Xref: utzoo comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:1022 comp.sys.ibm.pc:19295 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!percival!qiclab!jamesd From: jamesd@qiclab.UUCP (James Deibele) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d,comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: SIMTEL20 to ban ARC files Keywords: pkarc, pkpak, zoo, arc, archive Message-ID: <1678@qiclab.UUCP> Date: 17 Sep 88 17:06:37 GMT References: <159@vlsi.ll.mit.edu> <8465@smoke.ARPA> Reply-To: jamesd@qiclab.UUCP (James Deibele) Organization: Qic Laboratories, Portland, Oregon. Lines: 42 In article <8465@smoke.ARPA> w8sdz@brl.mil (Keith Petersen) writes: >SIMTEL20 will be going with Phil Katz's new file archiving method >because it will be a standard set by a group effort of various >well-known shareware and PD authors. The file format will be clearly >defined and a public release will be made of portable C-language sources >suitable for porting to any operating system with a C compiler. The >file format and the portable source code will be placed in the PUBLIC >DOMAIN, with no restrictions on how it may be distributed. If you want Did Thom Henderson (principal of SEA) kick your dog or something, Keith? ARC is a file format that's clearly defined, available now, with source available. Machines that are capable of reading SEA-style ARC format are not limited to IBM and clones, but include Amiga, Apple, Atari (8-bit), Atari ST, CP/M, Macintosh, UNIX, and VMS machines. For all I know, there are more. SEA hasn't gone after anybody except Phil Katz, who was going after their bread-and-butter market, site licensing (that's where the shareware authors who make more than $50 total in registrations are making their money, not from the public). There's been a lot of concern over the lawsuit in FidoNet because ARC (or its derivatives) is used constantly to move mail. Henderson has expressed some agreement to signing releases for use of ARC, but so far as I know, no-one has taken them up on it. SEA is a four-person firm. PKware is a four-person firm. SEA approached PKware about coming to some sort of licensing agreement, the terms of which only PKware and SEA know. PKware declined. SEA spent 8 months and $40,000 in legal fees getting their ducks lined up, time they undoubtedly could have put to better use in speeding up ARC. From what I remember, SEA tolerated PKware for a long time, even though PKware was actively solicting donations from day one. They reacted only when PKware started taking out ads deni- grating ARC. SIMTEL20 can do whatever. Encode your stuff with ROT-13 if it brings you joy. Meanwhile, I'll continue to use a standard that all my callers, even non-DOS types, can use. -- James S. Deibele jamesd@qiclab or jamesd@percival TECHBooks: The Computer Book Specialists (800) TECH-BKS 3646 SE Division Portland, OR 97202 (503) 238-1005 TECHBooks One BBS (#1:105/4.0); 3/12/24 (503) 760-1473