On Linux/Unix, does .tar.gz versus .zip matter?
Problem
Cross-platform programs are sometimes distributed as .tar.gz for the Unix version and .zip for the Windows version. This makes sense when the contents of each must be different. If, however, the contents are going to be the same, it would be simpler to just have one download. Windows prefers .zip because that's the format it can handle out of the box. Does it matter on Unix? That is, I tried today unzipping a file on Ubuntu Linux, and it worked fine; is there any problem with this on any current Unix-like operating system, or is it okay to just provide a .zip file across the board?
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1 Fix
Fix for: On Linux/Unix, does .tar.gz versus .zip matter?
Yes, it matters. Actually, it depends. tar.gz Stores unix file attributes: uid, gid, permissions (most notably executable). The default may depend on your distribution, and can be toggled with options. Consolidates all files to be archived in one file (TAR: "Tape ARchive"). Actual compression is done by GZIP, on the one .tar file zip Stores MSDOS attributes. (Archive, Readonly, Hidden, System) Compresses each file individually, then consolidates the individually compressed files in one file Inc…
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