ArcMac - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-11-22T12:48:05Z

‎Software

Jsummers at 23:37, 5 October 2020

2020-10-05T23:37:58Z

Jsummers: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|arc}} |type code={{Type Code|mArc}} |released=≤1988 }} '''ArcMac''' format is a variant of the [[ARC ..."

2020-10-05T20:04:59Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|arc}} |type code={{Type Code|mArc}} |released=≤1988 }} '''ArcMac''' format is a variant of the [[ARC ..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Archiving
|extensions={{ext|arc}}
|type code={{Type Code|mArc}}
|released=≤1988
}}
'''ArcMac''' format is a variant of the [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] compressed archive format, with extended features relevant to classic Macintosh computers. It is associated with the ''ArcMac'' software by Don Gilbert and dogStar Software.

== Discussion ==
There are three applications:
* '''ArcMac''' - The full software for Mac (shareware)
* '''ArcPop''' - Decompression-only software for Mac
* '''xArcMac''' - Decompression-only software for DOS

Some "ArcMac" or "ArcPop" distributions contain all three; others omit ArcMac.

The version numbers and release dates of these things, and of the included documentation, do not seem to have been updated consistently, and are difficult to make sense of.

The documentation claims that the distribution includes source code for ArcPop and xArcMac, in a file named "MARCS.ARC". Unfortunately, we have not located such a file.

== Identification ==
ArcMac files start with {{magic|0x1b}}, and have {{magic|0x1a}} at offset 59, as the start of an [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]]-compatible header.

== Specifications ==
* Refer to the "ArcMac File Structure" section in the ArcMac2.Doc or ARCMAC.DOC file included with most ArcMac distributions.
* [[macutil]] → macunpack/arc.h has some info (though macunpack does not support the format)

== Software ==
* [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/macarc.zip xArcMac v1.1a]
* {{CdTextfiles|garbo/MAC/ARCERS/ARCMACRC.BIN|ARCMACRC.BIN}} (ArcMac v1.2a?) - MacBinary-encoded (self-extracting?) ArcMac file
* [https://www.macintoshrepository.org/25968-arcmac Macintosh Repository: "ArcMac"]
* [https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/arcmac Macintosh Garden: "ArcMac v1.3"]
* [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=22610 Mac GUI: "ArcPop 1.2a"]
* [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=22611 Mac GUI: "ArcMac v1.2a"]
* [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=37465 Mac GUI: "ArcMac"]
* [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=37466 Mac GUI: "Arcmac1.3e"]
* [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=37825 Mac GUI: "Arcpop"]

The extent to which ArcMac format is backward-compatible with ARC decompressors that are not ArcMac-aware is unclear. It can work in some limited cases, but is not reliable.

[[Category:Macintosh]]

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 * [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=37825 Mac GUI: "Arcpop"]
-The extent to which ArcMac format is compatible with [[ARC (compression format)#Programs and Utilities|ARC decompressors]] that are not ArcMac-aware is unclear. It can work in some limited cases, but is not reliable.
+The extent to which ArcMac format is compatible with [[ARC (compression format)#Software|ARC decompressors]] that are not ArcMac-aware is unclear. It can work in some limited cases, but is not reliable.
 [[Category:Macintosh]]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |extensions={{ext|arc}}
 |type code={{Type Code|mArc}}
-|released=≤1988
+|released=1988
 }}
 '''ArcMac''' format is a variant of the [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] compressed archive format, with extended features relevant to classic Macintosh computers. It is associated with the ''ArcMac'' software by Don Gilbert and dogStar Software.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 * '''xArcMac''' - Decompression-only software for DOS
-Some "ArcMac" or "ArcPop" distributions contain all three; others omit ArcMac.
+Some "ArcMac" or "ArcPop" distributions don't contain all three.
 The version numbers and release dates of these things, and of the included documentation, do not seem to have been updated consistently, and are difficult to make sense of.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 == Software ==
 * [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/macarc.zip xArcMac v1.1a]
-* {{CdTextfiles|garbo/MAC/ARCERS/ARCMACRC.BIN|ARCMACRC.BIN}} (ArcMac v1.2a?) - MacBinary-encoded (self-extracting?) ArcMac file
+* {{CdTextfiles|garbo/MAC/ARCERS/ARCMACRC.BIN|ARCMACRC.BIN}} - ArcMac v1.2a? ([[MacBinary]]-encoded (self-extracting?) ArcMac file)
 * [https://www.macintoshrepository.org/25968-arcmac Macintosh Repository: "ArcMac"]
 * [https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/arcmac Macintosh Garden: "ArcMac v1.3"]
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 * [https://macgui.com/downloads/?file_id=37825 Mac GUI: "Arcpop"]
-The extent to which ArcMac format is backward-compatible with ARC decompressors that are not ArcMac-aware is unclear. It can work in some limited cases, but is not reliable.
+The extent to which ArcMac format is compatible with [[ARC (compression format)#Programs and Utilities|ARC decompressors]] that are not ArcMac-aware is unclear. It can work in some limited cases, but is not reliable.
 [[Category:Macintosh]]