FreeArc 0.40 beta - linux version

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 27th September 2007, 13:12

i've successfully ported my current beta of fa to linux. if someone is interested - i will upload a package for experiments. it's still very basic and doesn't support any os-specific features, in particular:
- GetThreadTimes, SetConsoleTitle, GetPhysicalMemory, GetProcessorsCount, ExpandProgname
- filelist/screen/filenames... encoding, >4gb files support
- symlinks, file owner/group/permissions, ^Break and other OS signals, SFX
- packaging/installation/man files

**John** · 27th September 2007, 23:51

GreaT! im' linux fan too thanks! im' interested to test this in tux

**Hahobas** · 29th September 2007, 17:33

I'm glad you think of us linux folks, I always have to run other command line compressors through wine.

**Surfer** · 30th September 2007, 18:36

Bulat, you will release one version per year ?

)

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 1st October 2007, 04:04

http://www.haskell.org/bz/FreeArc-0.40-beta-linux- i386.tar.bz2

don't use it for real work!

i've also cleaned up english translation of 0.36 docs: http://www.haskell.org/bz/FreeArc-eng.htm

**IsName** · 1st October 2007, 12:11

When non-beta version will be released? Next year

?

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 1st October 2007, 13:02

next millenium

**Vacon** · 2nd October 2007, 01:03

Hello everyone,

@Bulat:

Originally Posted by Bulat Ziganshin

ive also cleaned up english translation of 0.36 docs: http://www.haskell.org/bz/FreeArc-eng.htm

Sorry, but something went wrong then...
every second sign is a "?"

Could you please have a look?

Best regards!

**Black_Fox** · 2nd October 2007, 11:05

I get exactly the same behavior in Firefox 2.0.0.7, IE7 shows everything well, though.

I strongly believe it's some side effect of using unicode... When I saved the page via Firefox and opened it again from disk, there was no problem... It seems that there is a unicode character before <html> tag, which does all the chaos... displays as "??"

**LovePimple** · 2nd October 2007, 21:10

It displays perfectly under IE6.

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 2nd October 2007, 23:06

i've overseen use of utf-16 encoding. it is fixed now

**Vacon** · 3rd October 2007, 10:14

Hello everyone,

Originally Posted by Bulat Ziganshin

it is fixed now

Thank you! Muuuuuch better.

Best regards!

**Gish** · 18th October 2007, 13:08

Will FreeArc 0.40 it be released for Windows too?

More important, will FreeArc be released as Open Source one day?

I firmly believe that only Open Source can lead to success to a program and a programmer, you see: FreeArc and CCM are already better than 7-zip but that's not enough.

I really hope FreeArc will be released as OpenSource soon, to have a chance to become popular.

**encode** · 18th October 2007, 14:18

I also waiting for CCM sources. If just combine the ROLZ-like engine from LZPM with low-order CCM...

So far I tried to combine my own CM coders (a-la PAQ1, PAQ6) with LZPM - the speed is too much affected.

**nimdamsk** · 18th October 2007, 14:41

Bulat gave last FreeArc sources in other forum, but the link (http://www.haskell.org/bz/FreeArcBeta-sources.zip ) is broken now. If author wants - he'll post it again i think. But AFAIK though Bulat gave sources there are not so much people send him some updatesimprovements

**Vacon** · 18th October 2007, 17:40

Hello everyone,

Originally Posted by Gish

More important, will FreeArc be released as Open Source one day?

Sorry, have I got something wrong?

Afaik FreeArc is OpenSource but not under GPL x.xx, right?!
Otherwise http://www.haskell.org/bz/ would be some kind of foolish, huh?
For details -> download and study content of FreeArc-sources.
Only problem: you have to port to C(++) or learn Haskell-language if you want to improve

Maybe thats the reason for little feedback?

Best regards!

