Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    
    Hmmm, I create every day a VMS ZOO archive containing that days worth
    of UseNet stuff and download it on my A500, take the disk home to
    my A2500 and un-zoo it there with Amiga Zoo. No problem whatsoever.
    That's what this thing is all about, having a *compatible* archiver
    for several OS's.
    I assume you have ZOO version difficulties...
    
    Regards,
    
    <CB>

    The problem may be the file's record format, rather than the place it
    was created.  (If you think about it, having a file not work only
    because of where it was created is Magic.)
    
    Some VMS programs demand that a file be in Stream_LF format to process
    it properly, and some demand that it be in VAR format.  I don't know
    which format VMS ZOO demands, but it is probably different from the
    format that your downloading software works with, hence the
    incompatibility.
    
    Solutions: 1) use downloading software that supports the same format
    as VMS ZOO; 2) convert the file's format before downloading it, using
    cvtarc (this is what I do); 3) rewrite VMS ZOO and your downloading
    software to understand and work with both formats.
        John Sauter

    RE: .1  The fact that you are dealing with ASCII files may be a
            reason you don't have the problem.
    
    RE: .2  Precisely why I would hope that something can be standardized.
            Upload to PLINK or CIS some of these ZOO'ed files or ARC'ed 
            files that are created here in VAX-land, and the folks
            downloading them will have the same problem. I suppose I
            could have saved myself some trouble if I had CVTARC for the 
            Amiga.

The problem really stems from the diverse set of file formats available
under VMS.  Unfortunately a good deal of the software we use does not
support all of these formats.  SZ/RZ do seem to support all of the necessary
ones.  Since I've started using ZMODEM, I never have any problems with
file formats.  The only reason CVTARC is still necessary is so that ARC
and ZOO will accept the files on the VAX.

CVTARC can't really exist on the Amiga as we don't have all the funky
file formats.  If the file is on the Amiga, then the damage has already
been done (due to the transfer program).

- steve

    
    I've given up on the diverse set of file formats.  Since the VMS
    versions of ARC and ZOO use/create Stream_lf files, I just make
    sure every .arc or .zoo I get is converted to stream_lf if it isn't
    already in that form (using CVTARC).
    
    Then all I need is to remember to transfer the file as BLOCK, when
    using KERMIT or NFT.
    
    For text files, I just toss them into a Zoo file before downloading.
    
    Uploading text files gets is tougher, since Amiga text files end
    in LF, not CR,LF.  Since I haven't done this much, any recommendations
    for programs that do the LF->CRLF and CRLF->LF conversions for both
    the Amiga and VMS?
    
    -Dave

    
    Dave, I recently uploaded some large PostScript files that were created
    on the Amiga using ProWrite/ProScript.  As you know, PostScript is
    ASCII text.
    
    When the file was read on my VAX, the formatting was all wrong (ie; no
    LF=>CR/LF conversion).  I tried ARCing the file on the Amiga and
    un-ARCing on the VAX, but I just couldn't get it right.
    
    I discovered that by running CVTARC U on the text file, all the
    formatting was restored; ie, CR on every line.
    
    As an alternative, I uploaded (seems like ages ago) a small program for
    the Amiga called STRIP that would perform CR additions to every line at
    any column specified; ie STRIP -w80 oldfile newfile.  I'm sure that
    STRIP is online somewhere.
    
    Other alternatives are Scribble! and ProWrite 2.5, which can save ASCII
    wiith embedded CR's at the end of every line.
    
    Ed.

    I never had any problems (except the first days of my Amiga-life)
    with that different file-formats. All the archives i offer are in
    a format which kermit likes and the people know that they have to
    CVTARC the files before download them via XMODEM. The reason why
    i use Kermit is ..... (now i have to say it) i havn't used XMODEM
    at this time, and ..... i cannot use it because i don't know HOW
    TO USE IT !! Don't beat me, but i swear i try to learn its useage.
     (:-)  I 'growed up with Kermit, and maybe there's something true
    in saying: the useage of a specific comm-program i LIKE A RELIGION.

    I think more nuisance are that 'packing-orgy(orgies)' in putting
    some binaries into a .zoo file, uuencode this and the uuencoded file
    is shared and the resulting shar-file i packed in another .zoo file.
    This happens to me only some dayes ago when i grabbed up some use-
    net stuff (don't remember the name). Shure, the discovery tour through
    such an archive is interesting, but with the time it's a pain to
    spent a lot of time to REORGANIZE some files before downloading.
    Compared to this a CVTARC needs much less time.
    
    So i think, let the things how they are,
    
    Cheers,
    
    Ralf
    ====

    Uuuups,
    
    in one of the last lines of 2902.7 it should be SURE not SHURE.
    Excuse me.
    
    Ralf
    ====