Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!merch!spudge!johnm
From: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: ZOO
Message-ID: <1164@spudge.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jun 89 13:38:41 GMT
References: <999@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> <120800003@silver> <7525@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <2282@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Reply-To: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Organization: Friends of Guru Bob
Lines: 28

In article <2282@uwovax.uwo.ca> 16012_3045@uwovax.uwo.ca (Paul Gomme) writes:
>This has got to be the worst argument of the lot.  There are already utilities
>which work and are acceptably fast in dealing with ARC files.  Why do you
>expect someone to run out and rewrite a bunch of code when there's a tool which
>already works?
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Paul Gomme        Bitnet:  gomme@uwovax.bitnet      ARPA:    gomme@uwo.ca

This is one of the fundamental mistakes that people so often make when
comparing archivers, uuencoders, or anything else where a standard exists.
It "already works".  No, it doesn't, it "already works" for YOU.  Those of us
who deal with Amigas, Xenix boxes, and other operating systems that have long
file names or a need to archive more than just a flat structure of files
(i.e. whole directory trees) have had to deal with a profusion of unpleasant
kludge scripts and programs to get around the problems of ARC.  I got sick of
it and changed, I've been very happy since and I only have to use ONE program
on all the machines I work on (VAX, Amiga, PC's, and Xenix Box)...zoo.

BTW, here's a question I must ask of all of you out there who have been
advocating the, "Let's stick with ARC," point of view.  SEA wholly and
completely owns the ARC format, the courts said so.  Thus it doesn't really 
matter what archiver you are using, if it puts out ARC format or decodes ARC 
format then you should be paying SEA a fee for its use.  Have YOU paid them?
Do you actually expect the rest of the net to stick with a format that we
LEGALLY have to pay to use?  If so, do you also wait up for Santa Claus?

John Munsch