Frozen Fish 2: PC/frozenfish_august_1995.bin/bbs/d08xx/d0866.lha/CFX/Brain.doc

Text File | 1993-04-08 | 88KB | 1,715 lines

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$VER: CFX 5.275


                    CFX BRAINFILE TECHNICAL INFORMATION
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The information contained herein is not essential to the right-God-fearing
operations of CFX, but it may explain some things about certain files and
filetypes that might confuse you.  Go ahead, read it...  it's *free*...
One last thing before you read on!  Thanks must go to Darius Ignasiak for
allowing me to tap his excellent knowledge of DTP fonts and filetypes (esp.
PageStream etc.) Thanks Darius! Also, someone calling himself Anthony Horan
created several much-needed filetype descriptions which have been included
in this doc. Anthony's bits are signified by an [AH]. If I had enough
money, I'd pay him to do it full time...

Also thanks must go to Safe Hex International, chiefly Erik Lovendahl
Sorensen, for the supply of many new cruncher types, which can only make
CFX even better! Thanks to all!

Brainfile information:
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Below are the CFX PRO 5 brainfile entries, along with a brief description
of each.  (The virus information provided here is only a cursory glance at
each virus, provided by Richard and Brian Logan from Amiga Quarantine.)

** BRET_HAWNES FILE VIRUS:

** BUTONIC FILE VIRUS:  File virus, this one displays a simple alert.  It
infects via the startup-sequence.

** CCCP LINK VIRUS:  Boot and Link virus, when this one is found on the
bootblock, you can guarantee that is has also infected at least one file.
It decides what file to infect by using the keys on the rootblock.

** CENTURION (SMILY CANCER) LINK VIRUS:

** CHALLENGER:  This covers both the English or German version of a program
which was, amongst other things, submitted to Fred Fish for inclusion in
his library.  Both the English and German versions of Challenger contain a
couple of little surprises.  If you have the Challenger program on a disk,
and you play it's stupid quiz, you will be awarded a score and the score
data will be written out to your disk.  The important aspect of this is
your system time/date.  If you last played the Challenger on the 24th of
July, then this date is reflected in the data file's datestamp.  If you
play Challenger the next day (or any time after the 24th) the datestamp of
the save file will be checked and Challenger will spit its little friends
out.  From all I can figure at the moment, what happens is this:
your "c:setclock" file is moved to your devs:keymaps directory;
a new file called "setclock" is created in your c: directory;
a new file called "rca" is created in your devs:keymaps directory;
somewhere along the line, a file called "devs:keymaps/guy" is also created.
We think that the "guy" file is the end result of the infection.

Therefore the Challenger programs are in effect "vectors" or carriers of
the nasties.  Even if this is all the Challenger programs ever do, I'd kill
them off pretty darn quick...

** CHALLENGER RCA:  This is one of the resulting files from a Challenger
infection.  This file is usually found in the devs:keymaps directory.  It
is usually crunched with the Imploder short-root library method.  Its
crunched filesize is 5328 bytes.  CFX knows this crunched or uncrunched, as
with all of the viruses listed here.  Usually, executing this program locks
up your system, but this is the file that, when executed "correctly" or at
the correct time, will produce yet another file called "devs:keymaps/guy".
I don't know what the "guy" file does, but I bet it isn't nice.  If anyone
gets infected with Challenger and finds a "guy" file, then please DMS the
infected disk, or just straight copy the "guy" file and send it to me!

** CHALLENGER SETCLOCK:  This is another of the "tricks" that Challenger
performs.  This is the setclock replacement that isn't a setclock.  This
file is also usually crunched with the Imploder short-root library method.
The file in crunched form is 4884 bytes long.  What happens when this file
is executed seems to be this:  the Challenger "setclock" appears to call
the "devs:keymaps/a" file.  The "a" file is your old "c:setclock" file.
this is a type of execution "relay" which will appear to execute your
setclock ok, without causing any problems.  BUT, when the date is the
24-Jul-??, you will notice that calling "c:setclock" causes a blinking of
your CLI screen.  It appears that the "setclock" file opens an Intuition
screen, and then calls the "devs:keymaps/rca" file which then (if in a good
mood) may infect your disk with the "guy" file and then write a load of
Deutsch crap to the screen.  Again, if anyone has a copy of the "guy" file,
then please get it to me!  Thankyou...

** DISASTER-MASTER FILE VIRUS:  File virus, infects via the
startup-sequence and displays a simple alert.

** IRQ LINK VIRUS:  Link virus, this virus can be reluctant to stay memory
resident, but once they do, they infect files quite easily.  Can cause
gurus with infected files.

** JEFF FILE VIRUS:  File virus, a close relative to Butonic, sometimes
called Butonic 3.00.  Infects via the startup-sequence.  When the file is
written to the disk, it may have one of eleven filenames.

** RETURN OF THE LAMER DISK-VALIDATOR VIRUS:  Disk-validator virus, very
similar to Saddam, possible by the same writers.

** REVENGE OF THE LAMER 1 FILE VIRUS:
** REVENGE OF THE LAMER 2 FILE VIRUS:  File viruses, both infect via the
startup-sequence and are both very destructive.

** SADDAM-HUSSEIN DISK-VALIDATOR VIRUS:  Disk-validator virus, the first of
its type, and a real pain to kill.

** TERRORISTS FILE VIRUS:  File virus, this performs the same functions as
the TTV1/BGS9 virus, but displays a different picture.

** TRAVELING JACK 1 LINK VIRUS
** TRAVELING JACK 2 LINK VIRUS:  Link viruses, uses a vector in dos.library
to stay resident, but is killed by a reset.  Links onto anything.

** TTV1 (BGS9) FILE VIRUS:  Practically the same as Terrorists, but for the
different picture.

** XENO LINK VIRUS:  Link viruses, links onto absolutely everything! Stays
resident via vectors in dos.library.  Any program that uses the infected
vectors runs the chance of infecting other files.  This is why CFX doesn't
run while XENO is active in memory.

3D-PROFESSIONAL OBJECT:  A data file used by the rendering package
3D-PROFESSIONAL. Simple really *:-)

ACTION REPLAY FREEZE DATA:  The Action Replay cartridge, when activated,
spits out compacted memory chunks to your disk.  This file contains active
game/program data, all crunched up into a gibbering mess.  Needs a loader
to get it back into the Amiga's memory in a meaningful way.  CFX relates to
this filetype as a data-archive, since it's non-executable compacted data.

ADOBE FONT METRIC:  (Adobe PostScript Type-1 font) Hinted outline vector
font designed for use with PostScript printers.  They are a PC standard.
Used by programmes such as Ventura.  Contain character width, spacing and
kerning data.

AIBB TEST RESULT MODULE: This file is saved out by Amiga Intuition
Based Benchmarks V5.0 when you perform the entire suite of tests on
your humble Amiga. I can then be loaded at startup so you can compare
your brain-caving '040 super turbo render-time-what-render-time
machine to the ones the rest of humanity own. [AH]

ALCH:  A non-meaningful address-cruncher.  A typical address-cruncher, and
not decrunchable to boot!

AMIGA FONT BITMAP:  Inside your FONTS directory there are three different
types of objects.  Firstly there are the FONTS home directories, where the
FONT BITMAP FILES live.  Thirdly, and lastly, are the FONT FUNCTION FILES.
Inside the FONTS HOME directory you will find (usually) some files called
numbers (the numbers tell you how big the font is SUPPOSED to be.) These
files are the BITMAP files that explain (among other things) the shape of
of this FONT.  CFX picks up most of these BITMAP files, but some aren't
chosen rightly...

AMIBACK BACKUP FILE: AmiBack, the current "choice" Amiga backup program can
output, like QuarterBack 5.0+, backup files instead of only to a specific
device. This is one of those files. This file may be crunched or uncrunched
via the AmiBack internal compression.

AMIBACK CONFIG FILE: The saved settings file from within AmiBack.

AMIBACK DISK INDEX FILE: An external disk index which lets the backup
program know just which files went to which output device. An external
index is useful when/if "on-disk" indices become scrambled.

AMIGA FONT FUNCTION:  Found inside your FONTS directory.  These files tell
the Amiga all about the font, including different styles etc.  CFX appears
to pick up all of these filetypes...

AMIGAGUIDE TEXT: What a greatly cute format and idea this was! AmigaGuide
allows you to link together text articles into a wondrous tangle of
information. You can then read these articles at your leisure,
cross-reference them and learn. You do need an AmigaGuide reader, though!

AMOS BASIC FILE:  These files, unlike most other BASICs, aren't in ASCII
format, and have a special format unto themselves.  CFX knows all of these
ones...

AMOS ICON FILE:  AMOS creates its own icon types.  I don't know much about
AMOS, so I can't really stoop to great descriptive prose explaining these
ones!..

