• I don't like the interface / I'd like batch processing
If you don't want to use the menus to change mode and process, use the Drag & Drop mode:
1: Quit MacGzip (if it is open)
This is important!. MacGzip answers to 'Open Document' in the old style (without High Level Events); so if you drop several files MacGzip's open icon; only the first will be open
2: If the files you want to compress/uncompress are in the same folder, select
them all from the Finder and Drag & Drop them on MacGzip icon; if the files are
in different folders; you will have to put the parent folder in 'list by name'
mode before the selection.
3: If you want
a) Compress them in ASCII mode: Hold option and 'a' keys until window appears
b) Compress them in binary mode: Hold option and 'b' keys until window appears
c) Uncompress them in ASCII mode: Hold 'a' key until window appears
d) Uncompress them in binary mode: Hold 'b' key until window appears
Note that startup keys can be unnecesary or ignored depending on your settings in the preferences dialog.
• What should I put in the 'gzip suffix' preference?
For all operating systems, ".gz", ".z", ".Z", ".taz", ".tgz", "-gz", "-z" and "_z" are accepted suffixes, in addition to the value of the --suffix option. (".tgz" is a useful convention for tar.z)
The --suffix option is the value you enter in 'gzip suffix' preference; so you should let it empty if you are using the standard gzip 1.2.4.
If your UNIX host has an older gzip (which creates compressed files with .z) you should put '.z' in this field of macgzip preferences; but the best option would be to update your UNIX gzip to the last version (currently -03/19/94- is 1.2.4).
• What is the meaning of 'ASCII' compression/decompression?
-a --ascii
Ascii text mode: convert end-of-lines using local con-
ventions. This option is supported only on some non-
Unix systems.
let's have the ASCII file 'pc.txt' on an DOS machine
we can make:
gzip -c pc.txt > pc.gz
gzip -ca pc.txt > pca.gz
then, we put this files in our mac and:
gzip 'uncompress' 'binary' of pc.gz gives us a file with EOL=<CR><LF> (bad)
gzip 'uncompress' 'binary' of pca.gz gives us a file with EOL=<LF> (bad)
gzip 'uncompress' 'ascii' of pc.gz gives us a file with EOL=<CR><CR> (bad)
gzip 'uncompress' 'ascii' of pca.gz gives us a file with EOL=<CR> (good!)
• My Mac-dhqx-application does not recognice gunziped files.
A file with .hqx suffix IS A TEXT FILE; so it should be uncompressed in ASCII mode. This not only will put 'Macintosh end-of-lines' (which shouldn't make any difference to your debinhexer), but also will set the type of the resulting file to 'TEXT'.
Anyway; if you have gunziped your foo.hqx in binary mode; you can use 'StuffIt Expander', since (in Drag&Drop mode) it eats any kind of file.
• What is the meaning of 'binary' in 'gzip' menu?
Binary means that you get a file which is exactly the same file (byte by byte) which was compressed; you should use this option for any non-text file.
If you uncompress a binary file (like a file.tar.gz or a file.tif.gz) in ASCII mode; you will loose the file.
If you uncompress a text file (like a file.hqx.gz or a text.gz) in binary mode; you can recover the file in several ways.
• MacGzip reports a CRC error!
This error appears when the file is corrupted or, most frequently, when the file has been incorrectly transferred
Gziped files ARE PURE BINARIES. (raw data, binary, not MacBinary nor ASCII)
When you download a gif file; you set your communications software in binary mode; do the same with gziped files.
Here you are a few hints:
1: Fetch
Add the following entries to 'suffix mapping' preferences:
suffix type creator name transfer as...
.gz Gzip Gzip gziped binary
.tgz Gzip Gzip tar.gz binary
.Z ZIVU Gzip compressed binary
.z pZIP Gzip pkziped binary
2: Zterm (I'm not a Zterm user, so I'm not sure about this point)
Add strings (using ResEdit or similar) to resources 'STR# 335' and 'STR# 330'
Example:
For gzip files: 1GzipGzip.gz
(Read ZTerm documentation for more information)
3: Anarchie & Peter Lewis' ftpd
They use Fetch Preferences, so get Fetch, and go to point 1
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Note: MacGzip 0.2.2 can read Fetch preferences to map suffixes; so even if you don't use Fetch, you should copy a 'Fetch Prefs' file in your Preferences folder.
