[Info-vax] Unexpected error using ZIP for OpenVMS

[Steven Schweda]

On Dec 11, 11:05 pm, Jeremy Begg <jeremy.removet... at vsm.com.au> wrote:

> I too ran into this issue a couple of months back but it wasn't critical so
> I ignored it.

   Passing up a perfectly good reason to complain?  What's
wrong with you people?

> I've now tested your changes and have found just one minor shortcoming.

   That's a feature, not a shortcoming.  If you want VMS/RMS
file attributes to be saved and restored, then use "-V[V]"
(/VMS [= ALL]) on your Zip command.  By default, you're lucky
if you get the data right, let alone the meta-data.  Zip
saves the bytes (if can manage to read the file).  UnZip (on
a non-"-V" archive) might make Stream_LF, Fixed-512, or
Variable-length records, depending on options (such as "-S",
/TEXT = STMLF), and whether Zip thought that the file was
text or binary.  I'd need to examine the documentation and/or
the code to see what's true in detail.  As usual,
everything's complicated (and the behavior might have changed
in recent years).  But I'd be amazed if you could find a way
to get Stream or Stream_CR records out of a non-"-V" archive.

> [...] BACKUP/COMPARE on V8.4 ignored the different record
> formats but on V8.3-1H1 it complained about every record!)

   On V8.3 Alpha, BACKUP /COMPARE seemed happy enough in my
testing.  I checked it there and on an old VAX system (V5.4
with VAX C V3.1-051).  I didn't try it on IA64.  (What could
be different between Alpha and IA64?  Or between one VMS
version and another?)