AMOS MENU FILE: This file contains all your nice standard (NOT!) AMOS
menus in "bank" format for easy loading into your programs. They
multitask nicely, don't they? Thought not. [AH]

AMOS MUSIC FILE:  Again, standard AMOS music file output.  Self
descriptive...

AMOS PART-CRUNCHER:  I have coined this name, since no one else could
figure what the hell it was.  This cruncher might even be included in the
Amos package for some reason.  This appears to be an address-cruncher which
allows you to join all of your compiled Amos bits into a whopping big
executable file so that you can include the thing on a compilation disk and
say to your friends "Look, AMOS is roolly fast, see?"

AMOS SAMPLE/SOUND FILE:  Special AMOS sound sample format.  Practically
standard samples, but for a different header.  The AMOS boys should go for
a slot in the IFF market, as they have solid filetypes to back them in an
argument...

AMOS SAMPLE/WORK FILE:  More AMOS specific output...

AMOS SPRITE FILE:  AMOS sprite format file...

ANC:  OK, we've made it to a cruncher.  The ANC cruncher was an early comer
to the Amiga, not long after the crunching market opened.  The ANC isn't a
remarkable cruncher, its a mixture of a RELOCATOR, and an ADDRESS cruncher,
and generally should be decrunched (See PowerPacker docs...)

ANSI TEXT:  On pain of death, I promised never to allow CFX to even think
about ANSI texts.  Then I received a letter from David Dustin, Assistant
Manager of KAOS Productions, New Zealand.  This letter changed my life...
No really, it caused me to re-schedule an entire afternoon.  David had a
few interesting ideas about CFX (including a bug-report *:-) which have all
been fixed.  One of which was the ANSI-text thingummy.  CFX now checks
specifically for certain character occurrences.  CFX does *NOT* and never
will just guess at a filetype.  It's either YES or NO.  Therefore, since
ANSI texts can contain any bloody character in the Ascii alphabet (0-255)
CFX cannot be completely correct in its findings all of the time.  It is
generally right, however. Some of the more ludicrous PC ANSI text files may
fail sometimes, maybe.

APE ARCHIVE:  Umm, thanks to someone I received this archiver, and tested
it, and added it to CFX's brain, and promptly forgot everything about it.
I don't even have a copy of it anymore.  Sorry.  Just guessing, I'd say
that this filetype is boring.

ARC ARCHIVE:  One of the first archivers to make it to the Amiga, if not
the first, it was welcomed to BBS users and data archivers alike.  Useful
then, archaic and out-of-touch now.  Best unarchive this filetype and hit
it with LZ, LHARC, LHA or ZIP...  CFX knows most versions of this archive
type.  CFX classes these types as "-5.0", "5.0", "5.0+" and "7.0" which are,
respectively:
pre version 5;
version 5;
post version 5;
version 7.
Surprise, surprise!

ARJ ARCHIVE:  A new archiver to the Amiga platform, originally Un*x or I*M
based.  Fairly good compression algorithm, not too shabby in the speed
department.

ARP STYLE COMMAND:  AKA "stack-requesting-program" or "program containing
resident tag".  What this type of command is, is confusing.  No, really.
This program type contains a special little "tag" which tells the Amiga
loading the program how much "stack" this program needs to run correctly.
The Amiga then attempts to allow this much stack to the program.  Certain
compilers/assemblers will alow you to manufacture programs in this style,
as was done with the anachronistic ARP package commands, which were after
all, quite squeegy.

ART DEPARTMENT DEFAULT FILE:  When exiting the new Art Department Pro, the
program saves its current configuration setup to your ADPRO:  assigned
device/directory.  This is THAT file!!!

ASCII TEXT:  ASCII text is....  ASCII text!????

BAMIGA/TKT ADDRESS:  This appears to be a special cruncher written for the
occasion.  This originated from a special unison between the top Belgian
cracking group, BAMIGA, and the UK's top crack house, The Kent Team.  You
probably won't find this one around much now, as the TKT people got sprung
at a big copy-party a while back.  They have rejoined, but no new cruncher
has surfaced as yet.  This cruncher is usually found on cracked games, and
is a quick and dirty compacter.  Retains the usual ADDRESS-cruncher's
drawbacks, which are:
 - they MUST decrunch to a fixed spot in memory, often causing memory
problems (or just straight-out Amigacide.)
 - Lack of portability to other "non-standard" Amigas.

BMP 24-BIT IMAGE:  Umm, these files contain pictures with 24-bits of colour
per pixel, 8 bytes each for R-G-B.  Umm, generally an MS-DOS platform
picture type, and generally used under the <squirm> Windows environment.

BOOTBACK BOOTBLOCK:  "BootBack" is a little program which allows you to
save a disk's bootblock to a device so that if the bootblock of a disk gets
screwed by a virus or cruel diskdrive, you can restore the bootblock back
again! This idea is old and stilted. Even I have written one of these types
of programs. Anyhow, this filetype is nothing but a saved bootblock, with a
special header. Be cautious before installing this unknown bootblock to
your floppy disk however...

BOOTX BOOTBLOCK LIBRARY:  This executable file contains the current expanse
of known bootblocks for the program BootX.  This library is updated every
now and then by the author.

BOOTX BRAIN FILE:  This non-executable file contains the current expanse of
knowledge for the BootX anti-virus program.  Don't delete this file if you
intend to use BootX on your system, unless this version of the brain file
is old/redundant.

BYTEKILLER ADDRESS (OLD & NEW):  This cruncher was one of the first
address-crunchers around, and is still used today, even though its
crunching depth and speed let it down terribly Used mainly for demos, and
cracked games, it too, causes memory problems whilst decrunching.  Best to
get rid of this filetype.  Generally "address" crunched filetypes are
difficult, if not impossible, to decrunch to their original structure...

CALIGARI OBJECT:  The BIG and expensive solid-modeller, Caligari uses these
data files to store objects, so that they may be stored and rendered later
on.  Why do all Caligari pictures look *so* greeeeeeen??

CALIGARI SCENE:  After you've designed your bi-coloured alternately-patched
gridworks and tinted-chromium spheroids [footnote 1], you can incorporate
them into a SCENE, which you can save out and render later.  The scebe file
describes the current "universe" that the user has designed.

CALIGARI CLNS:  OK, you've got me there.  I didn't have the $1200 spare to
go out and buy Caligari to check out what these files were.  If anyone can
send me e-mail or snail-mail and describe exactly what these filetypes are,
then they will receive a FREE registered version of CFX!  [footnote 2]

CALIGARI LIGHT-SOURCE:  Jesus, do these Caligari guys ever have any spare
time to themselves?  What do they do for fun?  Design new filetypes?  I
think RobotMan's evil twin brother Bruce is behind all this...  OK, these
filetypes describe "lamp" parameters for Caligari's render-engine.  Hmm.

CALIGARI POLY-OBJECT:  Someone with a fairly rancid sense of humour would
say something like:  a model of a Norwegian Blue (You have to think about
it!) [footnote 3]) Umm, your guess is as good as mine.  Something to do
with an object, a wheel-barrow and a duck.

CCS/PHR ADDRESS:  Came about after a unison of the two crack houses
ComputerBrains Cracking Service and someone or other.  Another fine example
of how not to treat your files.  Typically ADDRESS-cruncher in action.

CINEMORPH PROJECT FILE: <From Anthony Horan> The file that you save when
you're working on a project, containing the settings for all the morph
points and output format and number of frames and... yes, I guess it IS
a workfile!

COMPACKER:  Another of the inimitable address-crunchers.  Completely
useless crunching algorithm, completely useless user-interface, completely
useless.  Not decrunchable, as usual.

COMPRESS .Z ARCHIVE: The relatively 'old' cruncher, Compress. Originally
from, and in most cases still used with the Unix systems. This compressor
achieves a fairly good 'standard' compression, and achieves good text
compression, of ~60%.

CRUNCH MASTER:  Another poxy cruncher with practically no use left in this
world.  Why do these people bother???  Causes the usual memory
fragmentation and slow run-time of the crunched file.  Typical...

CRUNCH-MANIA: I took this recognition term from BootX, since I'd never
heard/seen Crunch Mania before. I knew of the filetype, but I always had
CFX informing the user that the file was a twisted Imploder Protected
filetype. Of course, according to Peter Stuer, this was wrong, so I have
changed CFX to reflect this "new" filetype. To defend CFX's (and mine!)
original thoughts on the supposed "Crunch Mania" filetype, I must say that
someone had a very good look at Imploder filetypes before "coding" Crunch
Mania. The filetypes are so close you couldn't separate them with one of
those amazing Gin-Su "It'll cut anything" knives from television.
PS. After receiving the real Crunch-Mania 1.4 and 1.8 executables from our
good friends at Safe Hex International (Thankyou Erik!) I finally gathered
all of the information needed to assimilate a good brain-file entry for
these crunchers. CFX now acknowledges Crunch-Mania 1.4 & 1.8 data, library,
relocator and link filetypes. BTW, Crunch-Mania 1.4 address mode turned out
the be "John_Doe" cruncher number 6.

