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From: stevens@sigi.Colorado.EDU (Curt Stevens)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: (NON)Reasons to avoid StuffIt.
Message-ID: <2818@sigi.Colorado.EDU>
Date: Thu, 5-Nov-87 12:10:13 EST
Article-I.D.: sigi.2818
Posted: Thu Nov  5 12:10:13 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Nov-87 10:57:30 EST
References: <7499@dartvax.UUCP> <7507@dartvax.UUCP> <2103@tekig4.TEK.COM> <32710@sun.uucp> <1896@dasys1.UUCP>
Reply-To: stevens@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Curt Stevens)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 46
Keywords: stuffit packit binhex unpit

This exact same discussion flew accross the comp.sys.ibm.pc group when it was
suggested that the arc program (analogous to packit in this discussion) be
replaced as the standard file transfer format by Phil Katz'z excellent
superset of arc called pkarc (creator) and pkxarc (extractor). These programs
also produced smaller archives and added a few nice features like comments
that go along with each archive entry and a new compression algorithm (this
is really what made people mad since it created a situation where many newer
archives could not be unpacked by the arc program or older versions of
pk(x)arc). It was finally settled by the moderator (thanks Brandon) who
made the new software the OFFICIAL packing medium of the news group. After
that, the heat finally turned off and people put away their flame proof suits.
Today, users of the group are happily going about their up//downloading and
they are now using a superior program.

The morals of the story...

YES, we should be very open to new and better software. The improvements of 
pkxarc over arc were less (in my humble opinion) than the improvements of
stuffit over packit (especially since stuffit's author plans to include binhex
abilities in it soon), and comp.sys.ibm.pc survived the switch. Look at the
multifinder itself. Surely this piece of software is a large departure from
the current system, but most of us believe that it is, in essence, a fine
idea whose time has come. The flames are not to eliminate multifinder from
the face of the earth, but to suggest improvements so that it evolves into
a nicer environment.

NO, we should not go on discussing this forever, but should give stuffit a
chance to prove itself as a superior product. Most of the messages on this
subject have been pro-stuffit and I'm sure that once stuffit becomes a standard
method of compaction (it won't take long at all from my pkxarc experience),
people who now curse its introduction will be happily using it along with the
rest of us.

Let's end this discussion very SOON.... FLAMES to /dev/black-hole PLEASE!!!
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|Curt Stevens        (303)492-8136 |   /   |              E-MAIL:             |
|University of Colorado at Boulder |  o o  |              -------             |
|Computer Science Department       |   |   |arpa: stevens@boulder.colorado.edu|
|Campus Box 430                    |  \_/  |csnet:       stevens@boulder.csnet|
|Boulder, Colorado 80309           |       |uucp:!{hao|nbires}!boulder!stevens|
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| Curt |
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