Phillip W. Katz, 37, creator of the popular PKZip programs and the ZIP archiving format, died unexpectedly on Friday, April 14. The cause was complications from chronic alcoholism, according to the Milwaukee medical examiner.

Katz first came to public attention in the early days of personal computers when he created PKArc, an archiving program that used the ARC format developed by System Enhancement Associates (SEA). The very popular ARC format helped bulletin board systems (BBSes) to flourish as a shareware distribution mechanism by making downloads smaller and quicker. SEA sued to prevent Katz from using its format.

After settling the suit, Katz developed the ZIP format and published PKZip, which he allowed individuals to use for free. Anger in the BBS community at SEA for its lawsuit brought about almost immediate adoption of ZIP as the preferred format, and Katz was on his way to success.

In addition to allowing non-commercial users free use of the program, Katz dedicated the ZIP file format specification and the ZIP file extension to the public domain, a move that allowed the development and success of WinZip and other Zip utilities.

PKZip was generally considered to be faster and more reliable than other compression techniques, as well as producing smaller compressed files.

In a 1993 interview with the Milwaukee Journal, Katz said the idea behind PKZip began at his mother’s kitchen table in 1986. "It was just a hobby," he said. "I didn’t expect it to turn into a business."

Next month, two of our most visible members from the last decade will be leaving us. After living in the Sacramento area for nearly 10 years, Larry and Mary Clark are moving to the San Diego area.

Their impact on our organization cannot be overstated. Just as Tony Barcellos was a central figure in our group's success in the eighties, Larry and Mary Clark were central figures in the group's continued success in the nineties.

Larry succeeded Tony as editor of Sacra Blue in 1991 only a few short months after moving to Sacramento from Florida. We were fortunate that Larry not only had experience creating user group newsletters, but also enhanced Sacra Blue by bringing it into the realm of desktop publishing. We were also fortunate that Larry helped guide our group in other ways. During Larry's membership he has held various leadership positions including SIG leader, secretary, executive vice president, president, and - let's not forget - executive scapegoat. Even when Larry did not hold an office he was always involved at Steering Committee meetings and in online forums.

Mary became involved as the managing editor of Sacra Blue during Larry's tenure, and like her husband she became more involved after her tenure with the newsletter ended - even beyond her work as SPCUG's "first lady." Mary was always willing to pitch in with various projects, was a regular at Steering Committee meetings and in online forums, served as deputy treasurer, and also served as secretary last year.

The Clarks will be missed, but I'm sure I speak for all members when I say that we congratulate them for a job well done and wish them well in their new life in southern California. I think the best way for all of us to honor the Clarks is to follow their example and get involved with the group. By getting involved we can build on the Clarks' legacy and ensure our group thrives for another decade.

I was approached by Ken Hopkins to do some computer-related cartoons for Sacra Blue. I told him I had something he would like. Here is the first of a series concerning dialog boxes that I am convinced exist in Windows and Windows products.

If you have ideas on topics for future dialogtoons, or you think this is too silly and I should be doing real cartoons, send me e-mail.