[mdlug] Archive formats (was "Linux Format" March issue available for download)

[Aaron Kulkis]

Jeff Hanson wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 6:18 PM, Aaron Kulkis <akulkis00 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> The intent is that these downloads will be copied to the
>> computers of many Windows users... probably many who are
>> in locked-down Windows environments, in which only the
>> "lowest common denominator" type standards are used, and
>> the individual user's ability to load something like 7zip
>> to read the archive just plain old can't be relied upon.
>>
> 
> Well it depends on the company.

So, your proposing that the Linux Format wants their
archive read only by certain people, "depend[ing] on
the company" that they work at?

>  If they're relying on the Windows
> built-in archive support then it's a problem.

Which is precisely why the released it in .zip format,
and not a format normally associated with *nix.

>                                                 Many companies use
> WinZip which supports it and so do most of the popular third-party
> archivers (depending on the version):

Many do...and many others don't.

Large companies buy Winzip.  Smaller companies sometimes do
and sometimes don't, and many just use the .zip tool that
comes with baseline Windows -- and these businesses are the
very ones MOST EASILY converted to Linux -- because they
have fewer "must run Windows" applications.

> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_archivers#Archive_format_support
> 
> For the average Linux magazine reader the solution is only a Knoppix
> or DSL CD away. :D

Same problem -- most of these same computers, for company
data security reasons, have no optical drives, or the
optical drive is usable ONLY by a Windows Certified Button-Clicker,
as opposed to the luser who is a Windows Button-Clicker,
but not Certified at it.