CYGNUSED AREXX COMMAND FILE:  This is the file that Ced save out after you
make a few ARexx command installations in Ced.

CYGNUSED DEFAULT FILE:  The default file saved out as your default
configuration for a particular document type, through Ced.

CYGNUSED MACRO FILE:  The file containing all of those cute little sign-off
macros that the moderator hates so much, through Ced.

DEFJAM 3.2 ADDRESS:  God, this is annoying!  You think that you have got
all of the DefJam crunchers countered, and then they release twenty more!
I'm not joking, this group writes a new cruncher for every game they crack,
and silly people tend to pick up their crunchers an then use them on decent
files.  Very little difference between this ADDRESS-cruncher and the rest
of them.  Same memory corrupting problems...  Oh, and there are also the
"pro-decrunch" versions of the DefJam crunchers as well.  The
pro-decrunchers allow specific DMA registers to be set upon uncrunching of
the data.

DEFJAM2 ADDRESS:  Yes, another one...

DEFJAM ADDRESS (x5):  I'm being conservative when I estimate 5 different
ones of these.  CFX can pick up about 9 of them, depending on the season...

DIGITAL MUGICIAN MODULE: Yet another music module. Use DeliTracker to play.

DIGITAL SOUND STUDIO MODULE: A music module alike a SoundTracker module,
but this one comes from the Digital Sound Studio. Apparently quite playable
on major module-players.

DIMP < V2 ARCHIVE:  The older version of the executable Disk-Imploder
tracker.  I could never get this version to work properly, so it went
completely untested.  This filetype is overlayed.

DIMP ARCHIVE:  A file of this type is the output from the Disk-Imploder
tracker, in data (binary/non-executable) format.  Standard through all
versions of DImp (so far.)

DIMP V2+ ARCHIVE:  The new version of the executable Disk-Imploder,
overlayed filetype.  This works well, and is fun to use.  Doesn't appear to
crunch as well as DiskMasher, however.

DIRECTOR ANIM:  Remember Joel Hagen's RGB animation?  You know, the one
that won the Badge-Killer comp.  in the States a few years back??  Well, he
did that animation on the Director system, and this is the filetype that it
outputs.

DIRECTORY-OPUS CONFIGURATION FILE:  Contains your custom setup for Jon
Potter's excellent Directory Opus utility.  This filetype is output via the
DOPUS Config program. CFX now finds both old and new versions of this
configuration file.

DISK-MASHER STANDARD ARCHIVE:  A new disk-tracker on the scene, which
boasts better crunching and decrunching times than all of the rest.  I have
now witnessed the "earth-shatteringness" of DMS, and I'm suitably
impressed...  Cf.  LHWARP

DISK-MASHER ENCRYPTED ARCHIVE:  The same as above, except that the
archive/tracker file has been encrypted for privacy reasons.  Cf.  LHWARP

DOT MATRIX FONT: (PageStream) Outline data file, necessary for printing on
printers other than PostScript printers.  Also used by PageStream to
produce screen fonts larger then 24 pts.

DRAGPACK: Was previously an unknown cruncher type, or, as the beta testers
know them, one of the "John_Doe" files. That's one more figured out!

DRAW4D CLIP:  Again I have no idea.  Well, I do have ideas, it's just that
they aren't particularly correct.  Sorry.

DRAW4D FONT:  Since DRAW4D is a solid-modeller/renderer, I'd say that this
is a font file for DRAW4D.

DRAW4D DATA:  See above, only interchange the word "font" with "data".

DXF AUTOCAD OBJECT:  Data object/model for the DXF AUTOCAD design package.

E-LANGUAGE MODULE:

ELECTRONIC-WARPLOAD:  Ha!  There's a funny story behind this one, but I
won't tell it to you.  All I will say, is ask Mike Hansell (FVS) about it.
This program apparently speeds up disk-loading, and is quite popular on PD
disks, and cover-disks (esp.  from the U.K.) I found this file to
completely wreck my floppies after extended use, so I would be wary of it.

FAST-FILESYSTEM BOOTBLOCK:  CFX knows this file when you are spying on a
directory containing GRABBED bootblocks...

FINAL COPY II DOCUMENT: Softwood's entry in the I-Wanna-Be-An-IBM word
processor market saves documents. Why? So you can load your epic again
later and read or print it, silly! This is that document. [AH]

FLASH PACKER/RS1:  Another repulsive ADDRESS/RELOCATOR-cruncher, which does
nothing but knacker your memory, and make you furious when your Amiga
gurus.  The RS1 cruncher is practically identical to the Flash Packer, as
it was supposedly written by the same person.  I always thought of this
cruncher as the "RSI" as in REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY, but I've since
thought otherwise.  I now call it the "RS1" as in RED SECTOR ONE.  This is
a fairly generic address-cruncher, and is so ineffectual as to be useless.
Generally not decrunchable however...

FONT BITMAP FILE: (PageStream) Font data file, necessary for screen fonts,
the first to characters in the suffix (XX) represent font size (eg .24H =
24 pts).  Not necessary under Pagestream 2.0 and higher.

FONT METRIC FILE: (PageStream) Contain character widths and kerning
definitions.  Available for each member of font family (eg.  Bold, Italic
etc.)

GADGET'S EDITOR DATA: Saved data from the program "Gadget's Editor" by
Stefano Crimi.

GADTOOLSBOX DATA:  GadToolsBox is an excellent program for helping you to
design those excellent looking 3d gadgets etc.  under AmigaDOS 2.0, with
the help of the GadTools.library.  This is obviously ouput from GTB.

GENERIC EMBEDDED-PLAYER MODULE: This is a binary image of a music module,
and contains all music data, instruments, and the actual executable code
needed to play the song. Very similar to the Whittaker module format. Also
can be played on most good module players.

GENESIS LANDSCAPE DATA: This is similar in use to the Vista DEM date file,
except that this type is custom to the Genesis package. See Vista DEM for
more information on landscape data files.

GIF (COMPUSERVE) PICTURE:  The COMPUSERVE GIF picture format, as once used
almost exclusively on the IBM PC.  Now that people are trying to get the PC
files over to the Amiga, start watching this file format creeping into your
directories.  The only thing wrong with this file format is that its not
IFF, or remotely interesting.  Well, it is interesting when you start
getting GIF87 pics mixed up with GIF89 pics.  CFX now knows all sorts of
GIFS.

GNU PACKER [DUO]:
GNU PACKER [MONO]:
GNU PACKER DATA:

GPFAX LOG FILE: This is a binary image saved by the GPFAX software, and it
contains log-entries of everything that you have done during your sessions
with GPFAX. This file is NOT text.

GPFAX PHONEBOOK: Your custom phonebook created by yourself and GPFAX for
later use. Why type everything in every time you need to fax someone?

GPFAX PREFERENCES FILE: Your overall settings from within GPFAX are saved
to this binary file for use at a later stage.

GREMLIN DISK ZAP ARCHIVE:  A funny little disk-tracker handed to me from
Brett O'Callaghan.  'Twas interesting to read of its claims to be the
fastest and tightest of the disk-trackers.  I think that LHWARP would have
something to say about that.  Not a particularly good tracker, or fast for
that matter...

GSG COMPRESSOR:  A compressed filetype generated by a file called GSG
Compressor.  GSG was written by Giles Goddard, and is a pre-run
decompressor.  this means that before you can run a program compressed by
GSG, you must decompress it.  This is a system that is very much alike to
the system employed by the people who wrote the ANC cruncher.  I cannot see
why the bother.  Surely, if the game is good enough, why not multi-part the
game to start with?

HIGH PRESSURE CRUNCHER:  This cruncher has two crunching methods:
executable and unlink.  Executable is a straight address (I think) crunch
but without stripping any relocation/hunk info from the file to be
crunched.  Unlink is an address crunch but the HPC strips all hunk info
from the to-be-crunched file, and fixes the data to a specific address.
The "fixing" of code to a specific address is a standard "address-crunch"
option.

HQC:  One of the first cracking/spreading houses to write their own
semi-decent cruncher, even though it was pathetically loose in crunching.
Quite a lot of early Amiga files were bent with this cruncher, but nowadays
it seems to have gone away (thank goodness...)

HQC COMPRESSOR:  A minor re-work of the above, with no redeeming features
whatsoever.  It caused memory fragmentation, but it was a good attempt...

IAM PACKER [ATOMIC]:
IAM PACKER [ICE]:
IAM PACKER DATA:

IFF-8SVX SOUND:  Interchange File Format sound sample.  Typically (and
originally) formed by an 8-bit sampler, and is one of the 4 original
Electronic Arts IFF standards.  The acronym 8SVX comes from "8-bit Sampled
VoX"...

