sources vs. binaries

[Rob Harper]

In <1991Dec19.020836.10263 at redpoll.neoucom.edu> red at redpoll.neoucom.edu (Richard E. Depew) writes:

*>     That's my point.  Because they are uuencoded, they can't be read
*>     from with rn.  They aren't *readable* source code.  They are
*>     binaries that may contain source code.

	If you read high volume groups like cbip then ALL of the postings
	are in UUENCODED format. If you have a newsreader like nn then you
	can highlight the messages that go together to make up a programme
	and on the command line enter :decode and the newsreader will, strip
	the headers from the article paste all the section together and decode
	the resulting file for you to give a zip file or whatever.

	You also give the impression that UUENCODING is something "strange"
	and I do not think this is true. Both the EMBL and MENUDO software
	servers distribute programmes via E-mail and the ONLY way to do this
	is to send the files in UUENCODED format. If you are running rn then
	you must be on a Unix machine. Do a "man uudecode" and I am sure
	you will find that both uuencode and uudecode are implimented on you
	machine. If you do not have them then I can tell you where to get
	them via ftp.
 
*>     Actually, I'd be pleased.  I'd have saved weeks of scanning.  Are
*>     you disappointed when nothing shows up in news.announce.important?

	Really? If you have bionet.software.sources flaged in your .newsrc
	then you should be told automagicily when new postings arrive,
	and it does not require any searching at all... least that is the
	way it operates with nn.

*>    bionet.software.sources is a fine group.  It is just misnamed.
*>    Call it bionet.software.binaries and I'd be happier.  A *real*
*>    sources group would look something like comp.sources.reviewed,
*>    with source code in shar format which can be read by newsreaders
*>    without decoding, unzipping, or other translation from a binary
*>    format.  But then, maybe I'm just a grump.  :-)

	I make a confession I do not have shar. Eliot Lear was supposed
	to send it to me fom Genbank, but it has not arrived. I suppose
	I will have to look for it with archie, and get it installed.
	Hmmm I wonder how many UUE folks will be able to UNSHAR shar files:-)

Rob "you can please some of the peple some of the time 
     but not all of the people all of the time" Harper
-- 
   Rob Harper                     /   E-mail:          harper at convex.csc.fi    
   Finnish State Computer Centre  /   Molbio/software: harper at nic.funet.fi
   P.O. Box 40, SF-02101 Espoo    /   Telephone:       +358 0 457 2076
   Finland                        /   Fax:             +358 0 457 2302