A Plea To Developers

[fbass 1]

I've a few things developers are doing (especially repainter) that are causing what I would call unnecessary stress on users. I realize if you don't like something you don't have to download it but I think that are a few things developers could do to help the user. They are:1. Please discontinue the practice of zipping files in multiple stacks of folders. It is getting to the point where the files you really want are sometimes 4 and 5 folders down from the initial unzipped folder. I download most every file for scenery and repaints and I have yet to find where there was a necessity for this practice.2. Please stop using the *.rar format for compressing files. I ran across some of these earlier this week. This format is not often used and it is supposed to be a payware program. Most people do not have this program nor do they use it in any substantial numbers.3. If you must use 32-bit formats for repaints, please remember those users that have migrated to FSX and include the normal DXT3 format. FSX is already a strain on almost all systems and having the increased level of detail offered by 32-bits just adds to the problems. Help us out guys (and gals). I know the repaints look better but......Thanks for all of your support.fb

[DadJokeCinema 145]

Man, I should sticky this. #1 is a big thing with a lot of things I download all over the place.I've personally used winRAR for a long time, so I guess I'm used to it. 7-zip (at http://www.7-zip.org/ ) will unzip the RAR files. It's free and open-source.

[fbass 1]

Brian,Please do sticky this post if you think it is helpful.Thanksfb

[Guest radivil]

I've always been a little surprised rars didnt catch on in the general Flight Sim community. Unless things have changed since I last looked, the same files compressed into a RAR is usually smaller than the same in a ZIP. And the multi-part RARs would seem advantageous for people that complain about large files with some regularity.

[Guest danny68]

RAR zips cost moeny to buy. XP comes with a zipper and can see zipped files. Rar's in cannot see. The small gain for a RAR IMO is a waste of time. I can't even open a RAR fileDan

[Mace 1,902]

Yes I suppose ZIP has become the standard because...well, it's been around for 15-16 years if you go back to PKZIP.ARJ, RAR, etc. have never really caught on. Have any of you even seen ARJ compression anymore?RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian

[DadJokeCinema 145]

>RAR zips cost moeny to buy. XP comes with a zipper and can>see zipped files. Rar's in cannot see. The small gain for a>RAR IMO is a waste of time. I can't even open a RAR file>>DanPlease see my link to 7-zip, a freeware program that can open RAR files.

[maxter 0]

As far as I'm aware WinRAR is freeware...Chris Porter:-outtaPerthWestern AustraliaCheck out my 5th Around the World flight with MS FSX at http://members.iinet.com.au/~portercbp/fly...W_05/index.html

[Guest JimC1702]

Aside from FSX, my second gaming passion is rFactor. Almost all mod and track downloads are in .rar format so I'm very used to them. And yes, WinRAR works very nicely.Jim

[scoob 18]

i also use winRAR with no problems ... and for more than just FS downloads.i even remember a time when winZIP was new, not part of windows ... back then folks didn't like things to be 'zipped'.--

[n4gix 4,947]

>As far as I'm aware WinRAR is freeware...Actually, WinRAR is more properly called "begware," since it periodically asks one to "register," but blowing past the "begware screen" it continues to function perfectly. ;)

[n4gix 4,947]

Note: My previous post was in the process of being edited, but because I spent too much time in research the "editing window" timed out... :-mad Here then is the missing part...As for ZIP compression, any else remember who Phil Katz was... His entire reputation was built on a lie. He pirated the code for pkARC from Thom Henderson's original ARC C source.After Thom Henderson sued Phil and won, Phil simply rewrote pkARC and released it as......pkZIP.Here's to Thom Henderson, the unrecognized "hero" of the tale. :-beerchug There's some important lessons that might be learned from this documentary on the entire debacle... for those who have "ears to hear." ;)http://www.esva.net/~thom/arczip.wmv

[Guest radivil]

>ARJ, RAR, etc. have never really caught on. Have any of you>even seen ARJ compression anymore?I don't remember the last time I saw an ARJ. There's another one out there, ACE, that's supposed to be ridiculous in its compressing but takes forever to actually compress something. The only time I ever encountered it was when I was modding Need for Speed games like seven years ago. There's no free software that will uncompress those and that was the only time I've ever encountered that format.

[Guest danny68]

Yeah, appriciate that Brian, but I don't put on freeware things normally and especially when I've already got a good program that does similar. In other words, I've got XP so I don't download any RAR files as to me there is no point of installing aother program that may clash with something else.I do appreciate thought your efforts to give me a link.Dan

[Qatsimo 7]

And i would like to encourage all freeware devs to use Generic Mod enabler by Jonesoft :-) I came across this very handy application via SH4 fansite. It doesn't handle zips or rar's but when installed in the FSX root folder it installs modifications and at the same time it makes a backup of the default or whatever was installed before.http://www.users.on.net/~jscones/software/products.htmlRegards, Gerrit :-) http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/koyaan/JSGME.jpg