Questions, answers, and tips
on hardware and software usage

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Decompressing .LZH files

Q: It seems that almost all of the software available for downloading on Nifty-Serve uses an unusual compression method called LHA. (Or is it LZH?) I've looked both on Nifty-Serve and searched some anonymous ftp sites, but have not yet been able to find a program that decompresses these files. Where can I get it, and is there a Windows version.?

A: LHA is a method of compressing and archiving files that was developed in Japan; it is used widely on Japanese BBSes and online services such as Nifty-Serve, and surpasses the better known PKZIP in popularity here (in part because it often produces a slightly "tighter" compressed file, and because it is distributed as freeware). The LHA program produces files with the .LZH extension.

You definitely need a copy of the LHA compression/decompression program if you wish to try out the software offerings on Nifty-Serve, which are almost invariably uploaded as .LZH files. When I first started using Nifty-Serve, I spent a good deal of time hunting for the Windows version of the LHA codec, only to discover that it too was stored as an .LZH file.

The LHA program is available on many English-based BBSes, such as the TPC BBS (including a version with English documentation and help screen). If you're looking for it on Nifty-Serve, though, the first step is to obtain the DOS version of LHA, which is stored as LHA213.EXE under FQLD2 LIB-2 #78. (Type GO FQLD2, then choose the data library option.) Running this program at the DOS prompt will produce the executable LHA.EXE file and documentation files.

Using this, you can then decompress the Windows version, which is found under FQLD1 LIB-3 #76 as LHASA002
.LZH. Use the command

C:\>LHA LHASA002.LZH

which will, in turn, produce the Windows version of LHA, which is LHASA.EXE. If you don't particularly feel like taking the extra time to get the Windows version, however, be assured that the DOS-based LHA.EXE program should work perfectly fine for any .LZH file you come across.

UNIX kanji tutorials

Q: Are there any free or inexpensive Japanese kanji tutorial programs you can recommend for UNIX X-Windows that would be good for intermediate students? I've used programs that quiz the user over 200 or so of the basic kanji, but I am looking for something that goes a bit beyond that. Also, do you know of any anonymous ftp sites that carry a variety of Japanese fonts for X-Windows?

A: Try a freeware program called kdrill 4.0; this will work with any subset of the 6,000-plus kanji handled by Jim Breen's kanjidic. The program can also search by the English meaning of individual characters, or by the JIS code (but it can't handle searches on the Japanese reading). Kanjidic.gz and kdrill4.0.tar.gz are both available via anonymous ftp at ftp://ftp.cc.monash
.edu.au/pub/nihongo. You'll need to be running at least X11R5 and have both kanji24 and kanji16 fonts.

Regarding your question about Japanese fonts for X-Windows, by far the best selection that I've seen to date can be found at ftp://crl.nmsu.edu/pub/
japanese/fonts. Be sure to read the README file first to help find your way around this directory.

Japanese-capable UNIX Netscape?

Q: I've heard that the latest version of Netscape for Windows has Japanese-handling capability built-in. Is this also true of the UNIX version, Netscape 1.1N? I am looking for something that runs on the Sparc SunOS 4.1.3.

A: Unfortunately, the current version of Netscape for UNIX, 1.1N, does not support Japanese. The company will not yet confirm whether or not they have a Japanese-capable UNIX version in the works.

Power(Book) problem