AOL Binaries FAQ Part 1/2
From: lesjones@usit.net (Les Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.d,alt.binaries.multimedia.d,alt.binaries.pictures.erotica,alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.d,alt.binaries.pictures.utilities,alt.binaries.sounds.d,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: AOL Binaries FAQ Part 1/2
Followup-To: alt.binaries.pictures.d
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 1995 10:21:45 -0400
Organization: Softwords
Message-ID: <lesjones-2407951021450001@lesjones.ppp.usit.net>
Reply-To: macfaq@aol.com
Keywords: AOL Binaries FAQ
Archive-name: AOL/binaries/part1
Posting-Frequency: every other Friday
America Online Binaries FAQ
by Leslie Jones
macfaq@aol.com
July 21, 1995
For use in a word processor, display in 9 point Monaco
or 10 point Courier with rulers set to 6 inches.
UPDATES
For some reason, WinCode has disappeared from AOL's file libraries.
You can easily find it on the World Wide Web at
http://www.town.hall.org/Harvest/brokers/pcindex/query.html. Once you
reach that page, enter "wincode" in the Query field and click the
Submit button.
The AOL Compliant settings in UULite (Macintosh) are incorrect. I've
included instructions in section 4 for setting UULite properly when
uploading files. UULite author Jeff Strobel is aware of the problem,
and is preparing an update.
-------
Purpose
-------
This FAQ answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about uploading
and downloading uuencoded and binhexed files from Usenet newsgroups
using the America Online software for Macintosh and Windows. It also
lists utilities for decompressing and viewing files after decoding
them.
Please read this file before posting any questions. Most of the
AOL-related questions posted to the binaries groups can be answered
by reading this FAQ.
----------------------------------
Posting frequency and availability
----------------------------------
The FAQ is posted every other Friday to the following global Usenet
newsgroups:
alt.answers
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
news.answers
The FAQ is also posted to the local AOL group
aol.newsgroups.help.binaries.
The FAQ is available via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu, and from usit.net in
the directory pub/lesjones .
-----------------
Table of Contents
-----------------
1.00 General Binaries Information
1.01 Finding binaries newsgroups
1.02 Etiquette on binaries newsgroups
1.03 Why are files binhexed or uuencoded?
1.04 How do I recognize BinHex and uuencoded files?
1.05 What about Combiner, UUPrepare, etc?
2.00 Quick Instructions
2.01 File Grabber
2.02 File Grabber Instructions
2.03 "This feature is blocked"
3.00 Complete Downloading Instructions
3.01 Downloading the messages
3.02 uudecoding (Macintosh)
3.03 uudecoding (Windows)
3.04 debinhexing (Macintosh)
3.05 Where can I get WinCode, UULite, etc?
4.00 Uploading Instructions
4.01 Should I compress the file first?
4.02 What should I use for a subject line?
4.03 What's a good newsgroup to practice uploading?
4.04 Why uploads often fail
4.05 uuencoding and splitting instructions (Macintosh)
4.06 uuencoding and splitting instructions (Windows)
4.07 Exact posting instructions (Mac and Windows)
5.00 File conversion software
5.01 Where can I find these programs?
5.02 How do I open uuencoded and binhexed files?
5.03 How do I open GIF and JPEG pictures?
5.04 How do I open MPEG movies?
5.05 How do I open GL Movies?
5.06 How do I open AVI movies?
5.07 How do I open Macintosh system beeps (.snds)?
5.08 How do I open MOD sounds?
5.09 How do I open WAV sounds?
5.10 How do I decompress .zip files?
5.11 How do I decompress .arc files?
5.12 How do I decompress .sit files?
5.13 How do I decompress .gz and .z files?
5.14 How do I decompress .Z files?
6.00 Other AOL FAQs
6.01 Where to find them
6.02 AOL FAQ for Macintosh
6.03 AOL FAQ for Non-Members
6.04 AOL Usenet Newsgroups FAQ
6.05 Contacting the author
6.06 Copyright Notice and Restrictions
----------------------------------
1.00 General Binaries Information
----------------------------------
---------------------------------
1.01 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.
--------------------------------------
1.02 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 AOL's software****
People on Netcom and Delphi have no idea how the AOL software works.
Instead, post a message to aol.newsgroups.help.binaries.
------------------------------------------
1.03 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.
----------------------------------------------------
1.04 How do I recognize 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.
Simplified example of a uuencoded file:
begin 644 Parrots JPEG
M_]C_X``02D9)1@`!`@(``0`!``#_X`P"2D986``0_]C__@`,07!P;&5-87)K
M#?_;`(0``P("`@("`P("`@,#`P,$!@0$!`0$!P4&!08)"`D)"`@("`D*#0L)
J9L1*^ZXN'WS38:1O4^P[#L*KW[![X+P0@Y_#K7S>)IRAB&I';0:6B/_9
`
end
You can recognize binhexed files because the first message begins
with the line "(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)". The
next line begins with a colon, and the last line ends with a colon.
To decode BinHex files, use StuffIt Lite or StuffIt Expander. There
is a program called BinHex 4.0, but it has some bugs that should
discourage you from using it. BinHex 5.0 is a different program, not
an updated version of 4.0. I find that BinHex and Compact Pro
generally do not work well with binaries downloaded from AOL, so I
always use StuffIt products.
