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From: bobl@pro-graphics.cts.com (Bob Lindabury)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Self Extracting Files (Re: PkaWare/PkaZip)
Message-ID: <1830@crash.cts.com>
Date: 14 Mar 90 12:36:21 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Lines: 32

In-Reply-To: message from md3b+@andrew.cmu.edu

> Personally I don't mind self extracting archives, but they aren't
> needed on the amiga that much.  On the commodore 64 where
> memory was very important, the self dissolving arc programs were
> nice, you didn't have to spend 10 minutes loading a stupid little
> program to dissolve your program.
> Just my personal opinion.
> 
> -Matt Drown (md3b@andrew.cmu.edu)

Also, an application for self extracting files (I've seen Zsoft use this for
MSDOS) is to pack your programs into self extracting files on disks and then
use a batch program to do an automatic installation for you.  In fact, Zsoft
does this to it's newer PCPaintbrush programs allowing for all the drivers etc
to be on less disks.  It's also a good way to do demo's and such that have to
be installed on a hard drive to run because of space limitations.  This way
the batch file can just run the self extracting file and extract it to the
device specified in the batch file variables by the user when he picks items
from a menu.

This works well for reputable software companies and I don't see a problem
with it.

-- Bob
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