Xref: utzoo comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:132 comp.sources.d:2038 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!udel!burdvax!psuvax1!psuhcx!wcf From: wcf@psuhcx.psu.edu (Bill Fenner) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d,comp.sources.d Subject: Re: Standard for file transmission Message-ID: <62@psuhcx.psu.edu> Date: 2 May 88 21:15:26 GMT References: <292@cullsj.UUCP> <696@fig.bbn.com> Reply-To: wcf@psuhcx (Bill Fenner) Organization: Penn State University Lines: 32 In article <696@fig.bbn.com> rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) writes: >If you are (sigh) going to post binaries on Usenet, DO NOT compress >them first. Many Usenet sites use compress to pack up their news >batches. Compressing a compressed file makes it larger. We've gone through this before, and it has never been explained to my satisfaction. I think you do save something by compressing a uuencoded compressed file over compressing the uuencoded uncompressed file. I just did a test. The file I used may not have been a good 'average binary' (I used a moria save character - the best I could find on short notice). Anyway... Origional size: (cannot send; it's binary): 95,348 bytes Compressed (also cannot send; also binary): 6,772 bytes Now... UUEncoded then compressed (the amount that would be transmitted if you simply uuencode the file) : 11,531 bytes And the kicker... compressed, UUEncoded, then compressed (as if you compressed it, then uuencoded it, then posted it, then the news will compress it) : 9009 bytes. Like I said, this may not have been a proper 'average binary'. I am going to write a shell script to check all these things, and run it on several actual PC binaries and ARC files. I will post the results to comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d. -- __ _ _ _____ Bill Fenner Bitnet: wcf @ psuhcx.bitnet / ) // // / ' Internet: wcf @ hcx.psu.edu /--< o // // ,-/-, _ __ __ _ __ UUCP: ihnp4!psuvax1!psuhcx!wcf /___/_<_