Simplified example of a binhexed file:
(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:$&"KFR*[G(-J5P"&4`"+8%9(4d0[EJ#3"(@@!*!%'I(rf2rJ!""+4NP'!!%#!J!
+Y9XHXU-jT@fkR3AYpjaD!%PjrRFp-*f(iNIN+`p@3L5)Cjfp-HTrr99Qa%VlVLi
II00KT'p6l$X1`U[IX([J["#$Rm1YI0iQR+')DNGY"TD)rpQkM3!!:
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 this:
Jupiter GIF Part 0/3
Jupiter GIF Part 1/3
Jupiter GIF Part 2/3
Jupiter GIF Part 3/3
Part 0, if present, is a file description, not part of the file
itself. The file description often contains useful information about
the file's format and contents.
------------------------------------------
1.05 What about Combiner, UUPrepare, etc?
------------------------------------------
These are all obsolete utilities. They were used prior to newsgroups
version 1.1 to fix some problems the AOL newsreader had with
binaries. You do not need them now, and you should not use them.
-----------------------
2.00 Quick Instructions
-----------------------
------------------
2.01 File Grabber
------------------
AOL has started using a new technology called File Grabber. File
Grabber automatically downloads, joins, and decodes uuencoded files
in binaries newsgroups. File Grabber is not a program you have to
download. It's software that runs on AOL's computers.
In most cases, File Grabber will take care of the binary decoding
process for you. If so, this section is all you need to read. If File
Grabber doesn't work do the job, you'll need to read the rest of the
FAQ.
-------------------------------
2.02 File Grabber Instructions
-------------------------------
1. When you open a message containing uuencoded data, you'll see a
dialog box with three options: Download File, Download Article, and
Cancel. Choose Download File.
2. AOL will prompt you to select a destination for the file on your
hard drive. Select a destination and click Save.
3. AOL will download the file and uudecode it. If the file is a
picture in GIF or JPEG format, recent versions of AOL will display
the picture during the download.
------------------------------
2.03 "This feature is blocked"
-------------------------------
If you're not using the master screen name on your account, you may
see a dialog box stating that "This feature is blocked. The master
account must edit Newsgroup Parental Controls for this" when you
click the Download File button.
To turn on File Grabber, you'll need to sign on to AOL using the
master screen name. The master screen name is the one that was
created when you first signed on to AOL. When you launch the AOL
software, the master screen name appears at the top of the Screen
Names popup menu.
Instructions
1. Once you've signed on with the master screen name, use keyword
"newsgroups".
2. Click the Parental Controls button. NOTE: this is not the same as
the options at keyword "parental controls".
3. Choose the screen name whose privileges you want to edit, and
click the Edit button.
4. Turn off the option for Block File Transfers.
5. Click OK. You can now use File Grabber from the screen name you
edited.
---------------------------------------
3.00 Long Downloading Instructions
---------------------------------------
If for some reason you can't use File Grabber, you'll have to do
download and decode the messages the hard way.
------------------------------
3.01 Downloading the messages
------------------------------
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.
Displaying the first 1k. Download this article?" Click OK to download
the message. When asked where you want to save it, save it to a place
you will *remember*.
If you don't see that dialog box, that means the message was small
enough to fit in an AOL window. If the More button is black, click
it. When all of the message has been transferred, choose Save from
the File menu.
NOTE: if the window contains uuencoded data, you'll get the File
Grabber dialog box discussed in section 1 of the FAQ. The File
Grabber dialog offers three choices: Download File, Download Article,
and Cancel. Try Download File first. If that doesn't work, use the
Download Article button, and continue with these instructions.
2. If the file is spread across several messages, open part 2, click
OK, and download that message. Repeat until you have downloaded all
parts of the file.
3. Sign off of AOL. (This step is optional, but it will save you
money.)
4. For BinHex files, use the debinhexing instructions below. For
uuencoded files, use the uudecoding instructions below.
----------------------------
3.02 uudecoding (Macintosh)
----------------------------
1. Launch UULite, shareware by Jeff Strobel
(jstrobel@std.world.com).
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.
--------------------------
3.03 uudecoding (Windows)
--------------------------
1. Launch WinCode, shareware by George Silva
(george.silva@wadsworth.org).
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.
-----------------------------
3.04 debinhexing (Macintosh)
-----------------------------
1. If the file consists of one message, go to step 3. Otherwise,
launch BBEdit Lite, shareware by Rich Siegel (bbedit@world.std.com).
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.
Note: on a few occasions, I had trouble de-binhexing multi-part
files. On those occasions, I was able to fix the problem by opening
the merged text file in a word processor and deleting the message
headers. The message headers are the From:, To:, Path:, etc. lines.
You can easily locate headers by using your word processor's find
command to search for "from".
-------------------------------------------
3.05 Where can I get WinCode, UULite, etc?
-------------------------------------------
These utilites and many others are available on America Online. Use
keyword "file search" and search for the programs by name.
NOTE: For some reason, WinCode has disappeared from AOL's file
libraries. You can easily find it on the World Wide Web at
http://www.town.hall.org/Harvest/brokers/pcindex/query.html. Once you
reach that page, enter "wincode" in the Query field and click the
Submit button.
-- | macfaq@aol.com | AOL, Good Times and ZTerm FAQs |
Les Jones | lesjones@usit.net | ftp://usit.net/pub/lesjones/ |
\\\ Okra-Kola: East Tennessee's favorite okra-flavored soda ///
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