“Often, we have files we wish to send colleagues and friends
by e-mail. Depending on the type of file you wish to send, there is
a Linux command to make the process easy for you.”
“The shell archive file command shar is very useful for
combining plaintext files into one file, which can then be sent by
e-mail. shar writes shell commands for unpacking the output file
inside the file itself, as well as code to verify the content using
an MD5 checksum. It is much easier to use than the archive command
tar, whose complexities can trip up even an expert.”
“Non-plaintext files such as binaries and graphics must be
encoded before e-mailing them. First, pack and compress your files
using tar, which outputs a binary file… Now, the tar file can be
encoded using the command uuencode…”