837@plx.UUCP> <258@grinch.grinch.UUCP>
Reply-To: davidsen@kbsvax.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 60

In article <258@grinch.grinch.UUCP> luis@grinch.UUCP (Luis Chanu) writes:
>Hello Dick,
>    Is Zoo ARC/PKARC compatible?  What are it's advantages?  and for that
>matter, dis-advantages?   Any information would be greatly appriciated...
>Thank you...

zoo is not an ARC enhancer, it's a completely separate system. It has a
number of methods of handling directories:

   save:  default is save subdirectory info
	  option is delete directory info and save with filename only

extract:  default is to current directory
	  option is to the original directory if present
	  option is to create and use original directory name

Why I like zoo:
 a) it runs portably in most systems, Xenix, MPort, Ultrix, SunOS3,
    unix-pc, MS-DOS, and VMS.
 b) Compression is good. I ran some tests with PKARC, ZOO, and DWC,
    concluded that there was not more than 5% between them, and that
    the file content determined which way the 5% went.
 c) speed is *very* good. I tested against PKARC and DWC and concluded
    that they are (again) within 5%. On UNIX it takes about 40% more
    CPU than piping cpio into compress (non-portable for sure).
 d) ZOO handles pathnames. You can save an entire directory tree and
    restore it. Pathnames may optionally stripped either on storage
    on on extract.
 e) ZOO handles UNIX filenames, and does something reasonable when
    moved into DOS.
 f) ZOO preserves date and time modified.
 g) ZOO will accept a files list from stdin.
 h) ZOO will give me a short form columnar files listing that doesn't
    scroll off my screen.
 i) ZOO will delete files after I archive them, but not as they are
    are added. This means the originals are untouched until the archive
    file is closed.
 j) ZOO will optionally add only newer versions of files in the archive.
    I can update using *.* and avoid typing the names of all files to
    be updated.
 k) ZOO will optionally add only files which are not in the archive. This
    protects against overwriting existing files.
 l) ZOO saves older versions of files and deleted files until you choose
    to pack the archive. These older versions can be recovered.
 m) ZOO has both expert and novice modes. The novice mode is very like arc
    in structure, and reduces learning time for current arc users.
 n) ZOO allows me to put multiline comments on each file. This is often
    enough to eliminate the need for a readme file, and is useful when a 
    program creates many data file with similar names.
 o) ZOO has been "rock solid reliable" for me. I like using software
    that doesn't give me learning opportunities.

Sorry if I sound like a commercial, but I really like this program,
particularly the last point. I have a wish list of new features, but
as far as I see everything there works. Not shareware, real working
public domain software.
-- 
	bill davidsen		(wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
  {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me