Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!reading!cf-cm!cybaswan!iiitsh
From: iiitsh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Another suggestion (was Re: xx vs. uu and encoding)
Keywords: xxencode uuencode zoo zip arc squeeze
Message-ID: <1392@cybaswan.UUCP>
Date: 22 Feb 90 18:30:20 GMT
References: <1513@krafla.rhi.hi.is> <3418@plains.UUCP> <3014@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> <857@ocsmd.ocs.com> <1526@krafla.rhi.hi.is>
Reply-To: iiitsh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood)
Organization: Institute for Industrial Information Technology
Lines: 29

In article <1526@krafla.rhi.hi.is> frisk@rhi.hi.is (Fridrik Skulason) writes:
>In article <857@ocsmd.ocs.com> glenn@ocsmd.ocs.com (glenn ford) writes:
>> And of course UU, not XX..
>
>Don't forget that everybody can use the binaries if they are xxencoded, but
>uuencoding them will mean that they become useless to some people.
>

It seems silly to me that we go through all this procedure of squeezing
files (with whatever method) just so we can expand them by 4:3 or worse
with (xx/uu)encode.

I suggested to Rahul that he incorporate a 7-bit output into 'zoo'. The
idea here is of course that 'zoo' directly produces a format that can be
sent over UseNet. By this, I assume the inclusion of checksums and the
ability to make multi-part files. Since the 7-bit output would not merely
be a robotic operation (as in uuencode) I would expect to see a better
compression factor.

Rahul, by the way, replied to say he would think about it. I suspect though
that he's too busy right now. Anyone else fancy a go?

I sympathise with the problems the Scandinavians are having with character
sets. If 7-bit output *is* added to 'zoo', I would hope that this effect
is dealt with. I suppose it would be sensible if one of the Scandinavian
people on the net does the work of adding the feature. At least *that*
ought to ensure there's no problem!

Steve