Bat Lang,

09-Sep-99 01:13:12, Bat Lang wrote to Jack Stein
 -=>> Quoting Jack Stein to Paul Marwick, [07 Sep 99  07:45:37] <=-
          Subject: File Managers

 PM>> As to which handle self-extracting archives, FC/2 does a good job,

For OS/2 files with the OS/2 version of FC/2 I think it does a great job.
Unfortunately the Windows version of FC and Windows files may be giving the
OS/2 version an only "good" name.

 PM>> OS/2 Commander claims to be able to read self-extractors
 PM>> (pressing CTRL-A is suppoed to do it), but I've so far found
 PM>> only one out of dozens that I've tried that it can read. All of
 PM>> them could be read by FC/2.

That's more like it.  100% success with FC/2.

 JS>> OS2C claims to handle ZIP, ARJ and LHZ self-extracting archives, and
 JS>> it does, perfectly.

 BL> What have you been smoking in your pipe, JS? I will concede that it will
 BL> sometimes handle selfex archives, but just like PM, I have many more
 BL> instances of it's annoying 'Oops, this seems to be an archive that I
 BL> don't recognize'. I'd estimate about an 8/9 "Oops" for every one it
 BL> handled properly. PM's experience is similar. That's pretty far removed
 BL> from "perfectly". }^: Might be better described as "barely". {^;

 BL> Whenever I dnld any of the upgrades for Warp from IBM, I normally keep
 BL> the most recent one on an LS-120. These are almost always in selfex
 BL> format. I just tried the following list:

 BL> UNZIP540.EXE  Infozips unzipper
 BL> ARO2E30.EXE   Acrobat reader for OS/2
 BL> JAVAINRT.EXE  Java Run/time update
 BL> RUNTIME.EXE   Earlier Java update
 BL> SETUP351.EXE  Latest Matrox Bios update
 BL> JRO9691.EXE   Next four are all
 BL> LASERJET.EXE  recent printer driver
 BL> OMNI.EXE      upgrades for Warp
 BL> PSCRIPT.EXE
 BL> OS2EN46S.EXE  Current Netscape Comm/2 4.61b2 for Warp.

I don't have JRO9691.EXE nor PSCRIPT.EXE, but I do have all the rest and they
all work with FC/2.

 BL> Every single one of these gave me the "Oops" error, and when I examined
 BL> their innards with a viewer, these are their parentage:
 BL> Unzipsfx, PKSfx or PE32E.SFX (one).

 BL> These files represent the current upgrade path for Warp, and they are
 BL> only available as selfex's. The two primary (if I may) ZIP archivers for
 BL> OS/2 have been (are) Infozips and the PKZ25? for OS/2. This is also
 BL> reflected in the parentage of those files above, coming from IBM. Any
 BL> util that calls itself an OS/2 file manager, with a claimed selfex
 BL> feature, but fails on the above group of files crafted specifically for
 BL> OS/2, is misleading its public at best. IMHO. YMMV. {^; To qualify that
 BL> statement, I am a registered user of OS2C.

 BL> BTW, after that test, I would revise the 8 or 9:1 above, to 2 or 3:1,
 BL> based on my admittedly small sampling of selfexs at hand. This is the
 BL> last time I will take exception to your claims for that ^A feature. {^;

For a larger sample I went through my BBS file base.

Over all including some questionable M$ exe files FC/2 Ctrl-PgDn worked on
126 out of 162 files or 77.8%.

If I exclude the questionable M$ crap which I have no interest in, then 
FC/2 Ctrl-PgDn works on 126 out of 131 files or 96.2%.  

If I include those Info-Zip UnZip (programmed onto an FC/2 function key) works 

on, that failed with FC/2 Ctrl-PgDn, then all 131 files or 100% work.

I can live without M$ and with that 100% success. 

Using FC/2 Ctrl-PgDn to view Self-extracting files from my BBS file base.
126 worked.
36 didn't work.

Of those that failed:
5 OS/2 files didn't work, but all of those Info-Zip UnZip worked on.
31 Windows files didn't work, but 4 of those Info-Zip UnZip worked on.
Of the other 27 Windows files, I'm not even sure they are self-extracting.
After all, WinXX users are not concerned with Bloat, so why should they bother
to archive files they send through the IFDC or follow IFDC policy.

So I've included comments excerpted from inside most of those that failed,
if I could find any readable text to quote.  I've also included the file area
name for all those that failed.

