From: MacFAQ@aol.com

From: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 19:29:03 -0500
To: [email protected]
Subject: AOL Usenet Downlading FAQ

This FAQ answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about
downloading uuencoded and binhexed files from Usenet newsgroups
using the America Online software.

Not affiliated with or sponsored by America Online,

Leslie Jones

----cut here---

America Online Usenet Downloading FAQ

by Leslie Jones
[email protected]

March 12, 1995

For use in a word processor, display in 9 point Monaco
or 10 point Courier with rulers set to 6 inches.

-----------------
Table of Contents
-----------------

General

Purpose
Posting frequency and availability
America Online FAQ for Macintosh
America Online FAQ for non-Members
Contacting the author
Copyright Notice and Restrictions

General Binaries Information

Finding binaries newsgroups
Etiquette on binaries newsgroups
Why are files binhexed or uuencoded?
Recognizing BinHex and uuencoded files

Instructions

General Instructions
Macintosh debinhexing instructions
Macintosh uudecoding instructions
Windows uudecoding instructions

File conversion software

How do I open GIF and JPEG pictures?
How do I open MPEG movies?
How do I open GL Movies?
How do I open MOD sounds?
How do I open WAV sounds?
How do I decompress .zip files?
How do I decompress .arc files?
How do I decompress .sit files?
How do I decompress .gz and .z files?
How do I decompress .Z files?

-------
General
-------

-------
Purpose
-------

This FAQ answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about
downloading uuencoded and binhexed files from Usenet newsgroups
using the America Online software.

----------------------------------
Posting frequency and availability
----------------------------------

The FAQ is posted monthly to aol.newsgroups.help.binaries. By
default, this local newsgroup is part of every AOL members'
newsgroups list. Feel free to (politely, if possible) refer AOL
members to that newsgroup and to the AOL Usenet Downloading FAQ for
help.

The FAQ is also posted monthly to the following binaries discussion
groups:

alt.binaries.multimedia.d
alt.binaries.pictures.d
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.d
alt.binaries.pictures.utilities
alt.binaries.sounds.d
comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d

The FAQ will soon be available on news.answers, alt.answers,
comp.answers, and via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu.

The FAQ is currently available via FTP from usit.net in the
directory pub/lesjones . To find the FAQ on AOL, use keyword "file
search" and search for "usenet downloading faq".

--------------------------------
America Online FAQ for Macintosh
--------------------------------

The AOL FAQ for Macintosh is a comprehensive, 200-page guide to AOL
which many people prefer to the Official America Online Tour Guide.
The FAQ is a standalone DOCMaker application with rich text, color
graphics, and a hypertext table of contents. It covers all of AOL's
services, including the Internet services.

Because it's a large binary, the AOL FAQ for Macintosh is not
available via Usenet. To find it on AOL, use keyword "file search"
and search for "aol faq". The FAQ is also available via FTP from
usit.net in the directory pub/lesjones (URL:
ftp://usit.net/pub/lesjones/ ). The latest versions of this and
other FAQs are also stored there.

I'm a Mac person at heart, but I'm trying to get up to speed with
Windows. It's still too early to predict a release date for the
Windows version.

----------------------------------
America Online FAQ for non-Members
----------------------------------

The AOL FAQ for non-Members answers questions often asked by
non-AOL members. It is posted monthly to
alt.online-service.america-online, comp.sys.mac.comm, and
comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm. The FAQ will soon be available on
news.answers, alt.answers, comp.answers, and via FTP from
rtfm.mit.edu.

The non-Members FAQ is also available via FTP from usit.net in the
directory pub/lesjones .

---------------------
Contacting the author
---------------------

Due to limitations of AOL's newsreader, I post the FAQ from my
address at U.S. Internet, but my preferred address is
[email protected]. Please use that address for corrections and
suggestions.

---------------------------------
Copyright Notice and Restrictions
---------------------------------

This publication is copyright 1995 by Leslie Jones of Softwords.
All rights reserved. Not affiliated with America Online, Inc.

Unmodified copies of this publication may be distributed
electronically, and may be uploaded to nonprofit BBSes, to FTP
sites that allow anonymous login, and to commercial online services
that charge no more than a normal connect fee for downloading
files.

