Size saving idea
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you could use plugins so people could download what archive support they require and make avaliable more formats that some people may never require.
This would also help as some new features could be updated and modified thia there plugin rather than a whole rewrite of pa. Saves people down loading pa again when only one feature has been updated. Though you might have to if its a major update to the program.
what does everyone else think.
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Great idea !
It is also easier when needed an translation, to use this way of updating.
Maybe an option for PA 10 ? :D
Greetz,
JR Heuwing
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Hm,
Making whole application work with all formats as plug-ins would make application a lot more complicated - even to use it after we make it.
The application itself should not be a lot smaller - maybe 1.0 MB (POWERARC.EXE) and 0.5 MB installation itself - althought you wouldn’t have to download all DLLs at one time.
So without any formats support the installation should be around 1 MB but you definetelly need support for ZIP, TAR, 7-ZIP and RAR and then the installation rises up to 2.5 MB (estimated) which is not so big difference.
But if you would like all the formats and we now have the installation should be even larger then 3 MB (since many DLLs and more complex POWERARC.EXE).
On the other side, it would be easier to update - you could download only updated application, or updated DLLs for some format support.
But again, this would make whole application, whole website more complex - most people (over 90%) like simple application without need to choose what to download and what not to download.
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in that case, you might do as winamp: a light, a standard and a full version…so that the user would choose the one he likes the most!
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if you do what irfanview does. allow the user to download the program and standard supprt 7ip rar and 7zip and cab and the rtest can be optional by the end user through plugins .
The problems are that while this would make the overall program bigger it will increase the usefullness of powerarchiver.
The web site will be bigger but it would be better for all the support avaliable. It will save some users installing other archivers and then having problems latter on and reporting them as powerarchivers problems.
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yes, and then…think that more and more people have a broadband connection…so the download file size’s not really a problem…
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Surely, if this approach was adopted then the basic PA package would be just the program (a sort of shell), with no compression formats.
Each compression format is then added via plug-in.
Unclear, but I guess there would be two plug-ins per format, one for compressing and the other for uncompressing - what about sfx, would that be a third plug-in? What about encryption? Not every format supports every feature.
Of course, each plug-in (format) should then be documented, advantages/disadvantages etc.
Presumably, the extras (skins and translation packs) would also have to be maintained/updated for each PA shell version as well as for the format plug-ins.
I can also forsee needing an Archive - old PA shell and compatible plug-ins (skins etc) for each version.
It is a nice philosophy when implemented from the beginning, but is there a benefit from PA side to change this now?
It will save some users installing other archivers and then having problems latter on and reporting them as powerarchivers problems.
Sorry, I don’t see how a plug-in philosophy will have any bearing on this :confused:
think that more and more people have a broadband connection…so the download file size’s not really a problem.
Surely the point of using plug-ins is to avoid downloading the ones you do not want?
Braodband users will probably download them all anyway :p -
you could install just the features you want and not the ones you don’t use.
Just look at winamp for example or irfanview which uses this philosophy plugins.
They are quicker to download and musch faster to adapt to changes in image/music formats.
It would help reduce the size due top the fact yuou only download and install the features you really need.
This would be a nice idea for pa as it would help make it easier for theym to maintain as if one part does not work they can disable it redoit or update it much quicker than it is now and you won’t have to download the whole of pa just for an update due to say 7zip
