pes@ux63.bath.ac.uk (Paul Smee) (04/24/87)
Could I suggest that the ascii TAB character not be used when packing shar files for distribution? The problem is that at least along some routes, systems change them into the 'right' number of spaces. (There's universal disagreement as to what 'right' means, which is yet another problem, but...) So, what happens is that I get files for which the 'sed' line of the unpacker is looking for /^<2-SPACES>X/, while the actual packed lines begin /^<8-SPACES>X/ (or maybe 10-SPACES, or ...). The amount of hand-fixing required almost negates the advantages of using shar for the unpacking. If /^X/ isn't enough, then how about something unlikely like /^XXX/ which wouldn't exhibit the problem?