Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:13132 comp.binaries.ibm.pc:553
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf.edu!rk9005
From: rk9005@cca.ucsf.edu (Roland McGrath)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.binaries.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Standard format for ARCed files
Message-ID: <1187@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu>
Date: 14 Mar 88 03:05:06 GMT
References: <5439@swan.ulowell.edu>
Reply-To: roland@rtsg.lbl.gov (Roland McGrath)
Distribution: na
Organization: Hackers Anonymous International, Ltd., Inc. (Applications welcome)
Lines: 27

["Standard format for ARCed files"] - boneill@hawk.ulowell.edu (SoftXc Coordinator):
} I propose a standard format for ARCed files uploaded to comp.binaries.ibm.pc
} could be as follows:
} 
} 	1) The moderator would ARC the files using PKARC 3.5
} 	2) The moderator would use the MAKESFX program to create a
}            self-extracting archive.
} 
} This would eliminate the need for anyone to have a specific archive
} extractor, hopefully simplifying any problems.

I think this is a bad idea.  Making self-extracting archives
for PC's makes them unusable by Unix arc programs.  Using
PKARC (with the -oc switch) is not as bad, since anyone can
get PKXARC and there is at least one Unix arc program that
supports PKARC's new compression method (really-- I've got it),
but there are many people out there who don't have them.
I suggest that well-known standard ARC programs such as
PKARC/PKXARC and ARC 5.20 (is there a later version from SEA?)
and some Unix arc programs be made available from the sites
that archive comp.binaries.ibm.pc and that all binary postings 
be made with one of the above, NOT using PKARC's new method
and NOT self-extracting, and then uuencoded
-- 
	Roland McGrath
ARPA: roland@rtsg.lbl.gov roland@lbl-rtsg.arpa
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!lbl-rtsg.arpa!roland