Challenge "Compression" - very frustrating

theStack · Post by **theStack** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:02 pm

Hi folks,

I don't know what's your opinion on this, but am I the only one who this "challenge" is quite ridiculous because (in theory) you need to buy some proprietary closed source software crap to get on?
Very frustrating if you ask me...

gfoot · Post by **gfoot** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:04 pm

I didn't like that bit either. I found a bunch of Linux software to process some similar file formats, but nothing that properly supported the version used for the challenge.

I guess in theory there might be enough information available to write your own unpacker, but I don't think that was the point here either.

theStack · Post by **theStack** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:35 pm

Well I think the easiest solution I can think of is just to send the file to a friend of mine who's owning a Mac and let him unpack it

it's only one proprietary file format I have problems with, I guess the rest should be no problem under linux.

fwjmath · Post by **fwjmath** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:43 pm

In fact I know a software that you can get to solve this challenge. It's a limited version and you can get it by simply signing up on the site with an email. I did it that way. You just need to search a bit deeper.

SuperFoo · Post by **SuperFoo** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:14 pm

As an additional challenge for those who restrict themselfes to Linux, you can try to get the proprietary tool to run with wine

theStack · Post by **theStack** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:21 am

fwjmath wrote:In fact I know a software that you can get to solve this challenge. It's a limited version and you can get it by simply signing up on the site with an email. I did it that way. You just need to search a bit deeper.

I guess I've found that site too, registering with some email address I rarely use would be no problem but as far as I can remember that formular wanted a credit card number from me (even for the free trial version!), and as I don't have a credit card that's a bit problematic...
but well, one could see some "challenge" in getting this software in an illegal way - OR to socialise and ask friends with Mac to unpack that stuff *g*

@SuperFoo: Tried that too, but all tools rejected the archive so far.
I'll ask a friend next week who owns a Mac and concentrate on some HVM challenges meanwhile

SuperFoo · Post by **SuperFoo** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:36 am

You do not need no credit card number and for mails, there is always mailinator.com

BlackInTheBox · Post by **BlackInTheBox** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:18 pm

is there any way to do this without installing said trialware?

bsguedes · Post by **bsguedes** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:58 am

Yes, there is.

I've needed to download two free softwares to do some steps.