🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3250@juniper.uucp>, wizard@juniper.uucp (John Onorato) writes:

> I, too, have had problems with binhex (tho it might not be binhex that is
> the problem... :-).  I have captured a few files from the comp.binaries.mac
> newsgroup.  Red Ryder, when I capture the text, puts it in a plain vanilla
> text editor for me.  Then I open the file with Red Writer and take out 
> the -- MORE n% --s.  Finally, I run binhex on the final file, and I always
> get a CRC error!  What am I doing wrong?  Has anyone had (more) success?

uh, were do I start - you are doing things about as inefficiently and
unreliably as one can think of.....  but we all started this way, I suspect.

Maybe someone can dig out an old article which gives a tutorial about things... 

or write a new one (to be updated and reposted at regular intervals in the
future) ...

here is the quick, short and dirty ... (but, hopefully, correct)

1) DO NOT capture the text - download your files with a protocol that
	does error detection;  NEVER-EVER capture text when you cannot
	afford line-noise corrupting it.  Red Ryder has error-detecting
	modes - plus it can do the download in the background.  If you do
	not have the RR-documentation and can't figure it out, use
	something like Kermit, which is in the Public Domain ...
	the same is true for most other commercial communication programs
	such as VersaTerm, MicroPhone, MacTerminal, etc ...
	NOTE: you have to use a program like XMODEM, MACPUT, KERMIT, ...
	on your USEnet host for downloading (KERMIT 0.90 was distributed
	in comp.binaries.mac recently;  it's high time the other programs
	get passed around again, I suspect).

2) there are a variety of scripts and utilities available  which make
	combining, cleaning and downloading a snap:  let me just name a few
	"buzzwords" naming items you want to get your hands on and learn
	how to use:  comb-hex, clean-news, xbin, unpit, macbin, macbin2,
	.... quite a few more, mostly C-programs and UNIX-shell-scripts ...
	(yes, it's time those get posted again also ...  or, maybe, we can
	 get some regional archive-servers going (also) ... )

3) I don't recall for sure, but I seem to remember that RR and/or RedWriter 
	do something funny to the End-of-Line character and BinHex4 might
	not like that .... besides, BinHex also doesn't like garbage at the
	beginning of the file (just in case you forgot to remove the headers).
	StuffIt-1.40 doesn't care about those - another reason to use that
	program ... 

Maybe someone remembers a magazine article or Users-Group newsletter to which
we can point folks (or even upload) to help neophytes get going ...?!
(I can't recall any such item in the archives on SUMEX or SIMTEL20; I
certainly don't have one on RASCAL and don't recall any in the other
local archives on SALLY or IX1 ... can anyone help get some old newsletters
from user-groups  like BCS, BMUG, etc.. uploaded?  I'll get them archived
online once and for all.... if we get a number of tutorials uploaded, we
can even get a new sub-directory going on SIMTEL20, dedicated to the topic)

BTW, I don't see anyone fighting for the task of moderator, or even voice
any thoughts on the topic.... scary amount of work, isn't it?  Well, I sure
hope you-all don't forget to write thank-you notes to Roger - and don't
forget to congratulate him to the new Mr. Long!!!  I saw one (or was it two)
articles posted, expressing thanks to Roger - I hope, that means we all
are doing the *RIGHT* and Roger's mailbox is flooded with signs of apprecia-
tion for his years of work....

The reason why I feel like I need to mention this is because just today I
got a note from a net-friend in Australia who has shared with us a number
of his programming efforts (he even had to pay for transmission cost himself
from 'Down-Under' across the Pacific) - accompanied only by a request of an
occasional postcard to let him know that there are some happy users out
there (no SHAREware-$s, no hint that a few bucks would be welcome to offset
the cost of bringing it to us; no mention of being a poor student...) ... 
...the note was letting me know that he received "another" postcard from
Holland, this time, and that he was wondering why it seems that it is mainly
(only?) Europeans he hears from ... 

When I think about it, I no longer wonder why there is so little PD or
Shareware any more and why so many oldtimers are getting burnt out by
the bad vibes and intolerance that seems to be more rampant than ever...

I sure hope that at the "Netters-Meet" in Boston which Hammen from Wisconsin
advertised here today, someone raises the glass to toast some of the
people we have reason to show appreciation to:  and if I get there, I hope
to bring some postcards along which I'll ask everyone to sign to send to
those that couldn't make it in person;  heck one just might get the energy
for another year of contributing and some good-vibes to tell the grand-
children "about the barnstorming days of computer networks" ...

but I am getting side-tracked, as I usually do at this hour ...

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