I would lean toward Zip because it is the format that is supported by Windows, macOS and Linux out of the box. I think the ease of use for Windows users is particularly important.
On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 11:34 PM Andy LoPresto <alopre...@apache.org> wrote: > Hi folks, > > I do not want to start a long-running argument or entrenched battle. > However, having just performed the RM duties for the latest release, I > believe I have identified a resource inefficiency in the fact that we > generate, upload, host, and distribute two compressed archives of the > binary which are functionally equivalent. For 1.7.0, both the .tar.gz and > .zip files are 1.2 GB (1_224_352_000 bytes for tar.gz vs. 1_224_392_000 > bytes for zip). The time to build and sign these is substantial, but the > true cost comes in uploading and hosting them. While the fabled extension > registry will save all of us from this burden, it isn’t arriving tomorrow, > and I think we could drastically improve this before the next release. > > I have no personal preference between the two formats. In earlier days, > there were platform inconsistencies and the tools weren’t available on all > systems, but now they are pretty standard for all users. This [1] is an > interesting article I found which had some good info on the origins, and > here are some additional resources for anyone interested [2][3]. I don’t > care which we pick, but I propose removing one of the options for the build > going forward (toolkit as well). > > That said, if someone has a good reason that both are necessary, I would > love to hear it. I didn’t find anything on the Apache Release Policy which > stated we must offer both, but maybe I missed it. Thanks. > > [1] https://itsfoss.com/tar-vs-zip-vs-gz/ > [2] https://superuser.com/a/1257441/40003 > [3] https://superuser.com/a/173995/40003 > [4] https://www.apache.org/legal/release-policy.html#artifacts > > > Andy LoPresto > alopre...@apache.org > *alopresto.apa...@gmail.com <alopresto.apa...@gmail.com>* > PGP Fingerprint: 70EC B3E5 98A6 5A3F D3C4 BACE 3C6E F65B 2F7D EF69 > >