**Gish** · 19th October 2007, 13:37

Originally Posted by Vacon

Sorry, have I got something wrong?
Afaik FreeArc is OpenSource but not under GPL x.xx, right?!
Otherwise http://www.haskell.org/bz/ would be some kind of foolish, huh?
For details -> download and study content of FreeArc-sources.
Only problem: you have to port to C(++) or learn Haskell-language if you want to improve
Maybe thats the reason for little feedback?

Yes, I know that a FreeArc source has been released - without a license of use. It seems the 0.36 release and since comments are Russian its a very challenging code. I dont even know why Haskell-language has been picked (I never heard of that language before, but Im not a skilled programmer...)

Is Haskell-language really so fast compared to C/C++?
And so much portable?
Why do exist a linux version 0.40 and not a windows one?
Im just a little confused...

It seems that FreeArc rely on other known open source algorithms (written - apparently in C-C++, but modidief in some way for haskell...) and it smartly picks different of them to get the best speed/compression . I like that idea and I wonder if other algorithms can be added (e.g. LPAQ ) and if they need to be modified to be compiled in Haskell (because none of those algorithms are released for haskell language...).

However, I know that "Open Source" does not always mean portability (and thats a pity...): 7-zip, for instance use a crappy windows-oriented code (for M$ compliers) and there are other opensource projects that are trying to rewrite the code to make it really OS independent...

Instead, other GPL coplressor have a very clean portable code (Im not skilled, but I was able to complie LPAQ in a couple of minutes, using two different compliers).

To summarize, I like FreeArc, and the idea behind it, but it has aspects that make its developmement (for instance the updating of the algorithms, maybe the portability too) little accessible.
Having a linux version is good , but since most pc are windows based, that does not help much to spread it...

Id like to see a windows release (0.40+), with a clear usage license, then it would be possible to use it in other projects, such as PEAZIP (which can provide a nice GUI frontend) to make it availble to most windows PC-user...

**nimdamsk** · 19th October 2007, 14:35

There IS Windows version of FreeArc, all the more Windows version is the main, linux version is the port. Haskell is used as UI and glues all algorithms together. Main algorithms are in CC++ for speed. I think author choose Haskell just because he loves it

It's a pity that most programmers today don't see anything behind C#C++Java and OOP paradigm.

**Black_Fox** · 19th October 2007, 14:45

Originally Posted by Gish

Why do exist a linux version 0.40 and not a windows one?

Windows version has been released weeks ago on this very forum, but there was requirement not to spread it further - as the format could (and probably would) change, not leaving enough backward compatibility. Unfortunately, download link leaked on SourceForge and thus windows version has been withdrawn

**Gish** · 19th October 2007, 16:02

Originally Posted by nimdamsk

I think author choose Haskell just because he loves it Its a pity that most programmers today dont see anything behind C#C++Java and OOP paradigm.

I think you are right, there cant be any innovation if anyone follow the common trend.
What I wonder is: will it be feasible to update the code of FreeArc with the code of the algorithms (GRZIP, LZMA, LZP, PPMD) every time they are updated? Ive browsed at the code and Ive noticed that the author made lot of work to add and change lot of code of those algorithms (to make interface/adaptation for Haskell).
That could be a major drawback. I also thanks the author, Bulat Ziganshin, and I hope to be wrong when I fear he will need too much effort to be able to maintain and update FreeArc...
Or maybe my worries are just excessive, but I really wish FreeArc could have more success, because it is really a *good* project.

Originally Posted by Black_Fox

Windows version has been released weeks ago on this very forum, but there was requirement not to spread it further - as the format could (and probably would) change, not leaving enough backward compatibility. Unfortunately, download link leaked on SourceForge and thus windows version has been withdrawn

That confirms that FreeArc is NOT (yet) true OpenSource (GPL) ?

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 19th October 2007, 20:05

Originally Posted by Gish

What I wonder is: will it be feasible to update the code of FreeArc with the code of the algorithms (GRZIP, LZMA, LZP, PPMD) every time they are updated?

it typically requires 1-7 days. just year ago ive chnaged lzma to 4.43 version which significantly impoved speed/compression ratio. currently there are no significant changes in any algorithm used in fa, so there is no need to import anything.