IFF-ACBM BITMAP:  A silly bitmap standard which tends to be used by BASIC
programmers.  The acronym stands for "Amiga Contiguous BitMap" and is a
third party Public Registered IFF FORM, for AmigaBasic...

IFF-AED  AMOKED CONFIGURATION: This is the saved preference file from the
German text editor, AmokEd, which was apparently based on Matt Dillon's
DME.

IFF-AIFF APPLE-AUDIO IFF:  This is one of the "port-over" jobs from the
Apple computer.  For 1 to 32 bit audio samples.  Originally (I think?)
formed with the MacIntosh in mind (they thought that it had the
home-pc-audio market cornered.) Apparently NOT subject to standard Amiga
IFF listing...

IFF-ANBM ANIM-BITMAP:  An original third party Electronic Arts Deluxe Video
"ANimated BitMap" FORM, a piece of history...

IFF-AVCF AmigaVision:  A new IFF filetype supported by AmigaVision.

IFF-BANK MIDI DATA DUMP:  SoundQuest Editor/Librarian format for
MIDI-system exclusive dump...

IFF-BELL BELLPREFS PREFERENCE: This is the saved config file for the
BellPrefs program which is similar in idea to Jack Radigan's JRBeep.
BellPrefs allows you to set your Amiga to play a sample when a screen gets
ctrl-G'ed to (ie. flashes!)

IFF-BXRC BOOTX RECOGNITION:  This filetype is an additional module of
information to be added to the BootX anti-virus system, by Peter Stuer.

IFF-BXCF BOOTX CONFIG:  This filetype is the default preference file saved
out by the BootX anti-virus system, by Peter Stuer.

IFF-CAT:  Don't get confused by this slight misnomer.  A CAT is a group of
IFF forms.  I included it in this format for completeness.

IFF-CDAF COMPRESSED DATA ARCHIVE:  This is a new IFF type which has been
designed to specifically take care of output from archive and compression
programs.  I think the first program to use this is the "Shrink"
compressor, written by Matthias Meixner.  Dont get confused by the fact
that Shrink, and Shrink alone, uses this filetype.  When other
compressors/archivers are written/re-written, the writers may opt to
utilise the CDAF as a standard.  Standardisation is the goal of the IFF.
Please note that CFX will (currently) only report the fact that it has
found an IFF-CDAF file, and NOT a Shrink archive.  CFX only checks that it
has found a known IFF, and reports as such.  Time permitting, I will place
a secondary check in CFX so as to report WHICH archiver/compressor actually
used this CDAF file for storage.

IFF-CL00 CLOANTO ITALIA TEXT:  This FORM is the PRIVATE output of a certain
large word-processor/desktop-publisher, called Cloanto Italia.  This FORM
is a PRIVATE REGISTERED THIRD PARTY FORM...

IFF-CTLG Catalogue:  This FORM is a datatype which allows the "stacking" of
groups of catalogue information into the one file. Apart from this, I don't
know much about this one. C= appears to be implementing heaps of new stuff
lately, along with new stuff for WorkBench 2.1 et al, but why should I know
any of that? I've only been asking for C= developer status for years...

IFF-DECK CanDo: The magnum opus that you create with the rather clever
and useful (but SLOW!) CanDo is saved in this IFF format. It can then
be run by the CanDo Deckrunner program or "bound" (compiled) into an
executable. [AH]

IFF-DMCS DELUXE MUSIC SCORE:  The raw SMUS output from the Deluxe Music
Construction Kit, loadable ONLY by DMCS...

IFF-DR2D VECTOR GRAPHICS FORMAT:  Apparently a new IFF standard for desktop
publishing et al.  I think Pagestream may now even be using this, but I
don't know for sure.  This form allows storage of texts and graphics
together.

IFF-DTRK ADRUM PERCUSSION TRACK:  Third party IFF FORM belonging to the
drum machine program ADRUM.  The acronym stands for "Drum TRacK"...

IFF-FANT FANTAVISION MOVIE:  A rather obscure animation output FORM, from
the equally obscure FANTAVISION.  has this been buried yet?  I hope so...

IFF-FAXX FAX DOCUMENT: Apparently (although I may stand corrected) the
binary fax standard filetype. Anthony told me.

IFF-FNTR RASTER FONT:  Umm, as it says, man!

IFF-FNTV VECTOR FONT:  Like, check the above.

IFF-FTXT TEXT:  Standard IFF text format file.  Output from some editors
and word-processors.

IFF-GSCR GENERAL SCORE:  Umm, a general score IFF, like music!

IFF-GXMN GADTOOLSBOX MENU:
IFF-GXTX GADTOOLSBOX TEXT:
IFF-GXBX GADTOOLSBOX BOX:
IFF-GXGA GADTOOLSBOX GADGET:
IFF-GXWD GADTOOLSBOX WINDOW:
IFF-GXUI GADTOOLSBOX USER INTERFACE:

IFF-HEAD FLOW IDEA PROCESSOR:  The FORM output of the FLOW ideas processor
by New Horizons Software...

IFF-IAND IMAGINE ANIM DATA:  The brilliant new Imagine raytracer from
Impulse outputs this IFF form.  This is actual animation data.

IFF-IANM IMAGINE ANIM DEFN:  This is like above, except that it is a
definition for a particular animation file.  This file describes what the
anim data is supposed to do.

IFF-ILBM IMAGE:  Everyone knows this one.  The acronym stands for
"InterLeaved BitMap" and is one of the original descendants of the EA IFF
document.  This is the standard output of many a paint-program...

IFF-INST INSTRUMENT:  Umm, a general IFF instrument, probably used with
samples.

IFF-ISTG IMAGINE STAGE:  This IFF form describes where all of your objects
must go, and what they must do, inside an Imagine scene.  Almost synonymous
with Sculpt's SCENE files.

IFF-LOOM DESIGN PATTERN:  From the Martin Kees program, Loom. This filetype
is the output of Loom, and allows you to save your pre-defined "material"
formats.

IFF-LWOB LIGHTWAVE OBJECT:  Did Allen Hastings write LightWave?  My brain
hurts.  It's 3:39am and I cannot remember anything.  LightWave is another
high-end solid-modeller/render-engine.  I think this might even go with
NewTek's Toaster?  Jees, I dunno.  Don't pick on me, I'm stuffed.  Sorry
Allen.

IFF-MIDI FORMAT:  The MIDI FORM, as proposed by Circum Design...

IFF-PBM VGA IMAGE:  The I*M version of Deluxe Paint II (Extended) outputs
this filetype.  It's just a semi-compatible type of FORM ILBM, only in
256-colour VGA.

IFF-PDEF DPRINT PAGE DEFINITION:  Definition FORM from Deluxe Print.  This
FORM is apparently a PRIVATE 3RD PARTY REG'D FORM.  The acronym is
self-explanatory...

IFF-PGTB PRG TRACEBACK IMAGE:  The ProGram TraceBack FORM as proposed by
John Toebes of SAS/LATTICE, so as to have instant information about a
program, or a "diagnostic dump image", after a program linked the traceback
capabilities crashes.  The PGTB file will then be written after/during the
crash, and will contain specific information about the machine registers at
the time of the crash.  I actually got Blink to spit out a PGTB one day...

IFF-PICS MACINTOSH PICTURE:  Another platform's IFF type.  This time from
the A**le Mac.  I'm not too sure whether you can do anything with these
filetypes on the Amiga, but then again, the Amiga probably eats these for
breakfast.

IFF-PLBM -- OBSOLETE:  Apparently a now obsolete Packed Leaved BitMap
picture file.  We couldn't find any real information on this one though.
If you find one, send it to us!

IFF-PREF (OS 2.x):  A bizarre and cunning plan from Commodore.  Why not
save all of your system-configuration into tiny little parts, each of which
is a part of your preferences??  That's what they did.  For example, your
pointer's image is now stored as an IFF brush (tiny as it is!) Third party
programs can also join in the fun, and have their configs saved to the
ENV-ARCHIVE directory.  Want a CFX IFF config??

IFF-PTCH:  IFF PaTCH filetype, as used by software distributors/authors.
This filetype is generated using a program called "LCompare" which is
available to registered SAS/C owners on request.  I recently got one on my
5.10b update disk from the SAS Institute.  When used in conjunction with
"LPatch", the patch will add parts to your older files, and update them
there and then.

IFF-RGB4 4-BIT RGB PIXEL INFO:  3RD PARTY REG'D bitmap FORM.  Contains
standard BMHD chunk, except that its stored differently...

IFF-RGB8 8-BIT RGB PIXEL INFO:  As above...

