🚀 go-pugleaf

(I tried to e-mail this to aladdin, but mail has repeatedly failed, so this
goes public).

I have a need to create auto-extracting archives that are password protected.
I run a support BBS for my employer, and we periodically place new versions
of our software on the BBS. We want to password-protect these archives so
that our customers will call us up to get the password. This allows us to 
control who gets the software (i.e. registered users who have a support 
contract) and to update our database.

Compactor has had the ability to create auto-extracting, password-protected
archives for some time. I never used it, however, because it never gave you
any control over where it put the files (just dumping them unceremoniously
into the folder where the archive was).

I was excited when I heard about StuffIt Deluxe 2.0's ability to create
auto-extracting StuffIt files. I picked up a copy at MacWorld (before I
had received my own personal upgrade), but was extremely disappointed when
I discovered that, if you add a password to a StuffIt Deluxe archive, you
can't make it auto-extracting!

I realize that encryption is mostly handled by external "plug-in" modules. I
don't need DES encryption, just something that will keep 95% of the people
from getting our updates for free.

Furthermore, the new version of Compactor, Compact Pro, does support the
ability to define where your auto-extracted files go. I have long resisted
our use of Compactor at work, since I find its user interface to be 
less than ideal (though Compact Pro fixes some things - at least "Add to
Archive" is no longer located under the Edit menu), and we've learned to
love StuffIt Deluxe's Magic Menu (stuff/unstuff from the Finder) and its
easy integration with QuicKeys/QuickMail). But if it can't do what we want,
we're going to switch.

Am I really the only person on the face of the planet who needs the 
combination of auto-extraction and password protection? I think not.

I hope this feature gets added soon...

Robert