| When
binary files like MP3 songs or JPG pictures are transmitted through
Usenet, they must be encoded into a set of printable characters that can
be part of messages. There are
several methods for encoding these files into characters. The most
common method used is called "UUencoding". This method has been
around for a long time, and 90+% of all files sent through Usenet use
UUencoding.
A second method is called "Base64". This method of encoding
is the most common method for encoding binary files attached to e-mail
messages, but it is rarely used for Usenet messages.
The third, and newest, method for encoding files is called "yEnc".
It was invented in 2001 and has the advantage of being about 20% more
efficient than UUencoding for most binary files. While UUencoding is
still far more popular, yEnc is catching on quickly in some binary
newsgroups. |
Astraweb
