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Path: utzoo!utcs!utfyzx!oscvax!rico
From: rico@oscvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Compressing with less than 16 bits
Message-ID: <470@oscvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Jan-87 09:29:57 EST
Article-I.D.: oscvax.470
Posted: Mon Jan 12 09:29:57 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Jan-87 19:42:24 EST
References: <2280@well.UUCP> <340@oliveb.UUCP> <8232@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <2880@j.cc.purdue.edu> <5090@amdahl.UUCP>
Reply-To: rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani)
Organization: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto
Lines: 45
Summary: Works if you use the -b flag on host before downloading to micro

In article <5090@amdahl.UUCP> kim@amdahl.UUCP writes:
> ... [lots of interesting stuff] ...
>There are some other possible problems in using either ARC or Compress.
>Compress is usually compiled in 12-bit mode for use on micros due to
>memory size limitations.  On UNIX(R) boxes like VAXen (and Amdahl's :-) ),
>Compress is compiled for 16-bit compression mode.  I do not believe you
>can uncompress a 16-bit compressed file with a 12-bit compiled program.
>So one may run into some problems using compress depending on where one
>does the compress and uncompress.  Also, Compress is not part of the
>standard System V release package to my knowledge, so a significant number
>of sites mat *not* have it.

The compress on Fish disk #6 uses 14 bits rather than the full 16.  This doesn't
really pose a big problem since you can instruct your host computer to use less
of the bits when you compress.

	i.e.

on the host:
		you receive file foo.Z.uu by news or whatever
		uudecode foo.Z.uu
		uncompress foo.Z
		compress -b 14 foo
		download to your micro using your favourite protocol

				 \.
				 _\\
				 \ _\
				  \\  
				   `\

on your micro:
		uncompress foo.Z

I use the last three steps w/ kermit (image transfers of course) all the time.

I'm not sure about the SYS V sites problem, but there are a zillion versions
of compress floating around so I think that many (most?) SYS V sites would
have some version or another of compress.  

		-Rico
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