IFF-RGBN IMPULSE GRAPHICS:  This appears to Impulses' own IFF form for 18
or 24 bit images (or is it 12 or 9??) Can't remember, but it's a graphics
format, maybe similar to the above.

IFF-SAMP DISSIDENT'S SAMPLE:  16 or 32 bit SAMPle standard as proposed by
the DISSIDENTS, designed to work cohesively with the MIDI standard...

IFF-SC3D SCULPT 3D/4D SCENE:  Unregistered 3RD PARTY FORM, used by Dr.
Eric Graham's SCULPT 3D/4D to describe a "3-D SCENE"...

IFF-SHAK SHAKESPEARE PUBLISHER:  A PRIVATE FORM containing embedded ILBM's.
This is used by Shakespeare Publisher, by Infinity Software.

IFF-SMUS MUSICAL SCORE:  Simple MUsical Score FORM, one of the original EA
proposals...

IFF-SYTH SOUNDQUEST MIDI:  "SoundQuest Master Librarian FORM for MIDI
system-exclusive driver"...

IFF-TDDD TURBO SILVER MODEL:  FORM for ray-tracing program Turbo Silver by
Impulse...

IFF-TERM PREF (OS 2.x):  One of the third-party IFF prefs forms talked
about above.  This one belongs to the terminal program 'TERM' by Olaf
'Olsen' Barthel.  Not a bad program, but it don't like ANSI much (but then
again, neither do I.)

IFF-TEXT PLAIN TEXT:  Umm, perhaps a plain-text IFF form??

IFF-USCR UHURU SCORE:  Another of the IFF musical score forms.

IFF-UVOX UHURU MAC SCORE:  As above, except that it is specifically for
that giant of machines, the MCA, sorry Mac.

IFF-VDEO DELUXE-VIDEO:  This (apparently undocumented?) FORM is from the
Deluxe Video program, of which I know nothing about, except that it stores
its video (movie?) outputs in this format...

IFF-WORD PROWRITE TEXT:  Another output type that I don't know anything
about, as I don't use programs that don't work, and that cost more with
every bug you find.  This (apparently) is the IFF FORM that Prowrite uses
to output your precious documents...

IFF-WOWO WORDWORTH DOCUMENT: From the WordWorth word-processor, comes this
document type.

ILBM MODULO CRUNCHER (TTW):  If you know of the "Imploder" file cruncher,
then you know who the author of this program is:  Albert Jan Brouwer.  This
guy can really throw the machine code around.  This output type is from his
program called "ILBMMODULOCRUNCHER" or something like that.  It takes an
ILBM picture file and splits its bitplanes, and then crunches each bitplane
using an OK number cruncher.  The output of this program is then stored and
can't be used until someone runs the VIEWER program over it, and it shows
your crunched picture.  Slightly above average crunching of picture files
makes this program interesting, but little else.  Oh, by the way, the TTW
stands for "The Third Wave" (which is a software group (of some kind))...

IMAGEFX PREFERENCES: The defaults file saved by Image FX, a rather
interesting image manipulation program from the Cinemorph people (but
WHERE'S THE OVERSCAN, guys?) [AH]

IMAGEMASTER PREFERENCES:  The default, or "preferences" file output by
ImageMaster, the image manipulation package.

IMPLODER 4 L-XLIB NORMAL:  The new version of Imploder (number 4) now
supports a cunning new library-imploded implementation which is slightly
longer than the old Imploder 3 XLIB version.  This "LONG-XLIB" version
appends a new library-loading routine to the uncrunch-header, which, if it
can't find the explode.library already resident (in the liblist) complains
by putting up a console/message.  You really should make sure that the
explode-library is already resident by running "LOADLIB" in your
startup-sequence, before running XLIB crunched stuff.

IMPLODER 4 NORMAL:  The standard Imploder 4 uncrunch-header is slightly
different from previous versions, so is not uncrunchable by previous
versions.  This version no longer supports PROTECTED Imploder filetypes,
but will uncrunch PROTECTED Imploded files of previous versions.

IMPLODER DATA (FIMP):  This is output from the data-cruncher called File
IMPloder.  It is not necessarily data crunched from an executable file, it
can be data of any kind (not unlike the PowerPacker data cruncher).  The
crunch rates of this cruncher do not reflect upon the brilliant crunching
algorithm that A.  J.  B.  used, but it's not too bad.  I'm not a real fan
of this however.

IMPLODER FILE (NORMAL):  Without doubt the premier file-cruncher to be
found on the Amiga.  It uses a GREAT crunching algorithm, which gets more
bytes to crunch than anything else.  The IMPLODER program crunches your
file and stores it in an unconservative output file of this type.  The
reason I say unconservative, is that the output file is made of (a minimum)
of 5 hunks.  These hunks are mostly BSS hunks so that the program can
expand the BSS area and have an already reserved spot in the Amiga's memory
for decrunching.  The NORMAL in its name describes the crunching method
used on the original file, and that you can DECRUNCH the file, so that you
can have it back running nice and quickly with no decrunch times!  IMPLODER
seems to decrunch faster than just about everything else, and it certainly
crunched better than everything (at the moment) although I have heard that
the people who wrote DMS (DiskMaSher) have written a very good file
cruncher that will give this IMPLODER a run for its money.  The sad thing
about IMPLODER is that everybody has got a copy of it, but it was never
(more rumours!) legally sold anywhere in the world.  Apparently the mob who
held the license for it went under (read:  bankrupt) before the program
could be sold.  Also, apparently, because the license went down with the
company (DSI, the one's who did Marauder) anyone can hold a copy of
IMPLODER without fear of retribution.  (I wouldn't think so however)...

IMPLODER FILE (OVERLAY NORMAL):  If you were a fervent user of crunchers
from the year dot on the Amiga, then you will probably have tried running
The New Master's Master Cruncher 1 over the top of Dpaint, or some other
"OVERLAYED" program.  You would also have failed.  This is because of the
bizarre file-structure of overlayed files.  They are usually overlayed so
that the entire program doesn't have to load into memory, only the bits
that it currently need are loaded.  When a new bit is need, more is loaded
etc.  The annoying thing about overlayed files is that they are usually
ENORMOUS, so why not crunch them?  Well, no-one had figured out how to
crunch overlayed files, until IMPLODER.  IMPLODER would load a portion of
the overlayed file into memory and then crunch that portion only.  Then it
would append the various "layers" of the remaining parts of the program to
the bottom of the crunched bit.  Very tricky stuff this.  This method did
allow for some reduction in size of the original program, but delayed
loading times awfully.  The "NORMAL" again specifies that IMPLODER can
DECRUNCH this type of file, so there is a way out...

IMPLODER FILE (OVERLAY PROTECTED):  This filetype is of the usual IMPLODER
overlayed type, but it is also PROTECTED.  Nothing will be able to DECRUNCH
this filetype (except for the new PowerPacker, version 3) So to cut a long
story short, if you want this kind of filetype decrunched, then you have to
buy PowerPacker 3-4, or get your hands on the excellent Imploder 4.x, which
will now decrunch it's previous versions' protected filetypes.

IMPLODER FILE (PROTECTED):  Again, a standard IMPLODED file except that it
is protected.  See IMPLODER OVERLAY PROTECTED...

IMPLODER FILE (PURE/NORMAL):  This filetype is output by IMPLODER if the
file that crunched has its PURE bit set (see the CLI "PROTECT" command).
IMPLODER crunches the program and attaches a special "PURE"
decruncher-header to the file, which allows it to be made RESIDENT, if so
wished.  This would increase the loading time of the file, but with
decrunch time taken into account, the speed increase would probably be
negligible.  Your memory would also suffer...

IMPLODER FILE (PURE/PROTECTED):  The same as above except that the program
has also been protected.  See IMPLODER OVERLAY PROTECTED...

IMPLODER S-XLIB (NORMAL):  This is a new concept altogether.  This is a
standard crunched IMPLODER filetype, except that no REAL decruncher-header
has been prepended to the crunched program.  Instead, a little
library-loader has been prepended, and the library is then run to decrunch
the file.  This save about 600 bytes from the secondary crunched IMPLODER
file, but unless you are squeezing LOTS of disks, then you can do without
this one.  This filetype can be decrunched with IMPLODER.  To run this type
of file, however, you need the EXPLODE.LIBRARY to be in your LIBS:
directory.  The S-XLIB stands for "Short eXplode LIBrary".

IMPLODER S-XLIB (PROTECTED):  The same for the above except that the
crunched program has been protected, so as to disallow decrunching.

IRCAM "ACADEMIC" SAMPLE:  A sound sample filetype used on other platforms,
but now readily converted to something the Amiga can read and comprehend.
I'm not sure about the "IRCAM" bit, perhaps someone who knows will email me
with some info?