Distribution on physical media, including but not limited to paper,
floppy disk, and CD-ROM, is prohibited without written permission
from the author, Leslie Jones. This restriction does not prohibit
individuals from making single copies for friends or for personal
use, and is not intended to discourage electronic dissemination.

Permission is granted to nonprofit user groups to distribute
unmodified copies of this publication with their shareware
collections. Permission is also granted to the moderators and
archivists of the sumex-aim archives at Stanford University to
include unmodified copies of this publication on the Info-Mac
CD-ROM.

Every attempt has been made to provide accurate information, but
Leslie Jones, Softwords, America Online, and the contributors
accept no responsibility for actions resulting from the use of this
information. The person using this information assumes all
liability, including but not limited to damage to equipment, lost
data, lost work time, repair costs, long distance charges, and
charges incurred on America Online. THE INFORMATION IN THIS
PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

----------------------------
General Binaries Information
----------------------------

---------------------------
Finding binaries newsgroups
---------------------------

To find newsgroups which carry binaries, use keyword "newsgroups",
click Search All Newsgroups, and search for "binaries". I found 65
groups this way. To subscribe to adult newsgroups, use keyword
"newsgroups", click Expert Add, and type in the exact name of the
newsgroup.

--------------------------------
Etiquette on binaries newsgroups
--------------------------------

****Don't post "me too" messages - Inevitably, someone says they've
got a list of "interesting" FTP sites, so someone posts a message
that they would like a copy. Then 100 eager newbies say "me too."
Don't embarrass yourself by posting a "me too" message. If you
think the person has a list of FTP sites, ask for it by email.

****Don't use binaries groups for discussions - Discussion should
take place in discussion groups. For example, alt.binaries.pictures
is for binary files. alt.binaries.pictures.d is for discussion of
those binary files.

****Don't ask for help with the AOL software on binaries
newsgroups. People on Netcom and Delphi have no idea how the AOL
software works. Instead, post a message to
aol.help.newsgroups.binaries.

------------------------------------
Why are files binhexed or uuencoded?
------------------------------------

It didn't take long for someone to figure out a way to distribute
software via Usenet. The only challenge is that all software
programs and most data files are 8 bit binaries. Usenet only
carries 7 bit text. There are a number of solutions to this
problem, but the two most popular are BinHex and uuencoding.

BinHex and uuencoding do basically the same thing. Both convert
8-bit binary files into 7-bit text files. The main difference is
that BinHex is Mac-savvy, and can preserve the two part structure
(resource fork and data fork) of Macintosh programs (applications,
DAs, control panels, etc.). BinHex is used to convert Mac-specific
programs. uuencode is used to convert files that aren't Mac
specific, such as GIF and JPEG pictures.

--------------------------------------
Recognizing BinHex and uuencoded files
--------------------------------------

You can recognize uuencoded files because the first message begins
with the line "begin 644" (or some other three-digit number), and
other lines begin with a capital M. To uudecode files on a
Macintosh, use UULite. To uudecode files on a Windows machine, use
WinCode.

You can recognize binhexed files because the first message begins
with the line "(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)". To
decode BinHex files, use StuffIt Lite or StuffIt Expander. There is
a program called BinHex 4.0, but it has some bugs that should
discourage you from using it. BinHex 5.0 is a different program,
not an updated version of 4.0. I find that BinHex and Compact Pro
generally do not work well with binaries downloaded from AOL, so I
always use StuffIt products.

The files are generally split into separate messages to accommodate
the size limits of some newsreaders. When you open the newsgroup,
you'll typically see messages like "Jupiter GIF Part 0/3", "Jupiter
GIF Part 1/3", etc. Part 0, if present, is usually a file
description, not part of the file itself. The file description
often contains useful information about the file's format and
contents.

------------
Instructions
------------

--------------------
General Instructions
--------------------

1. Open the first message (part 1 of the file). You'll see a
dialog box that says "Article exceeds the capacity of this window
or contains uuencoded data. Displaying the first 1k. Download this
article?" Click OK to download the message. Windows users should
download the message to WinCode's Files directory.
2. If the file is spread across several messages, open the next
message, click OK, and download that message. Repeat until you have
downloaded all parts of the file.
3. Sign off of AOL.
4. For BinHex files, use the debinhexing instructions below. For
uuencoded files, use the uudecoding instructions below.