OS/2 files that did not work:
-----------------------------
CDR
cdwos271.exe (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
cdwos2us.exe (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
DRIVERS
USBBASIC.EXE (pksfx sfx.exe)  (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
OS2
w32s125.exe  (PKLITE Copr. 1990-92 PKWARE Inc.) (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
warpinst.exe (PKLITE Copr. 1990-92 PKWARE Inc.) (Info-Zip UnZip worked)

Other non-OS/2 files that did not work:
---------------------------------------
APG_PTCH
sw12swpt.exe (EZPDOS.EXE)
sw3dfx.exe   (EZPDOS.EXE)
swpl3dfx.exe (EZPDOS.EXE)
swsw3dfx.exe (EZPDOS.EXE)
swuk3dfx.exe (EZPDOS.EXE)
W32_APPS
assist.exe   (PKLITE Copr. 1990-92 PKWARE Inc.)  (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
1start.exe   (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
critec.exe   (This program must be run under Win32)
W32_COMM
comip95.exe  (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
W32_DESK
easyap.exe   (This program must be run under Win32)
id_wt.exe    (Please run this installation $under Windows 3.1 or higher.)
ie-off.exe   (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
W32_INT
addweb.exe
atmtm20.exe  (This program must be run under Win32)
dnssetup.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
filefdr.exe  (This program must be run under Win32)
fwolf201.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
gr10jwsg.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.) (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
mboxcopy.exe (This program requires Microsoft Windows.) (Info-Zip UnZip
worked)
rastm110.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
rcnmstr.exe  (This program must be run under Win32)
spg22.exe    (Info-Zip UnZip worked)
vtuner1.exe
web10set.exe (This program must be run under Win32)
W32_MISC
grafeq32.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
W32_MULT
polyv300.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
W32_PD
win95y2k.exe (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
cewbd10.exe  (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
ss98b.exe    (This program must be run under Win32)
targ110.exe  (This program cannot be run in DOS mode.)
WINDOWS
so51_win_01.exe  (Info-Zip UnZip worked)

FC/2 Ctrl-PgDn Worked:
----------------------
1t-tutor.exe
ace10.exe
adptla97.exe
ANGEL_T1.EXE
ANGEL_TT.EXE
arc2.exe
arcn12b9.exe
arj241p.exe
arj250a.exe
arj255cx.exe
arj260.exe
arj260x.exe
aro2e30.exe
bidi.exe
bios_104.exe
BORDI_T1.EXE
BORDI_TT.EXE
BOUM_T1.EXE
BOUM_TT.EXE
BUJAR_T1.EXE
BUJAR_TT.EXE
c32d0200.exe
c32faq.exe
CALEB_T1.EXE
CALEB_TT.EXE
CANDY_T1.EXE
CANDY_TT.EXE
CHANC_T1.EXE
CHANC_TT.EXE
chklogpk.exe
CJ3957LE.exe
Cjos57le.exe
comm40xr.exe
cs_140.exe
CS_141.EXE
d70u15.exe
DACTY_T1.EXE
DACTY_TT.EXE
DINOS_T1.EXE
DINOS_TT.EXE
far160.exe
fixt139.exe
freevcs.exe
HALLO_T1.EXE
HALLO_TT.EXE
i2o.exe
i2ol.exe
ibmpcl5.exe
IDEDASD.EXE
iphonesw.exe
jar101dx.exe
jar102x.exe
javainrt.exe
laserjet.exe
lha213.exe
lha255e.exe
lharc.exe
lhe101.exe
loginscr.exe
lscript2.exe
NAHKT_T1.EXE
NAHKT_TT.EXE
NETS202.EXE
NS202.EXE
nspip21.exe
nu3-lu04.exe
nu3-lu05.exe
ochat107.exe
omni.exe
OS2EN202.EXE
OS2EN46S.EXE
PK250DOS.EXE
pk260w32.exe
pkz102_2.exe
pkzws201.exe
PLUG30EN.EXE
PLUGIN.EXE
PLUGINPK.EXE
PLUGPKEN.EXE
pp207bt.exe
PRESS_T1.EXE
PRESS_TT.EXE
pscn202e.exe
pw1118.exe
rar205.exe
rar205p.exe
rar206.exe
rar206p.exe
runtime.exe
samples.exe
sarj121.exe
setup351.exe
SILBO_T1.EXE
SILBO_TT.EXE
so50_01.exe
so51_os2_01.EXE
t-wizcom.exe
toolkit.exe
u-player.exe
uf_30103.exe
unz512x2.exe
unz540x1.exe
unz540x2.exe
upgradea.exe
USBAUDIO.EXE
USBCOMM.EXE
USBKEYBD.EXE
USBMOUSE.EXE
usrsdl.exe
vmidi_95.exe
wg1001.exe
WILEG_T1.EXE
WILEG_TT.EXE
winzip70.exe
wrar205.exe
wrar206.exe
wzinet95.exe
zcc10151.exe
zcc30151.exe
zcc40151.exe
zcd10151.exe
zcd20151.exe
zcd30151.exe
zcd40151.exe
zcol.exe
zcopy35.exe
---

It's not too late to switch to FC/2. 

     Thanks and Good Luck,        Andy Roberts
                                  andy@shentel.net
--- Terminate 5.00/Pro*at 
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