Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!ncar!boulder!pikes!udenva!isis!csm9a!japplega From: japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate) Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d Subject: Re: ARC/ZOO/ZIP for comp.binaries.ibm.pc Message-ID: <1325@csm9a.UUCP> Date: 26 Feb 89 21:12:46 GMT References: Organization: Colorado School of Mines Lines: 40 In article , w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (Keith Petersen) writes: > Now is not a good time to switch from ARC to ZOO. Many BBSs around > the country are switching their entire on-line file archives to ZIP > archives. Reports I have seen indicate a savings of FIVE MEGABYTES on > a typical 40 mb hard disk BBS. > > Anything we can do to lessen the network load is worthwhile. It's > just a matter of time before someone writes a ZIP archiver for Unix. Amazing... whose code will PK pirate for PKZIP... and whose compression format will he steal and market as his own???? We need another compression "standard" like we need a hole in the head!!! I am seriously considering adding a statement to all my products to restrict their archiving with any PK product... I already refuse to make available any downloads to my BBS that are not in ARC or ZOO format... make that REAL ARC format! The decision of whether to embrace one format or another based on availability of processing tools on UNIX is rediculous! DOS programs should be processed with DOS tools... the idea of unarcing a program on Unix and then transmitting multiple files at 30-50% the size when the .ARC file is available is not pratical... we have excellant tools for DOS... not only is ARC available for DOS but ZOO as well... and SIMTEL20 and many BBS' even carry Unix-style tools such as uudecode/uuencode, tar, ar, and even compress... Let's let posters use what ever format they want and let the reciever use the available DOS tools to process it. Yes, I suppose even ZIP... though personally PKWARE has caused so much grief with the adaption of a standard extension for a non-standard non-compatible product that I feel they ought to be black-listed amongst the PC user community! - Joe Applegate - ======================STANDARD DISCLAIMER============================ All views and opinions are my own and do not represent the views or opinions of the Colorado School of Mines, whatever they might be. =====================================================================