ISC NORMAL:  This compressor contains 3 different modes of compression.
They can be apparently be used singularly or together.  The NORMAL pass is
pass 1 of the full compression that the ISC performs.  This pass gives the
least savings in bytes.  The ISC is an address cruncher, and suffers from
the same politically-incorrect memory-mismanagement.

ISC COMPARER:  Pass two of the ISC compressor. Better byte savings than ISC
NORMAL, but not much.

ISC BITSTREAM:  The third and final pass of the ISC compressor.  This pass
is a lot better than the others, but together they all do better than not.
Figure that one out.

JAMCRACKER MODULE: Another music module. Use DeliTracker to hear this file.

JOHN_DOE (CRUNCHED BUT UNKNOWN x 5):  All of these crunchers are of the
ADDRESS-CRUNCHER type, that is, that they decrunch the program to a FIXED
place in ram, and rarely do any of them check to see if they are going to
steamroll any other program in the process.  For this reason, it is best to
avoid the use of this type of cruncher if you want to feel safe, unless you
are having a "demo-viewing" session, where it doesn't really matter if your
machine crashes or not.  But for serious usage, files crunched with these
crunchers should be treated as lepers...

JPEG (JFIF) IMAGE:  The Joint Photographic Experts Group is the standards
group formed by the CCITT and ISO when investigating how best to
standardise image compression.  JPEG images may be either lossy or
lossless.  The JPEG standard contains spiecs for lossy and lossless, so
don't immediately think of "lossy" when you hear the term JPEG.  The JPEG
has (apparently) decided on the JFIF image type as a standard.  Technically
speaking, lossy compression works in three stages:
Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT);
Coefficient Quantisation; and
Lossless Compression (a Huffman based predictive/adaptive compression.)
Aren't you glad you read this?  JPEG is designed to be used on raw image
data (ie.  real 24 bit images) and not on pre-quantised images, like Amiga
HAM files.  So, don't JPEG HAM files.  It kills them!

JPEG (HSI-X) IMAGE:  See above.  Note that (I think) JFIF is now the JPEG
standard.  HSI-X was (is?) the standard used by the PC Handmade Software
company in their Alchemy program.  The HSI-X output is not compatible with
the JFIF output (at least it wasn't when I tried it ages ago!)

JR-COMM DATA FILE:  This filetype is output by JRComm as a type of
configuration file.  This is for loading your saved configs into JRComm at
a later stage.

LATTICE-SAS/C LINKER LIB:  This file is a specific filetype developed by
Lattice-SAS/C to complement their fantastic compiler. Each of these files
contains built-in definitions and data which can be called from a main
program.

LHA SELF-EXTRACTING ARCHIVE:  See below description on LHA[RC].  Stefan
Boberg's LHA archiver/compressor allows the manufacture of self-extracting
archives, which makes life very easy for those of us to lazy to learn the
"x" command in LHA...

LHARC CRUNCHED ARCHIVE:  This is the standard filetype from the output of
the LHARC data archiver.  The data in the archive has received a reduction
in size, (has been crunched) thus the CRUNCHED ARCHIVE part of the
explanation.  This filetype can be decrunched.  This is probably the most
popular archiver used on the Amiga today, as it has relatively good speed,
and OK unarchiving times.  Thanks must go to Mike West for pointing out the
difference between CRUNCHED LHARC files, and DECRUNCHED.  CFX PRO 5 now
also picks ALL types of LH compression, including STORED, LH1, LH5, and
anything else that may come along.  Also, there is apparently an old (??)
compression type called LZ4 compression.  CFX PRO 5 also knows most of
these filetypes.  Note:  LH5 has (in my opinion!) become the Amiga
standard, mainly because of the work of Jonathon Forbes (LZ) and Stefan
Boberg (LHA). Of course, it would be remiss of me to mention my opinion as
to which is the better archiver/compressor, wouldn't it? [footnote 4]

LHWARP (DISK-TRACKER) ARCHIVE:  This archiver filetype is received from
output from the LHWARP tracker.  This is archived data taken straight from
the disk, track by track (hence tracker) and then (usually) crunched and
stored in a file for modem transfer.  I don't think that this one can
encrypt your data, but I could be wrong...  Cf.  DMS

MACINTOSH HCOM SAMPLE:  Yet another sound sample filetype which is creeping
its way into our presences.

MANDELVROOM JULIA DATA (K.  CLAGUE):  This Kevin Clague filetype is for use
in his excellent program for Mandelbrot freaks, MANDELVROOM.  This is of
course a data file for a Julia set...

MANDELVROOM MANDEL DATA (K.  CLAGUE):  This is another of Kevin's data
output types from his MANDELVROOM program.  This particular data type is
for a Mandelbrot set...

MARTIN WALKER MODULE: Yes, another music module!

MASTER CRUNCHER 3 ADDRESS:  The second of the Master Crunchers to appear on
the Amiga.  (I say second, 'cos I've never seen, nor heard, of Master
Cruncher 2??) This Function of the MC3 was to crunch a block of executable
data and fix it to a certain address.  This had all of the address-cruncher
problems also, so it didn't get much use, so you probably won't get to see
many of these filetypes.

MASTER CRUNCHER 3 DATA:  The MC3 data cruncher was invariably useless, and
very few people tended to use it.  I think they would have preferred "ARC"
over this type, as it possibly wasn't trusted.  I've never personally come
across this filetype in all of my testing (apart from my own test data)
except for one strange occurrence:  The data type of Soundtracker songs is
almost identical to the data type of MC3's data crunch format.  In fact I'm
quite sure that the two are same.  Someone grabbed the MC3 data cruncher
code from the MC3 file, and whacked it into their Soundtracker.  Oh, well,
each to his own...

MASTER CRUNCHER 3 RELOCATOR:  This cruncher was definitely better at
crunching than its cousin, TNM's Master Cruncher 1, although it apparently
caused SO MUCH memory fragmentation that its use was discarded quickly.
Sounds like another filetype to avoid like the plague.  The crunched files
from this cruncher could be decrunched, if you can get the MC3 to run for
more than 5 minutes.  I couldn't, because I had a hard-drive, and the MC3
and hard-drive didn't quite get along (not unlike NoiseTracker II
really)...

MED MODULE:  A MED module is just a MED song, collected together with the
instruments required to play the song, in an uncompressed form. Therefore,
these modules can generally crunched to save disk-space.

MED SONG:  CFX now knows all version of MED songs, even the new OctaMED 4
and 8 voice songs. MED songs may contain it's instruments internally, but
then again, it might not.

MED SYNTHESISED-INSTRUMENTS:  MED is also able to synthesise its
instruments for use in its songs. For more information on synthesised
instruments, see SONIC ARRANGER SYNTHESISED-INSTRUMENT.

MEGACRUNCHER/SUPPLEX ADDRESS:  At first glance, this cruncher appears to be
just another yuck-o address-cruncher.  But NO!  This cruncher is just
another file/address-cruncher!  It claims to be an extension of the MC1,
but apart from them both being crunchers, there is little to compare.  This
cruncher doesn't do a great deal of *AMAZING* crunching, so I would leave
it alone.  A new version of this cruncher (just hacked and wanked) is
called the SUPPLEX cruncher.  This new version does nothing extra, apart
from minimally changing one of Megacruncher's output filetypes.  See also
SUPPLEX OBJECT.

MEGACRUNCHER OBJECT FILE:  This is the filetype output by the Megacruncher
program.  This is supposedly an "object" file cruncher, in other words, it
should crunch pre-linked object files.  I would find this extremely
difficult to believe, and as my test copy wouldn't run properly, I wouldn't
really know anything much about this file except that it could be dodgey.
I don't even know if you can DECRUNCH these files...

MOST DATA:  The data type as supplied on (amongst other things) the
MEGADISC (disk on a magazine).  I refer to this data type as "MOST DATA"
because I don't know the exact name of the cruncher used to compress the
data.  The file "MOST" that VIEWS the files has therefore lent its name to
this data type.  It is an adequate data cruncher, and is usually used on
text files, and some picture files so that the MEGADISC crew can pack a bit
more data on their release disks (usually with filenames like this:
"___T_H_E__P_I_C_T_U_R_E__F_I_L_E__I_S__H_E_R_E___._._.doc_".  Its author
is Richard Wynn and he doesn't supply the names for the MEGADISC files...

MUSIC ASSEMBLER MODULE: Yet another music module (has anyone heard of
standardisation? :)

MUTANT IMPLODER:  For some reason, all of the loonies are crunching their
wares!  And to make things even more annoying for us, they are mutating
most of these crunched files.  This means that none of the file-examiners
know the filetype of these files, and nothing can uncrunch them.  Now CFX
PRO 5 knows hundreds of combinations of these mutations, so finding a lot
of them won't be so hard.  CFX doesn't uncrunch them all (yet!?) Of course,
once the wankers check out CFX, they will produce mutations that CFX can't
pick, but that's just too bad.  If you find unknown (but obviously
crunched) filetypes, then get them to us, or else we can't update CFX.
Simple.

