sschneider@pro-exchange.cts.com (The RainForest BBS) (01/25/89)
Just wanted to pass along a comment concerning the latest effort by a CS student named Andy Nicholas called ShrinkIt. The latest is version .92 which seems to have corrected most of the earlier bugs. The program is faster than BLU2.28 and compresses files by another 50% over the same sampling run under BLU in the compression mode. When you are uploading large files, the chance to cut the phone costs in half simply can not be overlooked. The program has a super-slick user interface and uses arrow keys and bar highlighting as well as forward/backward directory movements to find files to work with. You can pack to and from a hard drive as well as floppy to floppy or half and half. The only problem (not really a "problem") is you may have to launch it from ProSEL or similar to get it to work. I say "problem" only because I have seen the same occur with other programs; they bomb from ProDOS but work when "launched"... It is such a GOOD program (and for FREE!!) that to know of its existance and to not try it at least once is foolhardy as well as a sign of ignorance... :-] hehehehee Hats off to Andy for another fine contribution to the World of Apples!! /steve system manager ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | UUCP: crash!pro-exchange!sschneider APPLELINK : sschneider | | ARPA: crash!pro-exchange!sschneider@nosc.mil COMPU$ERVE: 75166,2544 | | INET: sschneider@pro-exchange.cts.com GENIE : sschneider | | The RainForest @ 305-434-4927 / PO Box 841422, Pembroke Pines, Fl, 33084 | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
cuthbert@tramp.Colorado.EDU (Robert Cuthbertson) (01/26/89)
In article <8901251356.AA27923@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-simasd!pro-exchange!sschneider@nosc.mil writes: >Just wanted to pass along a comment concerning the latest effort by a CS >student named Andy Nicholas called ShrinkIt. The latest is version .92 which >seems to have corrected most of the earlier bugs. > [Many good points about ShrinkIt deleted to save bandwidth, including how > well it works with hard drives, and how it supports bar-highlighted menus] Yes, but is it a(nother) GS-ONLY program? Countless ][+ owners want to know! --Rob Cuthbertson +----- -----+ ! cuthbert@tramp.colorado.edu <---OR---> ..!{ncar.nbires}!tramp!cuthbert ! ! "Fb ubj pbzr 'Nffubyr' vfa'g va \/\/\/ guvf fcryy-purpxre'f qvpgvbanel?" ! +----- \/\/ -----+
erast1@cisunx.UUCP (Evan Ron Aussenberg) (01/27/89)
In article <8901251356.AA27923@crash.cts.com> pnet01!pro-simasd!pro-exchange!sschneider@nosc.mil writes: >Just wanted to pass along a comment concerning the latest effort by a CS >student named Andy Nicholas called ShrinkIt. The latest is version .92 which >seems to have corrected most of the earlier bugs. >The only problem (not really a "problem") is you may have to launch it from >ProSEL or similar to get it to work. I say "problem" only because I have seen >the same occur with other programs; they bomb from ProDOS but work when >"launched"... This is about the 1st I've heard of ShrinkIt. What do you mean by the above?? I don't have Prosel and don't understand why using ProSel would make a difference in running the program; UNLESS the StuffIt is an Apple IIgs program only??? Can ShrinkIt be used to (un)pack files from one 3.5" to another, on _1_ 3.5" drive systems?? (I have a GS with and only one 3.5) >/steve >| INET: sschneider@pro-exchange.cts.com GENIE : sschneider | Evan erast1@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu
erast1@cisunx.UUCP (Evan Ron Aussenberg) (01/27/89)
In article <15330@cisunx.UUCP> erast1@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu (Evan Ron Aussenberg) writes: >UNLESS the StuffIt is an Apple IIgs program ~~~~~ Oops. I mean ShrinkIt. Evan erast1@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu
demarco@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Vince Demarco) (01/27/89)
In article <8901251356.AA27923@crash.cts.com>, sschneider@pro-exchange.cts.com (The RainForest BBS) writes: > Just wanted to pass along a comment concerning the latest effort by a CS > student named Andy Nicholas called ShrinkIt. The latest is version .92 which > seems to have corrected most of the earlier bugs. > > The program is faster than BLU2.28 and compresses files by another 50% over > the same sampling run under BLU in the compression mode. When you are > uploading large files, the chance to cut the phone costs in half simply can > not be overlooked. > /steve > system manager Great steve, if you have it could you upload it to comp.binaries.apple2 Blu works great, except it is so slooow. If you could upload Shrink It it would really be appreciated. Vince
