Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!mtunb!dmt
From: dmt@mtunb.ATT.COM (Dave Tutelman)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Source ARCs are inappropriate!
Message-ID: <1316@mtunb.ATT.COM>
Date: 28 Oct 88 13:45:10 GMT
References: <7119@dasys1.UUCP> <4457@bsu-cs.UUCP> <7194@dasys1.UUCP> <1314@mtunb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: dmt@mtunb.UUCP (Dave Tutelman)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs - Lincroft, NJ
Lines: 42
In-Reply-To: <NELSON.88Oct26134617@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>

In article <NELSON.88Oct26134617@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>:
>
>I have thought of a solution which will make everyone happy.  We need
>to distribute everything in shar format, including those few files that
>really are binary (they get uuencoded, of course).  Included in the
>shar file is a verbose listing of the arc file that contained the sources
>in the first place.
	So far, so good, with reservations....

>We need a pair of programs, arc2shar and shar2arc, that will change an
>archive file into one or more shar files and back again.  
	Either you've gone into overkill, or I overstated what I wanted.
	I don't insist on an ARC file.  What I want is:
	   -	Combined source/text and binary in a single posting.
		THIS IS ESSENTIAL; it is NOT met by a moderated
		comp.sources.ibm.pc with rules that binaries get
		stripped out and posted elsewhere.
	   -	The ability to pack/unpack it on my PC.
	I'm quite willing to manually enter a command, to ARC (oops, hope I
	don't get sued  :-) and unARC the loose files.  My real problem
	is that I don't have the tools to shar and unshar in DOS.

	All we need to make me happy is a STANDARD FORMAT for shar
	files that we all agree to use, and a shar/unshar program[s]
	that works under DOS.  I even agree that the ability to look
	at the readme file in quasi-clear text is an advantage.

	Now there will be SOME people who won't be happy with this:
	   -	Those who download at low speeds, and need the compression
		of an ARC.  I have a high-speed link, so I'll just let
		them speak for themselves.
	   -	Those who want to move bundles of software between
		BBSs and usenet without bothering to unpack them.
		(I guess I don't have sympathy for them.)

Ain't I reasonable?   :-)>
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|    Dave Tutelman						|
|    Physical - AT&T Bell Labs  -  Lincroft, NJ			|
|    Logical -  ...att!mtunb!dmt				|
|    Audible -  (201) 576 2442					|
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