aden@orion.UUCP (Gerald M. Aden) (11/06/86)
In article <1260@hoptoad.uucp>, rdm@hoptoad.uucp (Rich Morin) writes: > THIS IS NOT A FLAME!!! - but I do have a request to make. > > I regularly scan net.sources, looking for useful goodies. I find, > all too often, postings of the following nature: > > > Subject: posting XXX arc file, if you want XXX - here it is!!! > > > > ... > > > > Here is a copy of XXX along with documentation. You must first > > use the uudecode on it and then use "arc" (on your pc - this was > > arc'd with version 5.2, the command should be "arc x filename) > > to break it into it's components (XXX.com and XXX.doc). Good Luck. > > > > ... > > > > begin 644 XXX.arc > > M&@-!4TU'14XN0T]-``34DB@``"8,C:V1/@`L``#\O``!H0(`C,LKP_;$\'0% > > MN/__ZP2Q!-/@HX,H+9XN<@4]``%S!KK9)^GH`+J2`K@C)<TAOH$`Z`4-=0/I > > ... > > I don't object to the twenty skedillion kinds of encoding that are > being used; presumably there is a reason for them. The author is > to be congratulated, in fact, for delineating all the necessary > operations for decoding the message. > > I do think, however, that it would be useful to be able to find out > what "XXX" is without performing the decoding operations, then > (most likely) scanning through the decoded text looking for an > illuminating comment. > > I therefore suggest that authors, somewhere near the top of the > posting, explain the nature of their offering, as: > > XXX is the famous wysiwyg defrobulator written by elmer hack, of > Chaotic State U. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate PostScript > to anything at all. Still, it's very useful for varplefurtzing. > > The extra bandwidth required for this is small, compared to the > typical net.sources posting. I suspect that the payoff (in reduced > hassle and frustration, let alone increased usage of posted code) > would be adequate. :-) > -- > Richard Morin, proprietor {hoptoad,leadsv,lll-lcc}!cfcl!rdm > Canta Forda Computer Lab. +1 415 994 6860 > Post Office Box 1488 Full spectrum consulting services > Pacifica, CA 94044 USA for science and engineering. I wholeheartedly agree with this request !