[comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d] To ZIP or not to ZIP

dale@harco3.UUCP (Dale P. Smith) (12/27/90)

Last time around, I was for zoo.  One word..  Portable.

I use zip on all my stuff now.  If I can create a zip file
on a unix box, I'll vote for switching to zip.

dale

davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (12/27/90)

In article <s1osu1w163w@harco3.UUCP> dale@harco3.UUCP (Dale P. Smith) writes:
| Last time around, I was for zoo.  One word..  Portable.
| 
| I use zip on all my stuff now.  If I can create a zip file
| on a unix box, I'll vote for switching to zip.

  You can't. And the version currently out, in addition to not always
creating a file people can unpack with pkunzip, it takes forever to
create the files.

  The new version of zoo will have better compression than zip, and
still be portable to VMS, AMiga, etc, etc. I don't want to quote a
delivery time, but I think it will be six months sooner than a
production quality UNIX zip.

  People still read news on UNIX and VMS, and want to be able to handle
the format there. Unless someone wants to donate a 486 to do compression
I can't use anything much slower than zoo and keep the volume up.
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

mox@vpnet.chi.il.us (William Moxley) (01/02/91)

   Didn't I see a message somewhere that the new version on arc
was going to be a commercial (non shareware or public domain)
release?

--
William Moxley   Glen Ellyn, IL  USA
UUCP: mox@vpnet.chi.il.us
BITNET: cuwgm@BOGECNVE

ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi) (01/02/91)

In article <278102ed-6ad.2comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d-1@vpnet.chi.il.us> mox@vpnet.chi.il.us (William Moxley) writes:
>
>   Didn't I see a message somewhere that the new version on arc
>was going to be a commercial (non shareware or public domain)
>release?

Yes, you probably did.  As far as I recall it was in some
comp.os.msdos...  group.  Should we follow up there?

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi        (Moderating at anon. ftp site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (01/03/91)

In article <1991Jan2.123047.27185@uwasa.fi> ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi) writes:

| Yes, you probably did.  As far as I recall it was in some
| comp.os.msdos...  group.  Should we follow up there?

  For the moment the discussion seems relevant to the purposes of the
group. 
-- 
bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

mox@vpnet.chi.il.us (William Moxley) (01/04/91)

   Unfortunately, I can't remember where I heard that it was
going to be commercial.  I beleive it in a posting regarding
the various archive formats and their ftp locations.  I 
might be wrong though.  When I get home tonight I'll look and
see if I had captured that message.

dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) (01/04/91)

In <s1osu1w163w@harco3.UUCP> dale@harco3.UUCP (Dale P. Smith) writes:

>Last time around, I was for zoo.  One word..  Portable.

>I use zip on all my stuff now.  If I can create a zip file
>on a unix box, I'll vote for switching to zip.

I haven't said much about zoo because I've been quite busy here in
Silicon Valley with my new career.  But I finally have gotten around to
writing code for updating zoo.  It's quite possible that the portable
zip and the new zoo will come around the same time.  I expect
compression to be about the same and the new zoo to be much faster than
the portable zip.

One thing to remember is that you will probably always see a lag
between the MS-DOS PKZIP and the portable form.  I.e., next time the
MS-DOS PKZIP gets revised, there may be some months before the portable
zip/unzip catches up.  On the other hand, since I've only devoted the
occasional weekend to zoo in the past, you might see a lag between
improvements in PKZIP and zoo.  Maybe I should do what Phil Katz did
and make it shareware and a full-time project?  Hmmm...that could be
*very* interesting!
--
History never         |   Rahul Dhesi <dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com>
becomes obsolete.     |   UUCP:  oliveb!cirrusl!dhesi