Re: .SHK files

[roblef@pacbell.net (rob)]

Fantastic overview, Rubywand, thank you.

I'm off to play with ftp. Thanks to all the other posters who said
similar things!

Rob


Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote:


> 
>      Tim's idea of using an ftp program should work so long as the site
> permits ftp access. (All of the major public Apple II software archives
> permit ftp access; but, quite a few good smaller sites must be accessed
> via http:// .)
> 
>      On your ftp program, set mode to "binary" for uploads and downloads.
> You can get a good check on a download by comparing the exact length in
> bytes of the downloaded file and the file as maintained on the ftp site.
> The lengths should be the same.
> 
>      By the way, if a downloaded IIgs .shk file looks okay-- i.e. lengths
> match-- and GS-ShrinkIt will not unshrink the file correctly, try using
> Balloon. If the downloaded file is a shrinked disk file (usually an .sdk
> file), it may need to be unshrinked using 8-bit ShrinkIt v3.24.
> GS-ShrinkIt will not unshrink shrinked DOS 3.3 disk files created by 8-bit
> ShrinkIt.
> 
> 
> 
>      Regarding downloads using a browser (e.g. Netscape or IE4), a lot
> depends upon your connection to the site. It may be easier to get to some
> sites via http:// ; but, you are likely to find that many Apple II binary
> files (with extensions like ".shk" and ".dsk") are treated like text. This
> appears to depend upon the site server and what it tells your browser
> about the file.
> 
>      Practically all sites which make an http connection seem to recognize
> that .bin, .zip, .gif, and other standard PC binary types are, in fact,
> binary. You should be able to get good downloads of such files when
> connecting via an http:// URL with a browser.
> 
>      If, using a browser, you make an ftp connection (e.g. ftp:// ...), it
> should not be difficult to get a good download of any file. If you know
> that a certain binary file (say Narf.dsk) is x bytes in length and it
> downloads as a larger 'corrupted' file, the problem may be with your
> browser's understanding of the filename extension. For example, it may not
> know what a ".dsk" file is and, so, default to treating it like text-- I
> do not know which browsers default to text mode-- or; somehow, the ".dsk"
> (or whatever) extension may be incorrectly typed.
> 
>      The usual cure is to add a filetype definition. For example, under
> Windows95, you can add ".dsk" and set up a non-text Mime type. Or, while
> running Netscape, you can go to Edit-->Preferences and find the place
> where Helper Applications for various kinds of files are established and
> set up the definition there. (You will, probably, need to tell Netscape
> some application to use even if you never plan to have the application
> mess with the file.)
> 
>      Geoff Weiss has a page which talks about making web browsers aware of
> Apple II file types at http://www.gwlink.net/geoff/IIdownload.html .
> (Again, this 'cure' is for ftp connections.)
> 
>      To read more about .shk, .dsk, etc. files plus Uploading &
> Downloading see the newsgroup FAQs Csa2T2TCOM file:
> 
> 
> FAQs Sites
> 
> Pure Text for downloading or Viewing via an FTP program ...
> ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
>  
> Text formatted for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
> ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
> http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
> 
> HTML web site versions of the FAQs
> http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html
> http://members.xoom.com/apple_II/faqs.html
> 
> 
> For example, see http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2T2TCOM.html .
> 
> 
> 
> Rubywand