Stuffit and .sit files

[Quadramac]

I have the 4.0 version of Stuffit on my Mac OS8.0 disk which I loaded on my Power Mac running 8.6. I downloaded a couple of .sit files on to the Mac using IE. The sit files won't open. I read the "read Me first" stuff that comes with the Stuffit software and followed the instructions but no go. The file I most want to open is the Audacity 1.0 file but no luck. I know this is an older version of Stuffit but it still should work right? I can download a new verson but it is still a compressed file that I am afraid I can't open. Any sugestions?

Dewey

 

[Unknown_K]

There are a few versions of stuffit and some do not work with newer versions.

Try a newer version and see what happens, or try an older version.

 

[paws]

There was a change in the format between version 4 and 5, and newer archives tend to have trouble with older versions and vice versa.

After learning more about file formats and good software practises, I actually wonder how the Mac world embraced StuffIt and didn't get rid of it till Apple forced .zip upon is. StuffIt really is bad.

 

[istar1018]

Try version 5.5. I've had very good results with that.

... I actually wonder how the Mac world embraced StuffIt and didn't get rid of it till Apple forced .zip upon is. StuffIt really is bad.

Amen! You'd think Apple would have seen the opportunity and built some file decompression into MacOS at some point, especially since Stuffit was so bad. Since the Mac platform was based on ease of use, getting rid of Stuffit would have been a no brainer.

 

[Quadramac]

I am really new to Macs a couple weeks in fact. I have heard great things about them but I always had a windows PC. I never had such issiues with compression files with a PC. My downloaded software always worked unless it was mistakenly for the wrong platform 3.1 insted of Win 95 lets say. I have never been so frustrated . I bought a PC instead of a Mac years ago when I walked into the now extinct Comp Usa and saw all the window based software and goodies for PC and this tiny little section of about 2 racks of Mac software. I said Hmmm no brainer I bought a PC and thought Mac was going to go extinct but it's still around. I would really like to be a Mac fan but I find it's like being a Sado masochist so far.

Zip files work great pop right open stuffit files just sit (no Pun) there and laugh at you Na Na Na na na. and then if you want another version expander guess what? It's a compressed file just like the one you previosly couldn't open in the first place!!!!! Please shoot me now! Help!

Dewey

 

[istar1018]

There should be a newer version on the 8.5 / 8.6 CD... Do you have access to that? A default install places it in the Internet / Internet Utilities folder (I think) on your HD... not always easy to find.

 

[Quadramac]

No I don't have the 8.5 -8.6 cd only the 8.0 disk I got these free from neighbor who has moved away

 

[Scott Baret]

The Mac world embraced Stuffit because it was the best choice of the compression programs in the early 1990s. Compact Pro was also quite good but was a bit slower, especially when expanding the archives. Stuffit was also shareware back then, meaning that distribution was quite good. (Compact Pro was too; programs like Disk Doubler were the commercial alternatives).

Users of Stuffit who were sending their files to others were supposed to use the self-extracting archive option. That way if someone was stranded in an area that didn't have a BBS they could just open the application from the floppy diskette. Compact Pro had this option too.

Too many people forgot to check the "self-expanding archive" (remember the .sea applications?) when they were working with Stuffit.

Stuffit became a victim of any software that gets too successful--it got to be a hulking beast of a product with too many problems. By the end of the 1990s I could no longer bring myself to use the new versions unless it was absolutely necessary (as was the case before I got a CD-RW drive to back up my data--otherwise I'd have to put a 1.4MB file on a floppy compressed, as so often happened with scanned photographs).

There was also the change of hands. Aladdin became Allume, which in turn was bought up by Smith Micro (the company that probably e-mails everyone on this board with a product offer every other Tuesday). I don't like the way Smith Micro handles Stuffit and I personally think they should make older versions of Expander available to those who might have old data sitting around that can only be opened on older computers.

If all else fails, try tracking down an old version of the shareware program. It just might work. (Bonus points if you try to register it).

 

[tmtomh]

Quadramac,

Since you have internet access, why not download the free Stuffit Expander version 5?

Here's one place to get it:

http://68kmacdownloads.googlepages.com/home

I'm guessing that the .bin file format it's in can be decoded and decompressed by your existing Stuffit Expander version 4. If not, do a Google search for Stuffit Expander 5 (or "Aladdin Expander 5" as it was called later) - you're almost certain to find it downloadable in a Self-extracting archive or similar format that you can use.

 

[Quadramac]

Hello I have sucess I found a copy of Stuffit 7.0 free online in HQX format and I was unable to unstuffit with my older version It worked great. It has the drag and drop and poof unstuff. Now my next problem is the program I was trying to instuff Audacity which is why I was going through all these hoops. I unstuffed it great but I get a "Textension" could not be found error so I can't install the program Sheesh what a drill! But at least I can download software on my PC with the braodband connection and open files on my Mac.

 

[Quadramac]

:-/ Well I have come full circle. I decided that the only way I can do what I want with these machines , clean up my records/vinyl, would be to upgrade tp OS 9 on the 7600/120 to maybe run Audacity. The other software people have suggested for recording my records I already have a full suite of on my Quadra 840AV Edit 16 etc. but they do not have noise reduction software as part of the tools. The hard drives are too small and I would have to put a bigger hard drive. I guess I am too spoiled by my current PC but it is the main house unit and I don't want to mess with it with it too much with too many programs. My wife has all of our pictures and family stuff on it. My plan was to use one of these units as my play unit so if it crashed no big loss and one other for my son as his game machine. I will continue to play with these but the original intent is kind of lost. It has been an interesting past couple of weeks with these machines I have learned alot about Macs their + and - parts. I am sure a newer Mac would do the job wonderfully but this was supoose to be a no cost project.

Thanks again for everybody's help in my numerous posts.

Dewey

 

[Charlieman]

The Mac world embraced Stuffit because it was the best choice of the compression programs in the early 1990s.

For the record, StuffIt first emerged in the 1980s -- it's worth googling for Raymond Lau, the original author. PackIt (extension .pit) was its predecessor which died quickly when StuffIt appeared.