php.net |  support |  documentation |  report a bug |  advanced search |  search howto |  statistics |  random bug |  login

go to bug id or search bugs for

Bug #16660 tar.gz Docs needed - bz2 is not appropriate
Submitted: 2002-04-17 10:11 UTC Modified: 2003-12-31 06:56 UTC
Votes:4
Avg. Score:4.5 ± 0.9
Reproduced:4 of 4 (100.0%)
Same Version:1 (25.0%)
Same OS:1 (25.0%)
From: bvdb at asa dot de Assigned: imajes (profile)
Status: Closed Package: Website problem
PHP Version: 4.3.1 OS: Windows xxxx
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
 [2002-04-17 10:11 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
Recently there was a change in the archive format of the downloadable documentation - from tar.gz and zip to bz2. A link to a FAQ article describing archive programs for the Windows platform was added in the left pane of http://www.php.net/download-docs.php .

The bz2 format is new and not common on Windows platform - which is used by the majority of php users and programmers. Furthermore, the linked programs "Ultimate Zip" and "Quickzip" do not work properly with bz2. 
Using the bz2 format violates the rule of "least astonishment" and is harmful to the positive image of PHP as being user friendly.

Thus I propose to return to tar.gz or .zip format for the doc files.

Patches

Pull Requests

History

AllCommentsChangesGit/SVN commitsRelated reports
 [2002-04-17 11:42 UTC] tal@php.net 
Reclassified.

-Tal
 [2002-04-17 12:40 UTC] sander@php.net 
Nope, this is a documentation problem.
 [2002-04-26 10:29 UTC] philsci at jp-link dot co dot jp 
I think the problem is a lack of choice. bz2 might be
better than other formats, but you (people at php.net)
are little going too far with bz2 and that HTML Help...
 [2002-04-26 10:39 UTC] goba@php.net 
What is the problem with the HTML Help manuals? Why do we go too far?? BTW we already decided to provide .tar.gz files again, just it seems it didn't make it to the generation system...
 [2002-04-26 10:43 UTC] cynic@php.net 
Hm, I don't understand it either... But maybe... Maybe the HTMLHelp is too windowish, and the bz2 compression too unixish? I think we should stick to RARed Klingonese.
 [2002-05-21 15:49 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
The problem with HTML-Help is that it does only run on "true" win machines with IE4+, not on Unixes, PDAs or old Win machines (Laptops). I.e. if you _organize_ your docs on a late win machine but _use_ them on others you get problems with bz2. Why not offer _both_ formats bz2 and tar.gz?
Any religious reasons? 
Once again, "least astonishment" should rule.
 [2002-05-21 16:46 UTC] goba@php.net 
We have special formats for PDAs, we have PDF which is
quite system independent. So I still don't know why we
have gone too far with a special HTML Help format?

BTW we already agreed on hosting the .tar.gz formats
again, just noone activated the builds and downloads
again...
 [2002-05-21 17:16 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
To make the point clear: HTML-help is great on Win-machines - so thanks for the good work to the people who did it!

bz2 will be fine as soon as Winzip supports it. 
For now: Let's get tar.gz back asap.
 [2002-06-09 08:05 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
There is still only bz2 as archive format for the HTML manual. 
How about offering both and counting which format is downloaded most?!
 [2002-06-10 06:13 UTC] cortesi@php.net 
I have brought this issue to Rasmus attention during LinuxTag 2002, and he agreed that it is a Good Thing to go back to tar.gz or even to provide both zip and tar.gz for download
 [2002-06-10 09:08 UTC] goba@php.net 
Uh, it seems like I was the only one missing from
LinuxTag ;(( I still have examtime... BTW we already
agreen on providing BOTH bz2 and tar.gz but as only Jim
Winstead can modify this, and (it seems) he had no
time to do it, it's not done... ;((
 [2002-07-01 09:54 UTC] mk@php.net 
I think there are a lot of links to programs for Windows which extract bzip2. And since we will (according to Simone's comment) switch to .zip and tar.gz/.bz2, I close this bug. IMHO it is no real "bug", since everyone is able to extract the files.
 [2002-07-01 10:02 UTC] mfischer@php.net 
It's a feature request. Let's close it when it has been done, not before.
 [2002-08-10 18:40 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
So the filthy bz2 conspiracy continues - almost 4 month passed and the tar.gz files are still not available...
 [2003-01-15 12:26 UTC] philip@php.net 
<evilgrin>muahahahaha</evilgrin>
 [2003-01-15 12:36 UTC] philip@php.net 
Oops, reclassify as a phpweb problem as phpdoc doesn't touch this.  Extracting .bz for windows is already documented as a faq, now the .tar.gz files need to be created.
 [2003-02-19 04:59 UTC] bvdb at asa dot de 
The "documentation" points to tools that do not work error-free. 
Can someone please publish these files now?
 [2003-03-09 05:44 UTC] atul_rahas at yahoo dot com 
I am new to php. I am really surprised to find the documentation in bz2 format. I have worked on windows platform and I am really broken to see that the manual is in a format for which you will rarely find tools on window platform. I suppose i have to go and download first a decompress utitlity and then use it. 

Think it would have make sense if they have provided manual in alternative forms also
 [2003-03-13 11:37 UTC] u-tamas at freemail dot hu 
Could anyone just tell me how to read this bz2 format. I've used only Windows in my life. How can I get the decompressor?
 [2003-03-13 11:42 UTC] goba@php.net 
See http://www.php.net/download-docs.php in the sidebar...
 [2003-04-20 09:31 UTC] betz@php.net 
In agreement with James assigned to him.
 [2003-07-24 09:44 UTC] davey@php.net 
I should note that WinRAR has no problems with .bz2 files (and tar.gz also)

- Davey
 [2003-12-31 06:56 UTC] goba@php.net 
.tar.gz files are distributed now on the documentation download pages for some time again.
 
PHP Copyright © 2001-2025 The PHP Group
All rights reserved. 		Last updated: Tue Nov 04 13:00:02 2025 UTC