[comp.sys.mac] StuffIt hexification

dtw@F.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (Duane Williams) (04/25/88)

BinHex 4.0 is the STANDARD means for producing .hqx files for distribution.
StuffIt 1.31 does not produce .hqx files identical to the standard; so
StuffIt 1.31 should not be used to hexify files for distribution.  I know it
is more trouble to run two programs rather than one, but until StuffIt is
fixed to generate output IDENTICAL to what BinHex 4.0 produces, people
should continue to use BinHex 4.0.  (Complain to the author of StuffIt.)

Duane
-- 
uucp: ...!seismo!cmucspt!me.ri.cmu.edu!dtw
arpa: dtw@cs.cmu.edu

rs4u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Richard Siegel) (04/25/88)

My understanding is that the only difference between the two BinHex routines is
that the standard BinHex does RLE on the output, and StuffIt does not - the
only result is that StuffIt's binhex output is slightly longer.

I have used BinHex to decode files that StuffIt is produced, and vice-versa.

Just because it's not identical to the standard doesn't make it wrong.

rterry@hpcupt1.HP.COM (Ray Terry) (04/26/88)

/ hpcupt1:comp.sys.mac / dtw@F.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (Duane Williams) / 11:24 am  Apr 24, 1988 /

> 
> BinHex 4.0 is the STANDARD means for producing .hqx files for distribution.
> StuffIt 1.31 does not produce .hqx files identical to the standard; so
> StuffIt 1.31 should not be used to hexify files for distribution.  I know it
> is more trouble to run two programs rather than one, but until StuffIt is
> fixed to generate output IDENTICAL to what BinHex 4.0 produces, people
> should continue to use BinHex 4.0.  (Complain to the author of StuffIt.)

That problem is corrected in the 1.40a version of StuffIt.  I have made use
of that feature and it works fine.  StuffIt 1.40a should be available on
most Mac BBSs...

rterry%hpda@hplabs.hp.com

davids@dasys1.UUCP (David Schenfeld) (04/26/88)

In article <1511@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, dtw@F.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (Duane Williams) writes:
> 
> BinHex 4.0 is the STANDARD means for producing .hqx files for distribution.
> StuffIt 1.31 does not produce .hqx files identical to the standard; so
> StuffIt 1.31 should not be used to hexify files for distribution. 

It is true that Stuffit does not produce output exactly as Binhex 4.0 does,
but as far as I know, the outputs of each program are compatible with 
eachother.  Any file encoded with StuffIt's binhex can be decoded with the
Binhex 4.0 application, and vice-versa.

-- 
David Schenfeld                  {allegra,philabs,cmcl2}!phri\
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thomas@uvabick.UUCP (Thomas Fruin) (04/28/88)

Richard Siegel writes:

 > I have used BinHex to decode files that StuffIt is produced, and vice-versa.

Unfortunately, I have run into CRC errors in StuffIt while decoding BinHex
files that decoded fine with BinHex, _and_ the same problems vice-versa.  It
doesn't happen very often, but it still happens.

-- Thomas Fruin

   fruin@hlerul5.BITNET                            University of Leiden
   thomas@uvabick.UUCP                             University of Amsterdam
   hol0066.AppleLink
   2:508/15.FidoNet (MacSaga)                      The Netherlands

philip@hubcap.UUCP (Philip L Harshman) (05/02/88)

From article <245@uvabick.UUCP>, by thomas@uvabick.UUCP (Thomas Fruin):
> Unfortunately, I have run into CRC errors in StuffIt while decoding BinHex
> files that decoded fine with BinHex, _and_ the same problems vice-versa.  It
> doesn't happen very often, but it still happens.
> 
> Thomas Fruin

I had similar problems with old versions of StuffIt but found that they were
usually caused by non-BINHEX text in the file I was decoding.  The new StuffIt
(I have 1.40A) not only skips over text at the beginning of a BINHEX file as
BINHEX 5 does, it will also ignore non-BINHEX text in the middle of a file.
Now I no long have to cut the "Part n of x" messages out of a file that was
put together from multiple parts.  Please no flames on how I could have done
this with a simple shell script -- I'm glad not to have to do it at all now.
I think Raymond Lau deserves a vote of thanks.  I've sent in my money for
StuffIt and I only use it for unstuffing so far.

These opinions are my own.  Any resemblance to any other opinions living or
dead is coincidental.

flowers@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Margot Flowers) (05/10/88)

>The new StuffIt
>(I have 1.40A) not only skips over text at the beginning of a BINHEX file as
>BINHEX 5 does, it will also ignore non-BINHEX text in the middle of a file.
>Now I no long have to cut the "Part n of x" messages out of a file that was
>put together from multiple parts.  

I've tried this with the same version of StuffIt and had trouble with
embedded text.  It was a packit archive if that matters.  Any
insights?  (Even if that doesn't work all the time, it is still a
great program worth paying for.)

Margot Flowers   Flowers@CS.UCLA.EDU   ...!{ucbvax|ihnp4}!ucla-cs!flowers