Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dasys1!tneff From: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: Re: Exec-PC BBS to ban ARC files Message-ID: <6465@dasys1.UUCP> Date: 15 Sep 88 13:39:43 GMT References: <6324@dasys1.UUCP> <374@mrsvr.UUCP> <6382@dasys1.UUCP> <8474@smoke.ARPA> Reply-To: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff) Organization: Independent Users Guild Lines: 29 Tom Neff would not dream of forgetting any of the current bumper harvest of allegations floating around. Andrew Foray on CompuServe is busy telling everyone that SEA has no objections to other shareware programs manipulating ARC files so long as the authorship is prominently dissociated from SEA. SIMTEL20's superficially commendable concern for the legal safety of its users does not withstand scrutiny in this case. Even if SEA were to demand royalties from software authors distributing their products in ARC form (and I find this wholly unbelievable) that would have nothing to do with network sites who simply store the files in question, or users who download them. Once these improbable royalties were paid that would presumably be the end of it. For all SIMTEL20 knows, there are files resident there now which incurred royalty payments of one form or another in the process of creation. Who gives a damn. Meanwhile back at the ranch, these threats/promises to convert to some as yet nonexistent bundling/compress format are nothing but political broadsides. Not that that's completely out of place here, but let's not dress it up in playclothes as a technical memo of general user interest or anything. When and if this vaporware PD packaging standard ever actually sees the light of day, and when and if extractors are successfully ported to as many places as ARC and ZOO already are, and when and if your site manages to get everything converted and integrity checked, THEN I look forward to an actual announcement from SIMTEL20. -- Tom Neff UUCP: ...!cmcl2!phri!dasys1!tneff "None of your toys CIS: 76556,2536 MCI: TNEFF will function..." GEnie: TOMNEFF BIX: t.neff (no kidding)