MUTANT POWERPACKER:  See above.

MUTANT POWERPACKER 3:  See above above.

MUTANT POWERPACKER 4:  See above above.

MUTANT TITANCRUNCH 1.1:  See above above above.

MUTANT TITANCRUNCH 1.2:  See above above above.

NOISETRACKER MODULE:  This filetype is a complete "song" package, including
the musical score, and instruments.  You need a good module player or a
good #?Tracker program to play it on, but it's worth it.  Even that other
platform (the MS-???  one) is using #?Tracker modules now.

NOISETRACKER SONG:  Again just the same format as the Soundtracker song
format.  The song data is crunched for efficient storage.  This filetype is
of identical format to the Master Cruncher 3 DATA output.  I wonder where
they got the routines from??...

NOVIRUS PROTECTION FILE:  This file has been manufactured by Nic Wilson (Hi
Nic!  SysInfo keeps telling me to "Phone You!" but I lost your number *;-)
Anyhow, if you find this file in your DEVS:  directory or something, leave
it there, as it's designed to fool those doofus viruses out there.

OBJECT MASTER:  Another mostly useless cruncher which has found its way to
the bottom of the heap.  Again, I know very little about this filetype
except that it is possibly an attempt at a file cruncher, and that you
probably want to throw it away, don't you?...

OKTALYSER SONG:  The song output from this very obscure little music making
program (have you ever heard 8 simultaneous voices on the Amiga?) This
filetype is a format unto its own...

OLD WHITTAKER MODULE: Yes, this is a Whittaker music module that is,
apparently old.

OUTLINE FONT BITMAP:  Well, as the name implies, this filetype is the
bitmap definition for a particular outline font.

OUTLINE FONT FUNCTION:  AKA "Outline Tag", or "OTAG" file.  Contains
pointers to the "bullet" filetypes for use with this outline font.

OUTLINE FONT TYPE/POOL:  The specific names of these outline font filetypes
elude me.  If you know of a better, more technical term to give these
things, then please email me with your ideas.  I should run a contest.
Naah.  Anyhow, this filetype is of the *.type type.  AKA "Bullet" data.

OWS ARCHIVE: A new disk-tracker which apparently calls upon LHA for
crunch-power. So... in other words, this is a neat frontend for LHA so that
you can crunch disks with LHA. Thanks to Anthony "A Yoda speak-alike who is
himself a hamster" Horan ([e-mail]) for supplying this
freakish program to me.

P-COMPRESS LH DATA:  P-Compress, from Chas A. Wyndham's P-Suite of
programs, is a multi-purpose compression tool which allows lots of
variations on data compression. Apparently the P-Suite uses Barthel and
Krekel's "lh.library" to obtain a fairly adequate compression ratio/speed.
P-Compress LH data is a file/files that has been compressed by P-Compress.

P-COMPRESS PACK DATA:  P-Compress also allows the saving of mulitple data
"chunks" or parts into a single conglomerate, much like the way other
archivers do, like LhA, for instance.  This archive "pack" can be
compressed or not.

P-READER DATA:  P-Compress allows the saving of data in a special way
which will allow the P-Reader program to automatically know which form of
display to use. P-Reader can apparently show P-Compressed text and
pictures, and P-Reader can read a special number from the compressed data
which informs it whether or not the display mode for this data is PAL or
NTSC. CFX knows both PAL and NTSC compressed modes.

PACKIT:  A fairly good attempt at producing a "professional style" cruncher
for the Amiga.  This cruncher outputs a fairly bizarre address-crunched
header and data.  PACKIT has two crunch modes:  RELOCATOR and DATA.
RELOCATOR is a bizarre but standard address-cruncher.  The DATA mode is
very much akin to ByteKiller's data compression abilities.  There is
nothing amazing about this cruncher except for its slowness, which is
phenomenal.  Thankyou to Andy Garth for showing me this one...

PAGEFLIPPER-PLUS ANIMATION:  The output filetype of the PAGEFLIPPER
animator package, which I must admit, I have never felt inclined to use, or
even acquire.  Probably incompatible with ALL other anim filetypes...

PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT:  For you PAGESTREAM freaks out there, I thought that
I'd include these in case you got your directories mixed up.  I don't know
anything about these PAGESTREAM filetypes except that PAGESTREAM uses them.
Besides, if you use Pagestream, you'll know what these are...

PAGESTREAM EXPORT DRIVER:  See PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT...

PAGESTREAM FONT DATA FILE:  See PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT...

PAGESTREAM FONT MAP FILE:  See PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT...

PAGESTREAM IMPORT DRIVER:  See PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT...

PAGESTREAM PREFERENCES: This is saved you choose to save your current
settings from PageStream.

PAGESTREAM PRINTER DRIVER:  See PAGESTREAM DOCUMENT...

PAK ARCHIVE:  This is a self-unpacking archive filetype.  This is from the
"PAK" program (by Mark Riley??) and doesn't offer very much in the
archiving line...

PC EXECUTABLE FILE:  Yuck!  At least we can find these, I suppose.  This
is, as you guessed, an I*M PC executable (*.exe) file.  There doesn't seem
to be a regular pattern of bytes in the PC's *.com files, so I don't find
those.

PC PAK ARCHIVE:  A new, and fairly cunning archiver on the PC, which I
haven't as yet seen on the Amiga.  This sports fairly comprehensive
compression, and good uncrunch speeds.  Don't get too excited, however.

PC-TASK CONFIG FILE: Is another "saved settings" filetype and allows PC-Task
to set itself up properly the next time you run it.

PCX IMAGE:  Yes, another alien graphics format!  This is one of the
innumerable PC graphics formats, that we all love to try and convert to
HAM.

PHOENIX DISCRUNCHER:  A weird little disk-tracker utility that took
approximately 40 minutes to crunch a blank disk on my 1 meg Amiga 500.  I
won't say anything more about this filetype except:  ooooh.

PIXEL 3D IMPORT SETTINGS:  This filetype is generated by the object
manipulator, PIXEL 3D, when you decide to save your IMPORT settings.

PKAMIGAZIP ARCHIVE:  An Intuition ZIP archiver filetype.  I haven't
personally used ZIP (except on the AT) so I don't really know how much
better than LHARC it is, if at all!?  Of course this is a decrunchable
filetype...

PKAMIGAZIP PREFERENCES:  As above.  This filetype is the direct consequence
of saving your default preferences from within PKAMIGAZIP.

PMBC IMAGE:  PMBC is an acronym for Black Belt's new bitplane-wise
compression technique, called "Plane Minimising Bitmap Compression".  Wow.
Didn't A. J. Brouwer have a bitplane-wise cruncher in '87?  Where's
Apple's "look-and-feel" litigators when you need them?

POSTSCRIPT FONT HEADER:  (PageStream) This file is necessary for Pagestream
to use PostScript printer resident fonts.  Also .PSF files are necessary
for using Compugraphic fonts with PostScript printers IF they represent a
resident Postscript Printer font, which SOME do.

POSTSCRIPT DATA:  (include various master software's output/input, ie.
AdPro postscript output, PageStream, SOFT LOGIC FONT POSTSCRIPT DATA FILE
(Superceded) and COMPUGRAPHIC FONT POSTSCRIPT DATA FILE etc.) The
POSTSCRIPT BINARY FILE is no longer used by version 2 and above of
PageStream.  Used to be necessary to hold a data file which had to be
downloaded to the printer.  It is now used for Compugraphic fonts which are
not internal to the PostScript printer.  They are data files which define
the font for the PostScript printer.

POWER WINDOWS DATA:  One of the more useful programs to be written in the
past decade, this output data type is from the POWER WINDOWS, the
programmer's Intuition tool...

POWERPACKER COMMAND <3:  The second best file cruncher around (at the
moment!) that I've personally seen.  Various "Turbo" versions have sprung
up from various (dodgey) sources of late.  They all work the same, and
present the same output, which this is a part of.  The "<3" part of my
description is to inform you that CFX will find PP filetypes BEFORE version
3 of PP.  Nico Francois has written PP3, which looks like it should give
IMPLODER a run for the top cruncher spot.  This filetype (again!) is
GENERALLY decrunchable, unless, of course, you run into the dreadful MASTER
crunch.  MASTER crunch is a standard crunch mode with (what appears to be)
two or three different machine-words of information in the decrunch-header.
This allows MASTER crunched files to run perfectly well, but you can't
uncrunch them with PowerPacker (any versions) in normal mode.  When you
enter MASTER mode in PP, it says:  "Welcome to MASTER MODE, MASTER CRUNCH
activated!" Only then can you uncrunch MASTER crunched files.  I now know
how to get into MASTER mode in PP, because Michael Chamberlain told me!
All of the PowerPacker filetypes have a MASTER equivalent, except the data
modes, and (I think) PowerPacker 4 stuff.  CFX PRO 5 (we hope) knows them
all.

