Re: Please help with BinSCII

[CUTblakeney@home.com (Jeff Blakeney)]

On Fri, 23 Jun 2000 00:13:19 -0500, Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>
wrote:

>     Thanks for the info.
>
>     Unfortunately, the format does _require_ that the user know that the
>particular ".exe" file is a Text file and that it should be downloaded via an
>ftp client set to force a Text download-- i.e. the usual "auto" or "binary"
>settings will not produce the hoped for change.

Yes, it requires that people know that .bsq files are text format and
.bxy files are binary.  That's all an Apple II users should need to
know.  However, due to some people not adopting this very simple
system, they also need to know that .bsc files are also text and .shk,
.sdk and .bny files are binary.

So what it comes down to is to transfer all .bsq and .bsc files using
text mode, every other Apple II format should use binary mode.

By the way, the same is true for PC and Mac users.  They need to know
that files like .uue and .hqx are text and files like .zip and .sit
are binary.  There is less chance that auto mode will mess up their
transfers but it can happen so they still need to know the proper way
to transfer files via FTP.

>     Plus, if you download the file via an ftp client running on a PC, the
>change will be to add a CR for each LF. So, the file can not simply be
>transferred via Z-modem and EXECed. And, if it is transferred via a Text
>send, then one side or the other will need to be set to strip off the LF's in
>order to have a ready-to-EXEC file.

Actually, you should be able to simply transfer the file to your Apple
II and exec it regardless of the end of line character as long as you
are using ProTERM to do the transfer.  ProTERM has an option that will
convert end of line characters for you during a ZModem or Kermit
transfer.  In other words, it has both text and binary transfer modes
for those transfer protocols.

However, even if you don't have ProTERM, we've pointed out with the
simple programs we have posted that converting end of line characters
is trivial.  There are a lot of utilities on the Apple II that can do
this.

>     Given the above and that the file will not download correctly via a
>browser on most machines, it is fair to say that the format makes no sense
>for Apple II files on an Apple II ftp site.

You shouldn't be using a browser to download files from an FTP site in
the first place.  You should be using an FTP client.

By the way, if you are using a IIgs, you can download files from web
pages using SIS with the alpha TCP/IP library but it is most likely
prone to the same corruptions that sometimes happen with Netscape.
There is also gwftp to access FTP sites and if you use ASCII mode to
transfer files to your IIgs, it will correctly change the end of line
characters for you.

>     The correct format for an Apple II Text file intended for use on an
>Apple II is to use just a single CR as a line ender. On most machines, a file
>named with the .exe suffix will download with no hassle and no corruption via
>a browser or ftp client. And, it will transfer fine via Z-modem, arrive with
>the usual default Text filetype, and be ready to EXEC.

The correct format for an Apple II text file on an Apple II is to have
CR as the end of line marker.  On a PC, the correct end of line marker
is CR/LF.  On a unix machine it is LF.  If you upload an Apple II text
file in binary mode to an FTP site, then PC and unix users will not be
able to view the file correctly to see what it is.  They would have to
download the file and convert the end of line characters themselves if
they wanted to read that file without it looking like one long line.

That is why ASCII mode exists.  So that the end of line characters can
be converted during the transfer and anyone can view text files
correctly regardless of what machine they were created on or is being
used to view them.

By the way, .exe is a PC filename extension.  Apple II executable text
files really should have a .exec extension if you are going to use an
extension.  Otherwise, you will start confusing people just like some
web sites do by using the MacBinary extension on their Apple II files.

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