Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ucbvax!moravian.EDU!nicholaA From: nicholaA@moravian.EDU Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Shrinkit/Binary II stuff Message-ID: <8905231418.AA28332@batman.moravian.edu> Date: 23 May 89 14:18:26 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 58 > >In article <8905190506.AA19084@obsolete.UUCP> delton@pro-carolina.UUCP >(Don El ton) writes: >[ stuff thwacked ] >>Perhaps comm programs should automatically >>package SHK files as Binary II if they aren't already in Binary II format at >>the time of an upload. Upon download they would be extracted out of the >>Binary II file and ready for decompression with Shrinkit. For folks with >>programs that don't do auto-binary II on uploads, Shrinkit should ideally let >>the user put the file into that format. >Why? What's the point? The point is that if a NuFX archive created by ShrinkIt is uploaded to CIS or GEnie or The Source, it will lose its own attributes. Upon downloading, the user can not easily tell what type of file they have just received. It would be more convienient for the user if every upload would have a Binary II header attached, and every downloading terminal program would strip that header away, leaving the file's attributes intact. >ShrinkIt can unpack BLU and ACU archives. Why not just do the following: >1) Instruct the user to TURN OFF Binary II auto-extraction. >2) Instruct the user to unpack the file with ShrinkIt. >If you are *really* concerned about confusing the usr, have the comm >program check the first six bytes of the file for the "NuFile" header. If >it finds that, have it store the file as type $e0/8002. (or is it e0/0002?) Yes and No. I hold the opinion that comm programs should optionally add the Binary II header when uploading and strip it off when downloading. however, because i am the slightly biased author of NuFX, I also hold the opinion that to make the user's life easier that comm programs should check for the header of a NuFX file for the "NuFile" signature and then change the filetype/auxtype to $e0/$8002 if a Binary II header has not preceded the first xmodem block of an archive. The next version of ShrinkIt will automatically skip a Binary II header attached to a single NuFX archive and simplify the step for the user from 2 steps to 1. I am extremely opposed to any move to have ShrinkIt automatically add a Binary II header to the files IT creates. In my opinion, that should be the job of the terminal program transmitting these files, just as it is done in the Macintosh community. In this I wholeheartedly agree with Don Elton. >>INET: delton@pro-carolina.cts.com andy ---- Andy Nicholas CsNET: shrinkit@moravian.edu Box 435 InterNET: shrinkit%moravian.edu@relay.cs.net Moravian College uucp: rutgers!lafcol!lehi3b15!mc70!shrinkit Bethlehem, PA 18018 GEnie: shrinkit ---- AppleLink PE: shrinkit