🚀 go-pugleaf

About six weeks ago I started a mini-flamewar with a posting
about how the StuffIt Deluxe 1.0 installer ate my hard disk.
In the course of the "Installer from Hell" thread I took pains
to point out that Aladdin customer service was quite helpful;
several others mentioned some of Deluxe features such as scripting,
virus checking, and "hooks" for applications like Microphone, 
White Knight, HyperCard, QuickKeys, and the Finder. 

Someone also posted a performance comparison pitting Compactor 1.2.1 
vs. StuffIt Deluxe 1.0.1.  Both applications have recently been 
upgraded; the performance of Compact Pro and StuffIt Deluxe 2.0.1 
are compared below.

Experimental:  

Test Documents:  HyperCard 1.2.5 application, 384 K
                 Microsoft Word 4.0 file (normal save), 127 K
                 Microsoft Excel 2.2a file, 117 K

These documents were placed in a new folder named "Test Folder"
of an internal SCSI HD.  All archives were created on an internal 
SCSI drive.  All files were extracted to an empty high density floppy.

Hardware:  SE/30, 5 meg ram, 40 meg internal SCSI drive 
           (4 meg free on recently defragmented HD), FDHD floppy drive
System:    System 6.0.5, Finder 6.1.5, Multifinder 6.1b9

Both programs offer options that affect archiving performance.
StuffIt Deluxe was run in its "Background Tasks Enabled" mode
as Compact Pro is a fully Multifinder-friendly application.
Extraction of net.standard StuffIt 1.5.1 archives was done
for each of StuffIt's performance-affecting options.

Results:

StuffIt Deluxe 2.0.1 -- background tasks enabled, check known viri

               Create  Extract  HC1.2.5  MSWDdoc  XL22doc  overall
               time, (seconds)     efficiency, (percent saved)
               ------  -------  -------  -------  -------  -------
Faster            16      67      15        37       29      22
Fast (1.5.1)      40     439      29        67       58      42
Optimal          100     451      31        73       63      46
Best Guess       197     458      44        76       65      54
Better           280     458      44        76       65      54

Compact Pro 1.30

standard          69      55      45        78       68      56
new option        93      55      45        78       68      56

standard   == (archive not validated after saving -- as in 1.21)
new option == (validate archive after saving -- optional in 1.30)
		
Time (seconds) to extract StuffIt 1.5.1 archive -- various options
------------------------------------------------------------------
 439 -- background tasks enabled, check known viri and anomalies
 439 -- background tasks enabled, check for known viri	
 428 -- background tasks enabled, no virus checking
 303 -- background not enabled, check known viri and anomalies
 303 -- background not enabled, check for known viri
 292 -- background not enabled, no virus checking
  51 -- extract StuffIt 1.5.1 archive with Compact Pro 1.30

Discussion:

Compact Pro 1.30 was found to be more efficient than 
StuffIt Deluxe 2.0.1 for all files types and compression options 
investigated.  Compact Pro extracted it's own archives faster
than Deluxe unStuffed any of the archives it created.  Compact Pro
also extracted net.standard StuffIt 1.5.1 archives dramatically
faster than did StuffIt Deluxe for any of it's extraction options.

Comparing results for the various compression and extraction options
offered by StuffIt Deluxe, it is apparent that virus checking
contributes little (less than 5%) to total de-archiving time; 
the "Background Tasks Enabled" option, on the other hand, 
leads to a 50% increase in de-archiving time.  

-- Bill (johnston@oscar.ccm.udel.edu)
-- 38 Chambers St.; Newark, DE 19711; (302)368-1949

Disclaimer -- I have no connection with Aladdin or Bill Goodman
other than as a registered StuffIt Deluxe user.  < grrr ... >