UnUU is (an other) tiny Macintosh utility that deals UU or BinHex 4.0 coded shunks sent to newsgroups. It knows how to rebuild the original file and also decode UU files. It can give produced files a file type and a creator depending on the file name's suffix. It can even open those produced files.
UnUU requires System 7 or better.
UnUU is a fat binary that works fine & fast on any mac (hope so ;-).
Full text
To send binary files in the News (could it be pictures, programs…) you have to put them in plain vanilla ASCII as News servers only deal with 7bit ASCII.
The most common way to do so is to use UU code. But then, some users' systems can't make it with big files. To them, a 20k file can be a big file ! So they've got to cut them in small tiny pieces sent one by one to the news. Who that is interested in your file has to make your puzzle and then decode the file.
But there is no real standard way to cut the files. Some number them, some don't. Some use checksums, other don't.
Of course, you can use your favorite text processor to deal with that. It's a hard work, you (at least I) make mistakes, you spend time, and you're doing what your computer should do for you.
UnUU is here to do all that for you.
I've tried to make UnUU as general as possible, but you've got to help ! It won't try to guess the order of the shunks given. It will deal with them it the order it receives them. The name of the files will help you in most cases. Opening them in a text processor will tell you in most cases if your lost.
UnUU knows about BinHex 4.0 format (files suffixed with .hqx). BinHex is a Macintosh specific file format designed to deal with the two forks of mac files. UnUU won't decode them, but it will make a single file that StuffIt Expander™ can deal with.
This is the way I advise to work with UnUU.
How to use UnUU
• put all the shunks in the same folder using icon (or small icon) presentation,
• select the shunks one by one (by clicking on the first file and shift cliquing on the next files) in the order you wan't UnUU to deal with them,
• drag and drop them on UnUU,
• if it was a BinHex archive. The file is then suffixed ".hqx" et is typed so that opening it will cause StuffIt Expander™ to open it,
• if it was a UU file, it is decoded. The file(s) produced is (are) typed arcording to its (their) suffix. The file(s) is (are) launched by the Finder.
ATTENTION ! If you use a list-presentation, the order used when selecting the file is ignored. The one used for the list is used in any case then. If you wan't to use an alphabetical order, using a presentation by name will be a usefull option.
You can send several jobs in a single drag and drop. Just order the files correctly.
UnUU is not memory greedy. You can lower the memory given to it. The limit is that UnUU as to be able to load the whole shunk in memory. If you dealing with very big shunks, UnUU will ask for more memory.
Processed files are send to the trash. If there is a problem you'll be glad to find them there.
If you're not sure of the order used to process the file, you can either send them one by one and/or use the debug feature that lists the file names.
Preferences
I haven't the time to make a preference dialog box. Thus if you wan't to custumize UnUU's behavior, you'll have to use ResEdit. I've made a nice template to make it real easy. Just open the 'UnUU' resource of ID 1. Put a "1" for the feature you want, a "0" for the ones you don't.
• automatic UU decoding (Décode flag),
• trash shunks after processing a file (Trah flag),
• open the file produced (Open flag),
• see UnUU's activity (Debug flag),
• quit UnUU when the jobs is done if it was launched with a drag and drop (Quit flag),
For every suffix you give :
• give a file type,
• give a creator ('GKON' for GraphicConverter (my favorite graphic shareware), '8BIM' for Photoshop, 'JVWR' for JPEGView…),
• remove the suffix from file name.
Legal Stuffs
UnUU is a PostcardWare. If you use it, send me a postcard by snail-mail.
If you're a shareware author, maybe you'll wan't to give me a license for your software ?
If it doesn't make the job, if you don't like it, trash it. If you think that there is a bug, keep the file that cause you the problem and tell me about it by email.
There is no warranty of any kind, etc. Disinfectant 3.5 doesn't detect any virus so there shouldn't be any.
You can distribute UnUU provided you don't modify it in any way and that you keep this notice and the History file with it. Do not put it on any CD that is sold exept those that accompagny magazines. It can be put on Info-mac's CD.
UnUU has been used for months on several machines. Yet I can't tell more but that I don't know about any problem with or caused by UnUU. If you happen to know about an incompatibility, just let me know. I see what I can do.
