Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!julian!uwovax!16012_3045
From: 16012_3045@uwovax.uwo.ca (Paul Gomme)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PK361.EXE
Message-ID: <563@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Date: 11 Aug 88 10:44:06 GMT
References:  <11792@steinmetz.ge.com> <4936@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Lines: 48
Organisation: University of Western Ontario, Canada

In article <4936@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>, browning@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Craig Browning) writes:
> In article <11792@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>>BTW: I think that the settlement reflects the legal issues perfectly.
>>Both zoo and dwc invented new file formats, help menus, directory
>>listings, and commands. PKware "borrowed" most of the above, with very
>>slight changes.
> 
> What a weird opinion: Speed is the difference. What's wrong with compatibility?
> ... ARC and PKARC's compatibility helped make them, especially PKARC,
> popular, yet you praise diversity of formats.

	I disagree.  The first time I found myself using PKARC was when
I had an .ARC file which couldn't unarc using ARC; it would unarc using
PKXARC.
	Further, it's been pointed out in this newsgroup that there are
other programs which have "improved" on ARC - for example NARC which provides
a point-and-shoot layout (too bad it won't allow you to create .ARC files
as well).

> ... Yes, the ARC extension was apparently protected (more
> craziness, how about ".DOC"? ".WP"? etc.? )

	Yes, it does seem silly.  But how about the three letters IBM?

> ... but I don't see any problem with
> re-writing code to get efficient storage, and what will happen to Vernon
> Buerg's programs that use ARC format?

	I believe that Buerg's programs are written with the consent of
SEA - which Katz never had.  I've timed PKARC and the Buerg programs - they're
pretty close, and Buerg's programs are slightly faster on a couple of
operations.  Unfortunately, they're rather less convenient to use than a
program like PKARC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Gomme                             E-Mail:
Department of Economics
University of Western Ontario          Bitnet:  p.gomme@uwovax.bitnet
London, Ontario, Canada                         p.gomme@uwovax.uwo.ca
N6A 5B7                                ARPA:    p.gomme@uwo.ca
(519) 679-2111 ext. 6418

> Most of us use clones instead of IBM's that are compatible and much more
> of a copy than Katz, but how many of us want to pay the extra to not infringe
> IBM's copyright?
> 
>>	bill davidsen		(wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
> 
> Craig