jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright) (09/10/89)
Here is a bit of information on the status of the Amiga version of the zip archiving program. Summary: don't hold your breath... Date: 16-Aug-89 03:20 PM From: Sysop To: Harvey Harbicht (X) As far as Amiga PKZIP is concerned, I am still plodding along. Everything boils down to time and my desire to keep improving things. For the last month, I have been down-sizing the program. I have eliminated about a third of the code but have greatly increased the functionality and error handling functions. I have improved the appearance of the program which required that I move to a custom screen rather than opening ZIP on the main workbench screen. This required alot of additional support for user defined colors etc. I really do not want to predict when ZIP will be out! The offical V1.0 of the IBM ZIP is not out yet so there is still plenty of time to make changes. I have much to do to add support for data compression and decompression but this work is proceeding. Since I did not make my last deadline (due to computer changes and problems), I do not want to make any suggestions other than it would make a very nice Christmas present for all of you. Hopefully, I will not be saying it will make a very nice Easter present! Perhaps it will not be necessary for any additional routines to support Amiga ZIP. I plan to implement an AREXX interface very soon so it can be driven externally by sysops. Wait and see. Dennis Date: 19-Aug-89 09:57 AM From: Leo Garvey To: Sysop (X) I take it I replying to whoever does all of those "PK" utilities? A quick question. What is the big deal about ZIP? I have unzip'd a few files, but I have to rename them to their proper names because they seem to only take about 8 characters for a name. Users have started to u/l zip versions of files to my bbs. I banned all zip versions due to the inconvinience. Zoo appears to be the compactor of choice with long file names, subdirectories, and listing abilities. I zoo'd a few zip files (after inzipping of course) and the difference in size wasn,t appreciably different. What gives? Date: 20-Aug-89 05:08 PM From: Sysop To: Leo Garvey (X) Leo, yes, I am one of the programmers behind ZIP. I am working on the Amiga version for PKWare. As far as the files you have seen that have been zipped, you are seeing IBM created zip files. People that have both IBMs and Amigas are using the IBM ZIP to create or repackage Amiga files. Because they use the IBM version, they are limited to 8 character filenames and 3 letter extentions. This is not an inherent limit in ZIP, just a limit in MS-DOS at this time. In all versions of ZIP, there can be filenames of unlimited length. In addition, each file can have a filenote attached to it to help explain what it is. When MS-DOS can support long filenames, the IBM version will be able to handle the longer names without any changes. Zip has all of the capabilities of ZOO plus some. It should be able to compress files better, be faster, have more options, and support an internal structure that is more reliable and safer to user. In the event that a file is corrupted, it should be possible to reconstruct most of the files. The Amiga version will add more options like renameing files without repacking and editing filenotes for the archive and each file. While not very practical for Amiga users at this time because there is no native zipper, when I finish the Amiga version of ZIP, hopefully this will all change. ZIP is rapidly becoming the standard compression tool in the IBM world. Many of the larger boards have converted all of their files to it. I will be converting all zoos and arc files to ZIP when it is ready. I have assurances of most of the sysops of the large Amiga boards that they too will convert all of their files. Dennis Date: 03-Sep-89 09:23 AM From: Leo Garvey To: Sysop (X) When do you expect we'll see some of the first completed versions of AmigaZIP? Date: 05-Sep-89 09:55 AM From: Sysop To: Leo Garvey I was hoping to have it out by now but it has been delayed for various reasons. Most importantly, the delay has been caused by a lack of time and creeping features. Now that PKWare has the offical 1.0 version of ZIP out for the MS-DOS crowd, I will be trying to put more effort into getting the Amiga version done. I said recently, that Christmas would be a good target date. However, if my schedule doesn't improve, it may be later than that. Dennis
filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us (Bela Lubkin) (09/11/89)
In article <1492@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu> Jim Wright writes: >Date: 16-Aug-89 03:20 PM >From: Sysop > To: Harvey Harbicht (X) [...] >functions. I have improved the appearance of the program which required that >I move to a custom screen rather than opening ZIP on the main workbench >screen. This required alot of additional support for user defined colors etc. What BBS did this stuff come from? Does this "Sysop" person have an Internet- reachable address? Someone tell him that some of us strongly DON'T want an "improved appearance" or anything like it. I want a command-line utility like all the other archivers. If someone wants a fancy shell around it, one can easily be written -- as has been done for all the other archivers. It should be extra easy if he puts in an AREXX port like he says. I hope this isn't the guy Phil Katz has doing the "official port"... fooling around for months making it look [pretty (to him)] ugly. Bela Lubkin * * filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us CIS: 73047,1112 @ * * ...ucbvax!ucscc!gorn!filbo ^^^ REALLY slow [months] R Pentomino * Filbo @ Pyrzqxgl (408) 476-4633 & XBBS (408) 476-4945
jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu (Jim Wright) (09/11/89)
In article <25.filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us> filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us (Bela Lubkin) writes: | What BBS did this stuff come from? From the Safe Harbor BBS. They have a family mail order outfit for the Amiga. The number is in their ads (Amiga World, etc). | Does this "Sysop" person have an Internet-reachable address? I don't think so, but a lot of folks up that way do seem to have accounts at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. "Sysop" is Dennis Hoffman. | I hope this isn't the guy Phil Katz has doing the "official port". It is. (At least he says he is. I posted all I know.) He and PK are located geographically closely, so I believe it. -- Jim Wright jwright@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu
vyrus@altger.UUCP (vyrus) (09/19/89)
I have found this nua (write it down) : 0268005229049
Its a place in which you will find *huge* amounts of program,
ala fish disks, all public domain and shareware, a real delight.
