Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!bellcore!texbell!killer!elg
From: elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Dhrystone 2.n Results (1 of 2)
Message-ID: <6361@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Date: 9 Dec 88 02:43:37 GMT
References: <1266@cps3xx.UUCP>
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 38

in article <1266@cps3xx.UUCP>, rang@cpsin3.cps.msu.edu (Anton Rang) says:
> In-reply-to: mcdaniel@uicsrd.csrd.uiuc.edu's message of 7 Dec 88 04:57:00 GMT
> In article <43700047@uicsrd.csrd.uiuc.edu>, mcdaniel@uicsrd.csrd.uiuc.edu
> writes:
>>I think the flame was uncalled-for.  The header said how to decode the
>>files: unshar, uudecode, and uncompress (see lines 22 etc.).  [...]
>   On the other hand, there are some sites which DON'T have unshar,
> etc.  (There are non-UNIX sites on the net!)  Maybe they should be
> compressed for posting (as pointed out, they're much smaller), but
> a way to get a non-compressed form is also important.

Note that most USENET sites automatically compress postings when they
ship them from site to site, so compressing them beforehand is both a
waste of time and a nuisance on my part. I've measured the savings
before.... your initial compress results in essentially random data,
which uuencode turns into 1/3rd larger essentially random ASCII, which
Lempel-Ziv does not compress well at ALL. The result? Absolutely no
time savings in transfer -- may even end up taking longer (I rarely
get 30% savings when compressing uuencoded files).

Also note that some mailers cannot handle lines longer than 132
characters (esp. some of the Wiscnet stuff on IBM 'frames), so the
current 160-char-line format would have to go. Besides, most low-cost
printers and line-printers can only handle 132-char lines, and not
EVERYBODY has a $10,000 laser printer sitting next to them. Not to
mention that people on IBM 'frames running VM/CMS couldn't print
160-char lines even if they DID have a line printer capable of it. As
far as I know, the "print" virtual device is hard-coded at 132 chars....

Me? I'm posting this from a 3b2, and my PC is an Amiga with 2.5mb, so
I have no problem with even 16-bit-compressed stuff. But Unix is NOT
the world. E.g. what if it got gatewayed onto a Fido echo somehow?

--
Eric Lee Green    ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg
          Snail Mail P.O. Box 92191 Lafayette, LA 70509              
"We have treatments for disturbed persons, Nicholas. But, at least for
the moment, we have no treatment for disturbing persons." -- Dr. Island