doug@xenixsp.UUCP (07/12/86)
>I almost forgot, unpacking instructions for Adventure parts 1-7: > >I packed the source using Mauldin's "packmail" program (much like >"shar"), compressed them on a VAX 8600 using compress 4.0 (max bits) >and then "uuencoded" the shar files. To unpack, remove the header, run >through "uudecode" producing the files "pack.out.0[1234567].Z", >uncompress them, >put the "shar" files in whatever directory you want, ********** FLAME ON! ********** I just love usenet, now not only do people fill up your hard disks with sources for non-unix computers, (no flames intended there,) *BUT* now we have people filling up hard disk's and tying up the phone lines with sources that most every body *CAN* use or convert to their machines, BUT compressed in such a way that most of the net can't READ IT!!!!!, My machine like so many others is NOT a vax, does NOT have a 32 bit processer, BUT is a unix system, and most of the net.sources that work on unix machines work on it, but one thing it CAN NOT do is UNCOMPRESS something that is COMPRESSed with 16bit compression!!! this means that for all the effort (not to mention money) that was spent to get the posted adventure program down to my site I CANNOT IN ANY WAY USE IT! it's not like it was written for another machine, it was writting for this type of enviorment, BUT munged in such a way to make it TOTALY USELESS! I won't even go into the fact that pc's, amgia's, mac's, SCO xenix ..etc.. machines that have C compilers CANNOT UNCOMPRESS IT either! This makes the posted game WORTHLESS to anyone not running on a 32bit (or better) machine. *********** FLAME OFF! ********* PLEASE! if you are going to post something BIG (hack, adventure, larn, etc) shar it up and post it in ASCII or at least a PACK program that works on any machine. -- #include <disclamer.h> \ T / \ T / / C \ xenixsp!doug / C \ ------------------------ USnail: 400 Atrium ihnp4!\-sys1-\ One Tandy Center trsvax!techsup!xenixsp!doug Fort Worth, Tx, 76102. hub!---------/ MAbell: (817)-390-3011 x4110 soma!-------/ rscus1!----/
ron@trsvax.UUCP (07/14/86)
I agree 100%. If you're going to use compress, DON'T USE 16 BITS. The common usage is 12 BITS and that seems to work across 98% of the machines. On top of that, when you finally get the game uncompressed and are ready to extract, the shell scripts used DON'T MAKE ANY DIRECTORYS and there are three levels of directorys required. This posting is a PRIME example of how NOT to post something to the net.
gsschaffer@watdaisy.UUCP (07/16/86)
Ken Wellsch (who posted Adventure) is currently off in Europe, so I will try
to respond for him.
I think he hoped that the savings in space, over-rode(?) the
inconvenience to some sites, and that a nearby unix site could do the
uncompressing for places near it. If this is not the case, then mail to me.
If I get a only a few requests, I will mail it, otherwise will post the
shar files to the net.
[Nettiquete Question: how many requests is reasonable before posting?]
Since Ken will be away for several weeks, please respond to me
Greg Schaffer
UUCP: {ihnp4|allegra|utzoo|utcsri}!watmath!watdaisy!gsschafferdaveh@cbmvax.UUCP (07/17/86)
> I won't even go into the fact that pc's, amgia's, mac's, SCO xenix > ..etc.. machines that have C compilers CANNOT UNCOMPRESS IT either! > This makes the posted game WORTHLESS to anyone not running on > a 32bit (or better) machine. The Amiga and MAC, at least, are 32 bit machines. At least enough to be able to uncompress 16 bit encoding. I didn't have enought free RAM on my 512K (for the moment) Amiga at home (yet), since 16 bit encoding requires about 400K+ free RAM just for data space. But it decodes fine on any Amiga with even 256K extra memory. Though I've seen much longer sources posted here than the adventure source would have been uncompressed, so I would question the necessity of compressing sources. A PC would certainly have trouble with 16 bit compression, and there are LOTS of them out there to consider. -- /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Dave Haynie {caip,ihnp4,allegra,seismo}!cbmvax!daveh "I don't feel safe in this world no more, I don't want to die in a nuclear war, I want to sail away to a distant shore And live like an ape man." -The Kinks These opinions are my own, though for a small fee they be yours too. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