----------------------------------
Macintosh debinhexing instructions
----------------------------------

1. If the file consists of one message, go to step 3. Otherwise,
launch BBEdit Lite, shareware by Rich Siegel
([email protected]).
2. Choose Concatenate Files from BBEdit's Extensions menu. In the
dialog box, add all of the messages that belong to that file to the
window on the right. Then click Done. Finally, save the merged
file.
3. Use StuffIt Expander or StuffIt Lite to debinhex the merged
file. Some other programs, such as BinHex 4.0 and Compact Pro,
don't work as well.

---------------------------------
Macintosh uudecoding instructions
---------------------------------

1. Launch UULite, shareware by Jeff Strobel
([email protected]).
2. If the file consists of one message, choose Decode - Smart from
UULite's File menu, and select the file. UULite will uudecode the
file.
3. If the file consists of several messages, choose File Merge
from UULite's File menu. In the dialog box, add all of the messages
that belong to that file to the window on the right. Then click
Done. UULite will merge the files, then uudecode the merged file.
If you get "end of file" messages when using GIFConverter to open
GIFs and JPEGs, use GraphicConverter instead.

-------------------------------
Windows uudecoding instructions
-------------------------------

1. Launch WinCode, shareware by George Silva
([email protected]).
2. Choose Decode from the File menu.
3. If the file consists a single message, select it and click the
OK button. If the file consists of several messages, hold down the
shift key and select all of the messages. Then click OK. If WinCode
reports that it can't find the next file, click the ? button and
manually select the next file.
4. You can find the decoded file in WinCode's decode directory.

-------------------------
File conversion software
-------------------------

Because of my limited experience with Windows, there are probably
some errors in this section. If you find any mistakes, please
notify me so I can make corrections.

For a more complete discussion of file formats, see the
alt.binaries.pictures FAQ by Him Howard ([email protected]), posted
to alt.binaries.pictures and available via FTP at rtfm.mit.edu in
the directory pub/usenet/ .

All of the programs mentioned in this section are shareware or
freeware, and are available on AOL. Use keyword "file search" to
search for the files by name.

------------------------------------
How do I open GIF and JPEG pictures?
------------------------------------

You'll need some kind of image viewing application. For Macintosh,
use GraphicConverter, JPEGview, or GIFConverter. If you get "end of
file" messages when using GIFConverter to open GIFs and JPEGs, use
GraphicConverter instead.

Note for Macintosh users: doubleclicking the picture file may not
work. You may need to launch the viewer, then choose Open from its
File menu to open the file. You can also use drag and drop file
opening, if you're familiar with that.

For Windows, use PrintVue or Paint Shop Pro. For DOS, use
CompuShow.

--------------------------
How do I open MPEG movies?
--------------------------

Macintosh: Sparkle
Windows: VTMotion, MPEGXing

------------------------
How do I open GL Movies?
------------------------

Macintosh: GLViewer
DOS: GRASPRT

-------------------------
How do I open MOD sounds?
-------------------------

Macintosh: SoundTracker, Sound-Trecker, Player Pro
Windows: MOD4WIN, ULTIMOD
DOS: SOX, Music Master, WAVVIEW

-------------------------
How do I open WAV sounds?
-------------------------

Macintosh: SoundBuilder, Brian's Sound Tool
Windows: WAVMSTR, WAVTEST
DOS: SOX, many others

-------------------------------
How do I decompress .zip files?
-------------------------------

Macintosh: ZipIt, StuffIt Expander with DropStuff w/Expander
Enhancer
Windows: WinZip, many others
DOS: PKZip, many others

----------------------------
How do I decompress .arc files?
----------------------------

Macintosh: StuffIt Expander with DropStuff w/Expander Enhancer,
ArcMac
Windows: WinZip

-------------------------------
How do I decompress .sit files?
-------------------------------

Macintosh: StuffIt Lite, StuffIt Expander, AOL 2.1+
DOS: unsitins.exe

------------------------------
How do I decompress .gz and .z files?
------------------------------

Macintosh: StuffIt Expander with DropStuff w/Expander Enhancer
Windows: WinZip, GZIP

-----------------------------
How do I decompress .Z files?
-----------------------------

Macintosh: StuffIt Expander with DropStuff w/Expander Enhancer,
MacCompress
Windows: Compress, WinZip GZIP