Originally Posted by Gish

Is Haskell-language really so fast compared to C/C++?
And so much portable?

ive spend 1 day porting Haskell part of the program to Linux, 3 days to port lzma part and 3 days for the rest of c++ code

haskell is very high-level but slow language. so its used to implement everything that doesnt require too much speed - cmdline parsing, archive structure processing, dealing with files and so on. in C++ are written all compression, encryption and crc algorithms - most of them developed by other authors

Originally Posted by Gish

That confirms that FreeArc is NOT (yet) true OpenSource (GPL) ?

yes, its not TrueOpenSource (cpl) - i just publish its sources

**Vacon** · 20th October 2007, 09:12

Hello everyone,

Originally Posted by Gish

That confirms that FreeArc is NOT (yet) true OpenSource (GPL) ?

Sorry, can you please explain that to me?
Do you really want to have <u>anything</u> published that anyone tries to have true OpenSource?
What about problems that are foreseen? What about programming-faults (Im not expecting any from Bulat, but he is a human being, so sh... can happen.
Is it really important that such things are spread to the whole world, just because it is OpenSource, only because original author wanted to test something?
He is the owner of his code. And he can release it or not. GPL says that you have to make sourcecode availbe if you change and spread a program, but Bulat only asked for help -> he didnt release it. So what he does is kind of "talking to friends".

Best regards!

**Gish** · 22nd October 2007, 11:25

Bulat,
thanks for your detailed and kind reply. And thanks for FreeArc...

Originally Posted by Bulat Ziganshin

yes, its not TrueOpenSource (cpl) - i just publish its sources

Great!

(I mean, Ive read your other post about sourceforge.net)

Originally Posted by Vacon

He is the owner of his code. And he can release it or not. GPL says that you have to make sourcecode availbe if you change and spread a program, but Bulat only asked for help -> he didnt release it. So what he does is kind of "talking to friends".

I understand, thats a choice of the Author. I was wondering if FreeArc was written only as a purpose of a "Haskell example" and if windows developement was abandoned... It would be a pity, because FreeArc is a *good* project. The OpenSource is not mandatory, but it could be a way (not the only one) to make it become popular faster, because it could get supoport from other opensource projects.

I really appreciate it has become an OpenSource (sourceforge.net) project.

**Vacon** · 22nd October 2007, 16:28

Hello everyone,

Originally Posted by Gish

I really appreciate it has become an OpenSource (sourceforge.net) project.

Me too!

Only wish I still have is, that there would be a link to original web-site, or downlodable files / source of FreeArc on Sf.net.
Its not comfortable to have info about license on one and files on another site without linking both...

Best regards!

**LovePimple** · 23rd October 2007, 03:17

Originally Posted by Gish

I was wondering if FreeArc was written only as a purpose of a "Haskell example" and if windows developement was abandoned...

Dont worry!

Im sure that Bulat will continue development of the Win32 version.

**Gish** · 23rd October 2007, 20:54

Originally Posted by LovePimple

Dont worry! Im sure that Bulat will continue development of the Win32 version.

Yes, after the SF project creation, Im sure too he will do.

**Bulat Ziganshin** · 24th October 2007, 13:52

now i can say that windows version and sources was available all this time on secure urls, but i don't answered here because i was almost ready to make next release

Gish, is it ok to answer your email letter on this forum? i mean that this info may be interesting for other people too

**Gish** · 24th October 2007, 16:35

Originally Posted by Bulat Ziganshin

Gish, is it ok to answer your email letter on this forum? i mean that this info may be interesting for other people too

Please, Bulat, feel free reply in the way, in the forum and in and in the topic you prefer...(there are more than one here about Freearc).

Ive posted also in the Freearc project page at SourceForge... maybe Im becoming a spammer...

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