cc.rob@ut-ngp.UUCP (Xavier F. Jones) (04/21/87)
Can anyone tell me what LYNX and/or ARC are(is)? I have been asked to ARC several files before uploading them to a BB in order to save space. LYNX is supposed to combine multiple files into one file. Any ideas? Thanx Xavier Jones fungi@sleepy.cc.utexas.edu cc.rob@ngp.cc.utexas.edu
earl@msudoc.UUCP (Robert Earl) (04/23/87)
In article <5046@ut-ngp.UUCP> cc.rob@ut-ngp.UUCP writes: >Can anyone tell me what LYNX and/or ARC are(is)? I have been >asked to ARC several files before uploading them to a BB in >order to save space. LYNX is supposed to combine multiple >files into one file. Any ideas? > >Thanx > >Xavier Jones LYNX is a program that will take several files and link them together into one file (taking 1 or more blocks more than the total blocks of the separate files). ARC will put one or more files into an archive, using various means to crunch them down to take up less space. ARC is usually better, especially for uploading to a BBS, since the resulting archive is smaller (by up to 50%) than all the individual files would be. This saves you time uploading, saves disks space on the BBS, and saves download time. I have versions of both of these programs (not necessarily the most current ones) if you need them (E-Mail to me if this is the case) Hope this helped. Bob Earl earl@msudoc.UUCP
elg@killer.UUCP (Eric Green) (04/25/87)
In article <5046@ut-ngp.UUCP>, cc.rob@ut-ngp.UUCP (Xavier F. Jones) writes: > Can anyone tell me what LYNX and/or ARC are(is)? I have been > asked to ARC several files before uploading them to a BB in > order to save space. LYNX is supposed to combine multiple > files into one file. Any ideas? LYNX and ARC are both public domain programs that archive multiple files into a single large file (from which they can be subsequently un-archived). LYNX works very quickly (on 1541, not on SFDs or 8050s or hard drives), while ARC has built-in data compression and works somewhat slowly. Both are available from your local bulletin boards, computer club, or national service (such as Quantum Link, which has a whole lot of useful Commodore goodies). More thorough descriptions: LYNX takes advantage of the fact that the 1541 stores files on disk as linked lists of blocks. LYNX doesn't bother copying the stored files. Instead, it re-LYNX them (bad pun) into one big file, along with enough data such that it can re-construct the original files when necessary. Note that LYNX has to grok the directories and fuddle with linked lists directly on the disk, the reason it only works with 1541. But, because it doesn't have to copy the entire file, only alter a link, it works VERY fast. ARC, on the other hand, is an attempt to emulate the MS-DOS "arc" archiver, on the Commodore 64. It must read each file twice -- once while building frequency tables, and once while doing the data compression and writing to the new file. It compresses files in one of two ways: Huffman encoding, and run-length encoding (mostly useful for hi-res graphics pictures). It is slow. It takes about 20 minutes to ARC an entire 1541 disk. BUT, if you're ARCing text files, it is VERY efficient, often averaging 50% compression. Which your sysop will probably appreciate... I have 12 sides of 1541 text files on a single 1-megabyte SFD disk (which usually only holds 6 sides of 1541 stuph). Again, check your local computer club, bulletin board, or national service. If all else fails, if you leave me EMAIL with a proposed password, I'll put them on my board and mail you an ID... I don't suggest mailing a disk with return postage, because it'll likely get lost in The Computer Clutter (note capital letters), upon which event it'll be lost forever (or at least until I hire some local native labor to go on an expedition into the largest piles :-). -- Eric Green elg%usl.CSNET Hacker-in-training, University of SW Louisiana {cbosgd,ihnp4}!killer!elg BBS phone #: 318-984-3854 1200 baud max Snail Mail P.O. Box 92191 Bayou ~~~ Lafayette, LA 70509 ~~~ Telecommunications