Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@Simtel20.ARPA> (11/20/84)
The CPM directory file structure at Simtel20 will be changing over to more SQueezed and .LBR files in order to conserve space. This means that those who have been unable to FTP the ITS-binary files will need to find some way to fix their FTP programs and/or download programs to accept the ITS-binary format. This is usually not an unsolvable problem. Send a note to Info-Cpm-Request@AMSAA if you need help in dealing with binary files. This reorganization is taking place to conserve disk space so we can offer more programs. A new directory, MICRO:<CPM.REQUEST> is being created to ease the transition. For a limited time, those who cannot FTP binary files may send requests to W8SDZ@SIMTEL20 and the ascii-readable files will be left in the <CPM.REQUEST> directory for one week, after which they will be deleted. --Keith
Jim Aspnes <ASP%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA> (11/20/84)
Problem: what about us poor people who have to download a file over low-baud phone lines before it can be unsqueezed or LDIR'd? I think we need, now more than ever, some sort of catalog to the actual file contents on SIMTEL20, in order to keep people from having to waste two hours and a disk to find out that there really isn't anything worthwhile in some mammoth .LBR or .LQR file that looks interesting from the outside. At least keep the .HLP and .DOC files in unsqueezed ASCII. (Please) Jim
"Frank J. Wancho" <WANCHO@Simtel20.ARPA> (11/20/84)
Jim, As long as you have the file of interest already on the mainframe, presumably FTP'd from here, why not use the CP/M-equivalent utilities while you have the file there? TOPS-20 and ITS systems already have DE-LBR, TYPE8, TYPESQ, and USQ. Unix systems have LAR (an LU equivalent), XSQ, XTYPE, and XUSQ. Why waste the download time when you can examine the files ahead of time with these utilities? Why should we "waste" valuable disk space to keep such files around in unsqueezed format (and waste net resources letting you FTP such files instead their squeezed counterparts)? Almost all new files and packages placed into MICRO:<CPM.*> are announced to INFO-CPM as they appear. The mail archives for INFO-CPM are available in reasonably-sized chunks in <MAIL.ARCHIVES> for FTP and review of such messages. (Hint: survey messages from W8SDZ.) Of course, there are .DOC (.DQC) and .HLP (.HQP) files for many of the files. Most others are documented in the front of the source files. We will eventually have all the files in MICRO:<CPM.*> catalogued in a fashion similar to the catalogue files found in the SIG/M and CPMUG volumes. Until resources can be made available to do that task, please bear with us. --Frank