[jeff k]

after you download something, is there any benefit in keeping the .sit thing? thanks Ken

[goatnet]

It's just the compressed file that you downloaded. You could keep it (I often do if I download updates for programs) and burn it to a CD if you think it's something you'll need in the future.

[jeff k]

Let me rephrase question:

When I download something I get two folders. One is the application, the other is a folder called .sit I definitely keep the application for backup in case I want to reinstall the application later.

Is there any need to keep the seperate .sit folder, or could it be discarded?

Ken

[bradoesch]

Did the original file you downloaded end in .hqx? Maybe this is what you mean, that the original file is .hqx, then you decode that and get a .sit file, which you unstuff and get your application. If you wan't to keep a backup, you can keep the .sit file and trash the hqx. Or you could keep the .hqx and trash the .sit, it's really up to you. I'd suggest keeping the .sit file, because it's just one less step if you ever want to use the file again (just need to unstuff instead of decode and unstuff, which you would have to do with the .hqx file).
Hopefully I understood your question.

Brad

[jeff k]

Brad:

Dont know what hqx means.

I get two files. One application. other .sit or sometimes something similar.

I update the application or driver, and keep one copy just in case for future.

I was told it is ok to trash the .sit thing, and in fact, many put in preferences in stuffit expander to trash it once they have the application . So I did just that.

Are you saying that you need to keep every .sit that comes with downloads to use that specific dowload application/driver etc. in future? Thanks Ken

[bradoesch]

Hehe, this is almost live. Anyway...

As for what hqx is, it's just a way to preserve "special Mac parts" of files from the Internet. Most servers don't understand how do deal with Mac files, and something called the "resource fork" would be lost if you don't "BinHex" the file (turn it into an hqx file).

Once you place your application whever you choose to store it, or install you driver, they'll work perfectly fine without the original sit file. But, if you'd ever want/need to re-install the application (in case the old one went bezerk on you or something), without the sit file, you can't re-install. You'd have to download the file from the Internet again. It's kind of a trade off between time and space. You can keep all the original sit file, but they'll take up room on your hard disk. But if you like having them around in case you need them later, saving them is fine also. If you have a cable or DSL connection (or anything else that's fast), you can quickly download the file again. If you dial-in to the Internet, it'd likely make more sense to keep the files since downloading it again would take so long.

Hopefully that was of some help

Brad