Very Computer

        PKWARE, Inc. is looking for beta testers of the PKWARE
        Data Compression Library (R) for AIX.

        Please call the PKWARE BBS at 414-354-8670, if you are
        interested in Beta Testing the PKWARE Data Compression
        Library that allows you to incorporate data compression
        into your software.  

        Log into the BBS with the following account and download the  
        Beta Tester application form.

                Login : Beta Tester
                Password: quality

        The PKWARE Data Compression Library is a flexible utility that
        will compress ASCII and binary data by as much as 90%!!!

Will

 - its supported product from a company you can call if it breaks.
 - its better than the UNIX product.

and also

 - it will uncompress files on an AIX system that were compressed using
   the de. facto. DOS standard.

Mat

: Why would anybody want to use PKWARE compression libraries under AIX when
: it's easy enough to just run compress, gzip, etc. as a coprocess?  The company
: at which I am employed has a large amount of data from our DOS days stored
: in PKWARE's format.  We're moving it to "compress" format.  Compress isn't as
: efficient as ZIP, but it comes with AIX.  Were our sysadmins not so *about
: installing "public domain" software on the servers, we'd use GNU gzip or zip
: and get compression equal to PKWARE for nada.

: Will

--

Quote:>Congratulations - you've described exactly why people might want PKWARE
>on AIX (or any UNIX box).

> - its supported product from a company you can call if it breaks.

Besides?  Who says PKWare will listen when you call?  Has there ever
been a successful lawsuit on the part of a customer who sued because a
software company can't or won't fix their program?  (sure, it gets a
little easier if you're unlucky enough to be able to prove substantial
monetary loss and then only under very limited circumstanses -- but do
YOU want to fight in court for months while the lawyers suck you dry?)

Even if all the software companies went bankrupt tomorrow, you'd still
have the security of having source.  Something broke or needs to be
ported to some bizarre system?  Just give it to a C programmer.
(they're a dime a dozen these days)  Need to prove to your security
officer that the software has no gotchas, bugs, or backdoors?  Just
read the source.  Security you can't get from PKWARE, and not from most
software companies.  Ever read the fine print in most all software
contracts?  Interesting reading.

Quote:> - its better than the UNIX product.

Quote:>and also

> - it will uncompress files on an AIX system that were compressed using
>   the de. facto. DOS standard.

--Dave

Quote:>> - its better than the UNIX product.
>Says who?  I bet gzip is available under more platforms than PKWARE.
>PKWARE may have more gooey features, but that doesn't make it better.

Quote:>> - it will uncompress files on an AIX system that were compressed using
>>   the de. facto. DOS standard.
>PKZIP the de facto DOS standard?  Which version?  I can't remember how
>many times I've seen words to the effect "you need PKZIP version XXX
>to handle this zip file".  gzip is a de facto standard too.  It also
>has the advantage of being compatible with itself.

Commercial Unix software is a VERY good thing.  Not everything in the
world is or can be free.  I for one want to support the capitalistic
activities of companies which produce useful software for the Unix markets
whenever possible.  And I applaud PKWARE for having the courage to be
in the Open Systems market and not just making software available for the
masses on brain-dead pseudo-OS's like MS-"DOS" and MS-"Windows".

--
  /--------------------------------------------------------------------------\
  | Mark A. Davis     | Lake Taylor Hospital | Norfolk,VA (804)-461-5001x431 |

  \--------------------------------------------------------------------------/

Quote:> - it will uncompress files on an AIX system that were compressed using
>   the de. facto. DOS standard.

--
this mind left intentionally blank

It's really amazing that someone (ie PkWare) managed to write a
multi-floppy archiving that broken, given the fact that other already
had implemented far better multi-floppy archiving methods (for one
example see ARJ).

ARJ's multi-floppy support IS beter, (It doesn't DEPEND on the last disk for
the directory which makes it MUCH more reliable/robust, ask me, I DID have
to recover BOTH when disks went bad)

: It's really amazing that someone (ie PkWare) managed to write a
: multi-floppy archiving that broken, given the fact that other already
: had implemented far better multi-floppy archiving methods (for one
: example see ARJ).

ARJ is REALLY not bad, especially the fact that it uses the same basic
algorithm for compressing the data (not now a LZW and then a Imploding and
then ...), the only real difference between versions was (is?) the fact that
it's level of compression increased 'cause of faster routines to do the
compressing.

--

Groetend / Sincerely yours

----------------------------------------------------------------
Hendrik Visage'
Rekenaarwetenskap Unix Admin      Computer Science Unix Admin
Universiteit van Pretoria         University of Pretoria
Suid Afrika                       South Africa
One SATISFIED Linuxer, It's GREAT, IT'S ACTUALLY WORKING !!!!!!!
EMail:

Tel: +27 12 420 3617
Fax: +27 12  43 6454
================================================================