mikel@codas.UUCP (07/19/86)
<burp> *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR FLAME *** > [ ... blah, blah, blah ... ] > can't READ IT!!!!!, My machine like so many others is NOT a vax, > does NOT have a 32 bit processer, BUT is a unix system, and most > of the net.sources that work on unix machines work on it, but > one thing it CAN NOT do is UNCOMPRESS something that is COMPRESSed > with 16bit compression!!! > [ ... blah, blah, blah ... ] > > One Tandy Center trsvax!techsup!xenixsp!doug I agree that posting something with 16 bit compresson isn't going to be usefull to a vast portion of the usenet Community, but kicking and screaming won't help. My 3B2/400 has 12 bit max. on compression, so I moved it to our 3B5 and did it there. Instead of spending time flaming, why don't you find a neighbor that has a 16 bit uncompress, and kindly ask him/har for a copy. The person who originally posted the 16 bit version, has already realized that many people couldn't read it. -- Mikel Manitius @ AT&T-IS Altamonte Springs, FL ...{seismo!akgua|ihnp4|cbosgd|mcnc}!codas!mikel
alan@mn-at1.UUCP (Alan Klietz) (07/20/86)
In article <641@codas.ATT.UUCP>, mikel@codas.ATT.UUCP (Mikel Manitius) writes: > > [ ... ] > > can't READ IT!!!!!, My machine like so many others is NOT a vax, > > does NOT have a 32 bit processer, BUT is a unix system, and most > > of the net.sources that work on unix machines work on it, but > > one thing it CAN NOT do is UNCOMPRESS something that is COMPRESSed > > with 16bit compression!!! > > > > One Tandy Center trsvax!techsup!xenixsp!doug > > I agree that posting something with 16 bit compresson isn't going to > be usefull to a vast portion of the usenet Community, but kicking and > screaming won't help. My 3B2/400 has 12 bit max. on compression, so > I moved it to our 3B5 and did it there. > I modified Compress 4.0 to do 16 bit compression on 16 bit processors (specifically, bugfixes to the M_XENIX ifdefs). Write me if you would like the mods. If I get enough requests I will post them. -- Alan Klietz Minnesota Supercomputer Center (*) 2520 Broadway Drive Lauderdale, MN 55113 UUCP: ..ihnp4!dicome!mn-at1!alan.UUCP Ph: +1 612 638 0577 ..caip!meccts!dicome!mn-at1!alan.UUCP ARPA: aek@umn-rei-uc.ARPA (*) An affiliate of the University of Minnesota
barry@adelie.UUCP (07/22/86)
In article <641@codas.ATT.UUCP>, mikel@codas.ATT.UUCP (Mikel Manitius) writes: > [ ... ] > My 3B2/400 has 12 bit max. on compression, so > I moved it to our 3B5 and did it there. Funny, *MY* 4Mb 3B2/400 runs 16-bit compress and has no problem handling 16-bit compress files created on my VAXen. But then again, *YOU* may not be running SVR2.1 -- demand paging sure makes a difference (hello EMACS!). Now if I could only change the default "ulimit" to be something large enough to HOLD these uncompressed files :-] (not *everybody* can "su root", are you Listening AT&T????). -- LIVE: Barry A. Burke, (617) 354-0400 x370 USPS: Adelie Corporation, 125 CambridgePark Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 UUCP: ..!{harvard | decvax!linus!axiom}!adelie!barry ARPA: adelie!barry@harvard.HARVARD.EDU, barry%adelie.UUCP@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
news@pyramid.UUCP (Usenet News Manager) (08/07/86)
In article <7817@watdaisy.UUCP> gsschaffer@watdaisy.UUCP (Greg Schaffer) writes: >Ken Wellsch (who posted Adventure) is currently off in Europe, so I will try >to respond for him. > I think he hoped that the savings in space, over-rode(?) the >inconvenience to some sites.... WRONG. The real mistake of this approach is that it INCREASES TRANSMISSION TIME. The overwhelming majority of news links already use compress between them; they will be compressing a compressed file -- and it will GROW in size. As for disk storage, there will be a modest saving, since most sites don't compress their news articles on disk. But the hassle of unpacking isn't worth it. I understand that the intentions were good. But it's an incorrect solution. Same goes for this current spate of uuencoded sources. If it's source, then use shar or something similar. If it's binary, then don't post it unless you have to, and then use uuencode. But don't compress that, either! <csg>