Reply to Re: 'New' D-Mod File Format
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November 24th 2003, 12:52 PM
Beuc
My tests on DMods compressions showed that .tar.bz2 is better than .tar.gz - between 10% and 20% less.
.7z is even slightly better - check www.7-zip.org, it is free software and it also supports all mentioned formats except .ace.
Please use an open format so people do not have to get WinRAR/WinACE - usually most people can decode .rar, it is less common to extract .ace, but you just have to get the official proprietary and paying software to *encode* files in those formats. bz2 seems the best compromise quality/deployment.
I also really like the convention in all the .tar.* I saw to contain a carefully named directory containing all the files - it is better when you use the command-line, so you are sure never to extract everything in the current directory :/
Incidentally, it is not *that* hard to install a DMod.
.tar is not a compression format, just a portable archive one, and the _slightly_ increasing size is due to the additional information (filename, permissions...) that are usually stored in your FAT, just when you compress a .zip file witht the 'store'/'no compression' method -- and that's why you use gzip or bzip2 on the .tar archive to get what WinRAR would call a "solid" archive.
I think WXP only supports .zip files, but I do not have one installed here, so I cannot test.
Self-Extracting zip files are ok because you still can extract the .zip archive from inside it with an extractor - so you can avoid viruses and use it under GNU. However be sure not to use WinZip, but rather a free application (FreeZip, 7-Zip...), since you must get the registered version of WinZip to make a *legal* SFX archive.
Install Maker uses its own format and though you can use Wine to extract it, it is very tedious, so it's better avoid it.
Btw, if people are too dumb to install a DMod, I guess they are too dumb to change the default install directory.
The ending .dmod extension may cause some troubles on some servers/browsers, since they may display it instead of d/l-ing it. It's better create a drag&drop interface (eg improve CustomFE or any front-end), or drag&drop icon on the desktop (that in this case gets the filename using the application's commnad-line parameters).
.7z is even slightly better - check www.7-zip.org, it is free software and it also supports all mentioned formats except .ace.
Please use an open format so people do not have to get WinRAR/WinACE - usually most people can decode .rar, it is less common to extract .ace, but you just have to get the official proprietary and paying software to *encode* files in those formats. bz2 seems the best compromise quality/deployment.
I also really like the convention in all the .tar.* I saw to contain a carefully named directory containing all the files - it is better when you use the command-line, so you are sure never to extract everything in the current directory :/
Incidentally, it is not *that* hard to install a DMod.
.tar is not a compression format, just a portable archive one, and the _slightly_ increasing size is due to the additional information (filename, permissions...) that are usually stored in your FAT, just when you compress a .zip file witht the 'store'/'no compression' method -- and that's why you use gzip or bzip2 on the .tar archive to get what WinRAR would call a "solid" archive.
I think WXP only supports .zip files, but I do not have one installed here, so I cannot test.
Self-Extracting zip files are ok because you still can extract the .zip archive from inside it with an extractor - so you can avoid viruses and use it under GNU. However be sure not to use WinZip, but rather a free application (FreeZip, 7-Zip...), since you must get the registered version of WinZip to make a *legal* SFX archive.
Install Maker uses its own format and though you can use Wine to extract it, it is very tedious, so it's better avoid it.
Btw, if people are too dumb to install a DMod, I guess they are too dumb to change the default install directory.
The ending .dmod extension may cause some troubles on some servers/browsers, since they may display it instead of d/l-ing it. It's better create a drag&drop interface (eg improve CustomFE or any front-end), or drag&drop icon on the desktop (that in this case gets the filename using the application's commnad-line parameters).