carlb@pro-avalon.cts.com (Carl Boernecke) (01/27/89)
cuthbert@tramp.colorado.edu (Robert Cuthbertson) writes: | Yes, but is it a(nother) GS-ONLY program? Countless ][+ owners want to | know! No, it runs on either an enhanced IIe, IIc, IIc Plus, or Apple IIGS. It will no run on a ][+ because it uses MouseText, and (I believe) 65C02 op- codes. BTW, the latest version, to my knowledge, is version 0.95. |--------------------------( Carl Boernecke )-------------------------| Send | UUCP: crash!pro-avalon!carlb InterNet: carlb@pro-avalon.cts.com | E-Mail | ARPA: crash!pro-avalon!carlb@nosc.mil ProLine: carlb@pro-avalon | to --> | ProLine [pro-avalon] - (619) 271-0131 - 300-2400 bps - 24 hours | |---------------------------------------------------------------------|
lwv@n8emr.UUCP (Larry W. Virden) (01/27/89)
All I have ever seen of shrinkit is the proposal. I discussed its implications with Floyd Zink (of blu and blu ii fame) and he had indicated that while it had a lot of good ideas, being incompatible with what was already out there made it tough going for it to catch on. As far as I know, no one has posted the shrink it package, and as of last Sat it wasnt on Compuserve - anyone have it out there? Finally, there were several folks who were goin g to look at the Executioner code and modify it so that it didnt use the 'bad' characters that get mangled in transfer - did anyone make any progress on that line? The version of uuencode that was used in comp.binaries.apple2 recently was the ancient one which didnt protect against bitnet mangling (it left trailing blanks for instance). I know that a few people were porting the most recent safe version of that code to the Apple II line as well. -- Larry W. Virden 75046,606 (CIS) 674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817 osu-cis!n8emr!lwv (UUCP) osu-cis!n8emr!lwv@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU (INTERNET) The world's not inherited from our parents, but borrowed from our children.
cc@xroads.UUCP (Dan McGuirk) (01/29/89)
In message <15330@cisunx.UUCP> erast1@cisunx.UUCP (Evan Ron Aussenberg) writes: >This is about the 1st I've heard of ShrinkIt. What do you mean by the >above?? >I don't have Prosel and don't understand why using ProSel would make a >difference in running the program; UNLESS the StuffIt is an Apple IIgs >program only??? I think the problem is is that ShrinkIt won't run from Basic.SYSTEM because it takes up some of the memory that Basic takes up. You can run it from ProSEL or any kind of ProDOS Quit routine just fine, because the quit routine doesn't take up the memory ShrinkIt needs. >Can ShrinkIt be used to (un)pack files from one 3.5" to another, on _1_ >3.5" drive systems?? (I have a GS with and only one 3.5) No, not right now. But most files are small enough that you should be able to unpack the file on to the same 3.5, and then copy it off if you need to.. -- \ / C r o s s r o a d s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s /\ (602) 941-2005 300|1200 Baud 24 hrs/day / \ hplabs!hp-sdd!crash!xroads!cc
blochowi@cat28.CS.WISC.EDU (Jason Blochowiak) (01/31/89)
I have .95 available to me... As far as I know, this is the latest version (I've been having problems getting in touch with Andy this last month or so). People on local boards (Madison, Wi), are already using it, and these are just the beta versions... As far as it catching on: It might take awhile, but it'll catch on. NuFX (the format itself) is flexible enough to handle stuff in the future, and ShrinkIt is faster AND achieves greater compression results. If any one of these weren't true, then perhaps it wouldn't catch on, but... Disclaimer: Ha! I'm a contributor to the NuFX format. However, I wouldn't plug it if I didn't believe in it.
ALBRO@NIEHS.BITNET (01/31/89)
I have tried Shrinkit 0.95, and had no particular problems. The disadvantage that it is incompatible with BLU and other BIN2 packers seems to me worth putting up with in order to get up to 50% greater compression in less time. As ARC displaced LIB in the big blue world, eventually something had to replace the straight Hoffman Squeeze (BLU,ALU, ACU) in the Apple world. Shrinkit may just be the program that does it. We'll know, when the first Shrinkit imitation appears.