I think it should be the official CATS distribution point, but I do not
know exacly. The regitration is free and you can u}load/download freely
also.
Tell me your impressions and }ienjoy!
--
OxO - David Vincenzetti -
===V=== SMART @EUcon: vyrus@crypt.UUCP vyrus@altger.UUCP
!^! BANG: uunet!pyramid!tmpmbx!{vyrus@crypt | vyrus@altger}
^ ^ [Keywords: amiga hack cipher security]cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (09/21/89)
I'm sure many of you have seen this article, it raised so many red flags when I red it that I figure it must be a hoax of some sort. Specifically : In article <1852@altger.UUCP> vyrus@altger.UUCP (vyrus) writes: Who is going to trust anyone named "vyrus" which sounds just like virus, and which is usually trouble. >I have found this nua (write it down) : 0268005229049 "Found" a "nua", sounds like a hawaiian seafood dish. Although I happen to know it's an X.25 kind of thing. But it raises the question of what was being searched for in the first place? Reminds me of hacking the arpanet and coming up with arbitrary IP addresses to see who they would connect to. That of course makes me suspect this is just some hacker wandering around the net, who happened to find a node with little or no ice. >Its a place in which you will find *huge* amounts of program, >ala fish disks, all public domain and shareware, a real delight. And what do you know, there is a pot of gold here. >I think it should be the official CATS distribution point, but I do not >know exacly. The regitration is free and you can u}load/download freely >also. Let's throw in the CATS name, maybe it will sound more offical, even though of course it isn't. And get you can get all of this stuff for free like it was a public service and yet no one seems to have advertised it as a public service. >Tell me your impressions and }ienjoy! Well this is my impression: A person who's login name sounds like a hangover from a cheap tryst tells you about a psuedo secret place that has lots of programs, one of which is bound to interest you that you can download for "free." Being the cautious sort I'd guess that there were a bunch of virus laden programs lying in wait on this node and why don't you download load on and give it a place to live in your system. >-- > OxO - David Vincenzetti - >===V=== SMART @EUcon: vyrus@crypt.UUCP vyrus@altger.UUCP > !^! BANG: uunet!pyramid!tmpmbx!{vyrus@crypt | vyrus@altger} > ^ ^ [Keywords: amiga hack cipher security] Hmmm, "amiga", "hack", "cipher", and "security." If I were playing Jeopardy I would answer "What four areas should one know well to write a clever virus for the Amiga personal computer?" --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you. "If I were driving a Macintosh, I'd have to stop before I could turn the wheel."
vyrus@altger.UUCP (vyrus) (09/29/89)
Chuck, lay off!
I asked you nothing, I thought it could be *nice* for many amigoids to
know where to download good C sources.
Please do not attack me this way again. Simply stay home. Goodbye.
--
OxO - David Vincenzetti -
===V=== SMART @EUcon: vyrus@crypt.UUCP vyrus@altger.UUCP
!^! BANG: uunet!pyramid!tmpmbx!{vyrus@crypt | vyrus@altger}
^ ^ [Keywords: amiga hack cipher security]