From: jqb@netcom.com (Jim Balter) Subject: Re: making cygwin self-extracting archive 21 Jan 1997 00:28:52 -0800 Approved: cygnus.gnu-win32@cygnus.com Distribution: cygnus Message-ID: <32E44C67.3706.cygnus.gnu-win32@netcom.com> References: <199701210123.SAA00736@aitsun95.tci.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (WinNT; I) Original-To: Ed Peschko Original-CC: gnu-win32@cygnus.com Original-Sender: owner-gnu-win32@cygnus.com [David Smith] > > Actually, if you run the current edition of winzip you'll discover it handles > > tar and gz if you have those utilities--which cygnus provides for free. But if you RTFM, it tells you to use the cygwin tar, not winzip, because the distribution contains symbolic links. [Ed Peschko] > Yes... but you *still* need to do that 'extra step' and get tar and gzip (and > winzip for that matter.) > > What's wrong with having the *option* of having a self-extracting archive? > Windows users are used to it, and it is a one-step deal to install (aka shar). > It can also be made almost as small as a regular, gzipped file. > > I would say that anything that ups the choice level for gnu-win32, should > only INCREASE the usage of gnu-win32. It sure would make it easier to explain > to non-Unix types! Hey, next you'll want InstallShield. :-) But seriously, you're right. I've never understood why people put so much energy into rationalizing not improving things, and that's all "you can use winzip" amounts to. -- - For help on using this list, send a message to "gnu-win32-request@cygnus.com" with one line of text: "help".