zip on unix

Other than Phil Katz and PKWare, you should not forget Info-ZIP.

Info-ZIP is an open source software (BSD like license), support many operating system platform, eg. DOS, unix like OS, including Solaris, Linux and even OS X. Many people have contributed to the project.

I have compiled the lastest Info-ZIP's zip(2.32) and unzip(5.52) program on solaris without much problem.

On solaris, just extract the source code, cd into the directory:-

$ make -f unix/Makefile solaris
$ make -f unix/Makefile install

Even though OS X already came with info-zip, and I have another info-zip install through fink (/sw/bin), but I would like to compile a newer version by myself. Is very easy.

$ make -f unix/Makefile generic or
$ make -f unix/Makefile bsd

Another reason I install the new version is, I have this zipnote command, which help to comment files in the zip archive, which I can't find in my old version (zip-2.1).

$ zipnote foo.zip > foo.tmp
(edit foo.tmp file)
$ zipnote -w foo.zip < foo.tmp

$ unzip -l foo.zip
Archive: foo.zip
This zip have foo and bar file
Length Date Time Name
------ ---- ---- ----
37048 08-31-106 18:09 foo
This is foo file
0 08-31-106 18:17 bar
This is bar file
------ -------

This is how you can comment your zip archive, so you don't forget what is inside after some time.

Try it out, compile a zip for yourself, is fun.