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Re: [Groff] announcing groff version 1.16.1


From: Werner LEMBERG
Subject: Re: [Groff] announcing groff version 1.16.1
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000 14:57:17 +0200 (CEST)

> > A diff file (groff-1.16-1.16.1.diff.gz) and an xdelta file
> > (groff-1.16-1.16.1.tar.gz.xdelta) are available also.
>                             ^^^^^^
> xdelta file? Would someone post a short explanation, please?

There is a program called `xdelta' (check
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/xdelta) which can create and apply binary
diffs.  In this particular case, you need to have groff-1.16.tar.gz
and groff-1.16-1.16.1.tar.gz.xdelta in the same directory.  After
saying

  xdelta patch groff-1.16-1.16.1.tar.gz

you will find groff-1.16.1.tar.gz in your directory.

Usually, xdeltas files are smaller than ordinary compressed diff
files.  Sometimes, the difference is enormous.  Additionally, xdelta
can reliably handle binary data, while `patch', the counterpart to
`diff' can't do that in a fully transparent way.

Generally spoken, xdeltas are preferable -- after unpacking the old
and new archive, you still can do `diff -aruN <olddir> <newdir>' to
check all differences.


    Werner

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