[Doc-SIG] Re: [Python-Dev] Documentation packages

[Tom Emerson]

Dethe Elza writes:
[...]
> I've never known a *nix box to have trouble with *.zip or known a unix 
> user who had trouble with *.zip.  So I'd suggest keeping the various 
> flavors of documentation, but standardize on zip compression.  That 
> will at least remove one variable.

What Unix boxen do you use? I often run into Solaris, IRIX, and HP-UX
boxen that lack unzip.

> I agree that the main point of all of this is to reduce confusion for 
> the newbie coming to the site to download it.  But 90% of those are 
> going to be windows users, and the rest of us have gotten used to 
> living in a windows-dominated world.  Using bz2 may get you better 
> compression and save bandwidth, but it wasn't standard the last time I 
> installed RedHat or Debian.  Zip has it's faults, but everybody is 
> familiar with it.

I wouldn't switch to bz2. Even tgz can be confusing. Having .zip files
for Windows users and .tar.gz files for Unix users is a happy medium
that should work most everywhere. Of course for maximum Unix
portability I suppose you could use .tar.Z ;-)

    -tree

-- 
Tom Emerson                                          Basis Technology Corp.
Software Architect                                 http://www.basistech.com
  "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity: lick it once and you suck forever"