stuffit guide: Why .SITX format is more appropriate for files larger than 2GB

[macStuff]

 
for reference purposes

StuffIt X is a revolutionary new archive file format powered by Allume’s
exclusive StuffIt compression technology. The new StuffIt X file format
integrates compression with security and safety options to meet the
requirements of business and today's digital lifestyle.
StuffIt X is name of the new format, and StuffIt X archives have a file
extension of .sitx. You can use StuffIt X archives on any version of the Mac
OS from 8.6 to 9.x, and any version of Mac OS X 10.1 or later. You can
also use StuffIt X archives on Windows.

Whether you’re sending critical documents to business partners, or
vacation pictures to your family, StuffIt X is your best solution. In addition
to making the smallest possible archives, StuffIt X offers you strong 512bit
encryption to protect your files should they fall into the wrong hands, and
also features available error correction that helps to prevent data loss in the
event that your archives become corrupt as a result of transfer errors or bad
media.

StuffIt X archives cannot be expanded by older versions of StuffIt Deluxe
or StuffIt Expander. In order to expand a StuffIt X archive, your recipient
must have a copy of at least StuffIt Expander 7.0 installed.

Support for large archive size: StuffIt and Zip archives are
each subject to a file size limitation that prevents you from
creating an archive larger than 2Gb in size. The StuffIt X file
format has no such limitation, and will allow you to create
archives that are up to terabytes in size.

So according to the makers of STUFFIT themselves;
.sitx is a superior format; offering better compression + dependability;
and should be always used for files larger than 2GB in favor of .sit;
.sitx files can be decompressed with any version of expander v7.0 and above

stuffit expander 7 is posted publically here:
https://my.smithmicro.com/stuffit-updates.html
http://my.smithmicro.com/downloads/files/StuffItSTD703Classic.hqx

stuffit deluxe 7 is posted on the garden here:
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/stuffit-deluxe

[macStuff]

despite whats been posted up there i have reason to doubt that the software actually limits you from going above 2gb
because i have a 6gb+ sit file on my desktop and when i view it with hex editor it shows 1997-2002 alladinsystems
which leads me to believe that it was created with stuffit deluxe 6 or stuffit deluxe 7

back in that time frame most people only used CDs + CD-R's; CD-RW was becoming a thing; DVD-R was probably out already but
i think most macs only came with CD capable drives; or they came with "Combodrives" or "Superdrives"
but hey; lemme just look this up real quick:

https://everymac.com/systems/by_capability/macs-with-cdrw-dvd-combo-superdrives.html

https://www.macworld.com/article/1021960/superdrive.html (JANUARY 31, 2001)
according to this article "Superdrive" landed in 2001; capable of burning DVD-R so there u go;
"The DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive comes only on high-end Power Mac G4 models operating at 733MHz" so initially it was a high-end option only included in the top of the line macs at first; but the articles saying that steve jobs wanted them to be in ALL MACS by 2002;

"The DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive, made by Pioneer, reads DVD titles at 6x (7.8 megabytes per second), and writes to 4.7-gigabyte DVD-R discs at 2x (2.6 megabytes per second). The SuperDrive also reads CDs at 24x, writes to CD-R at 8x, and writes to CD-RW at 4x. It supports DVD-Video, DVD-ROM and DVD-R, as well as CD-ROM, CD-Audio, CD-R, CD-RW, CDI, CD Bridge, CD Extended, CD Mixed Mode and Photo CD media."

anyway regardless; nobody was making archives of 6GB+ at that time? so i doubt aladdin systems would have limited the file from creating
archives that large? anyway regardless of what is fact; i have a 6.5GB .sit file on my desktop that says 1997-2002 aladdin sys in the beginning of the filename when viewed thru a hex editor; im trying to figure out which version of stuffit the file was made with;
trying to confirm this fact by installing different versions of stuffit and then creating a file; and viewing the file header with a hex editor; it could be that they simply forgot to update the code generated inside the .sit files created by the app; but i doubt it;

has anyone on this site successfully used stuffit to encode/decode files larger than 4gb? if so can u specify which version? trying to solve a mystery ...

[macStuff]

ok i just created an archive file with stuffit deluxe v11 (from Sep 2006 timeframe)
and when i examined the file with hexfiend its the same... it says 1997-2002 aladdin systems
so smithmicro never did anything to update the way .sit archives are made obviously because they would have changed this copyright updated it to say 2006 but they didnt;