POWERPACKER 3 COMMAND:  Still the second best file-cruncher around.  This
release of PowerPacker, version 3, appears to have more features than
previous versions, but the crunching power of the 3 ISN'T greatly improved.
This filetype can only be decrunched with version 3 of Power Packer.  The
crunching method used is similar to before, but the decrunch header has
been totally rewritten.  There aren't many more changes apparent, except
for the built-in TURBO crunch.  Turbo Imploder wins again.

POWERPACKER 3 ENCRYPTED COMMAND:  Appears to be standard PP command-
cruncher filetype except that to decrunch this file with PP again, you will
need the password, as in PP DATA-ENCRYPTION.  This file performs as desired
under execution.  It's just that you can't decrunch it easily unless you
have the password.  The passwording technique used by the author is fairly
intricate, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone writes a decoder for the
thing...

POWERPACKER 3 OVERLAYED COMMAND:  Not to be out-done by the Imploders, PP 3
can now crunch overlayed files.  This type of file (overlayed) is displayed
by CFX by having an "O" as the second flag in its listing.  Like Imploder,
PP 3 only loads the initial Reloc_32/16 hunks into memory, and then
crunches that data.  It then appends the "overlayed" hunk sections to the
bottom of this crunched data, and finally prepends its own decrunching
header to the file and saves it out for you.  Standard application of the
Imploder idea.  I don't know who thought of it first, but it's not a bad
idea, but not too effective really (as far as crunching overhead goes!)
This filetype cannot be ENCRYPTED by PP 3 as yet, but don't worry, the
author will probably figure it out shortly...

POWERPACKER 4 COMMAND:  A very much improved version of PowerPacker is
version 4.  AmigaDOS 2.0 look and feel.  No Enforcer hits.  Slick, fast,
reliable.  Buy it!  You need it!  Its options are innumerable.  This is the
standard PP4 filetype which is output by PP4.  This filetype is NOT
decrunchable by lower versions of PP.

POWERPACKER 4 ENCRYPTED COMMAND:  As above but the program is also
encrypted, using a bastard of a cypher.  Fairly much secure.  You have to
enter the password in a tiny string requester before this program will run.
If you don't know the password, then keep trying.  There can only be a
couple of zillion combinations to go...

POWERPACKER 4 LIBRARY:  Check out the POWERPACKER 4 COMMAND entry, and
combine it with the IMPLODER LIBRARY entry, and then think hard.  This is
very similar to the IMPLODER library crunched file except that the library
is different!  Again only decrunchable by PP4+.

POWERPACKER 4 ENCRYPTED LIBRARY:  Check out the POWERPACKER 4 ENCRYPTED
COMMAND entry, and the POWERPACKER 4 LIBRARY entry.  They tell all!

POWERPACKER 4 LIBRARY OVERLAY:  As with the above, except that the file is
overlayed.

POWERPACKER 4 LOADSEG:  Hmm, to be honest, I haven't really looked at this,
so I might just have a guess.  The file isn't executable.  I would then
guess that you would need to have a LoadSeg() patch active so that when the
LoadSeg() function is hit by a file with "PPLS" as the first longword, it
could jump/re-route to a decrunch routine which would then launch the
decrunched data as a standard AmigaDOS file?  Jees, I hope this is right...

POWERPACKER 4 LOADSEG OVERLAY:  Please see above and add the word overlay
generously.

POWERPACKER 4 OVERLAY:  As with the POWERPACKER 4 COMMAND entry, except
that this file is also overlayed.  Check the CFX documentation on
"OVERLAYS".

POWERPACKER DATA:  This is the PP data crunch filetype, which is again
identical to previous versions of the PowerPacker data cruncher.  Data is
interchangeable between versions of this type.  This is filetype is
generally decrunchable...

POWERPACKER DATA-ENCRYPTION:  The same as above, except that you will
need a password to decrunch the data.  If you don't know the password I can
suggest a fix:  delete the thing...

POWERPACKER PREFERENCES:  This filetype is default preferences which are
saved by POWERPACKER 3+ (?) so that you can have PowerPacker customised the
next time you run it. (Oh lord, it is late!)

POWERPLAYER MODULE CRUNCHER:  This fletype is output by the PMC utility,
which is designed to crunch music modules like SoundTracker and
NoiseTracker modules.  PMC uses the "lh.library" to crunch the modules.
Not terribly impressive.

POWERVISOR STRUCTURE DEFINITION:  PowerVisor, the debugger to end all
debuggers.  Apparently a program in the PV distribution called "MSTRUCT"
will build a "PVSD" file for you.  This is practically (I think!?) a data
type used by PV for looking up certain structure types within a given
situation/library-base.  PowerVisor is a hard-core program.

PRE-LINK OBJECT MODULE:  This filetype is brought about by compilers and
assemblers before it is LINKED to form an executable file.  It is also
sometimes used to make reference libraries for programmers...

PRINTER FONT BINARY:  (Adobe PostScript Type-1 font) Hinted outline vector
font designed for use with PostScript printers.  They are a PC standard.
Used by programmes such as Ventura.  Contains the actual outline data
necessary for printing.  (These most often have the suffix omitted).

PROPER GRAMMAR DOCUMENT: The world's pickiest grammar checker has its
own intermediate document save format. You're looking at it. [AH]

PSYGNOSIS MODULE: Another (proprietary?) music module format.

QOWERQACKER DATA:  Yes, you read it right. As featured in PowerVisor, the
debugger. Why? Because he was bored maybe? Who knows why. This file is
nothing but a PowerPacker data file, with the first two bytes of it's
header changed from "PP" to "QQ". Quite novel, really.

QUARTERBACK BACKUP FILE:  This is the file that can be output by
QuarterBack 5.00+ (?) when you specify that the backup is to be sent to a
file instead of a device. This file may be encrypted and/or compressed.

RED SECTOR DEMOMAKER DEMO:  This is a funny little filetype which should
prove which coders are really coding their demos.  The RS Demomaker allows
the user to make a demo and then save it out, as such.  This filetype is
the direct result of this output.

RELOKIT:  A truly wonderful piece of crap this program.  Use PowerPacker to
decrunch and rebuild this poor file.  Relokit fools with the original file
and outputs this garbage, which is neither crunched properly, or changed
significantly for the better...

REORG PREFERENCES: The default settings saved by the ReOrg program. Next
time you load it up, voila! your settings are how you want them!

RESOURCE .RS MODULE:  The best Australian program ever written:  RESOURCE
by Glen McDiarmid, from Ipswich, QLD.  He has worked his butt off to make
this the best disassembler/debugger on the market.  It's workings are
almost unfathomable, as it is *SO* intelligent.  No, I'm not being
sarcastic, this is the real thing.  This filetype is from this sublime
program, and can only be used with paid-registered original copies of
RESOURCE...

RESOURCE MACRO DATA:  ReSource allows you to save your internal macro
definitions, so that you can load them again tomorrow, instead of having to
re-define them again! [footnote 5]

RESOURCE *.RCL FILE:  This filetype is now supplied with ReSource version 5
and allows you disassemble files very easily.  This filetype is a
pre-defined set of disassembly rules that can be applied to a file to be
disassembled.  The RCL file then checks things out and does its work,
automagically.  Some files are almost fully disasembled after running one
of these babies over them.

SAS/C GST: Version 6.00 of the brilliant SAS/C compiler for Amiga allows
the user to manufacture pre-compiled header files for your project. What
makes the GSTs different from old (version 5) pre-compiled header files is
that the GST files are made resident by the compiler, so that each new
compile for that project doesn't need to reload the pre-compiled headers.
Compilation times can be greatly decreased using GSTs.

SAS/C SCOMPACTED HEADER: Using the SAS/C "SCompact" program, these filetypes
can be made from normal (uncompressed) C include-headers. SCompact strips
irrelevant information from the headers, and allows for a faster loading
header file.

SAS/C TRACEBACK DUMP:  See IFF-PGTB.

SCENERY ANIMATOR DATA:  I don't know much about this one, so I won't say
much.  If you have paid for the SCENERY-ANIMATOR program, then you will
know what this filetype is when told "SCENERY ANIMATOR FILETYPE"...

SHANGHAI SOLO GAME SAVE: The in-game save you did when you found the
perfect tile layout in the one game everyone should own (but try
buying it these days!), Activision's unsurpassed and superb Shanghai. [AH]

SHANGHAI TOURNAMENT GAME SAVE: You've been playing beat-the-clock in
Shanghai, and look! Here's the file that has your piffling score along
with the four people who are better at the game than you are (there
are ALWAYS four people who are better at Shanghai than you are...) :-)
[AH]

SIMCITY SCENARIO:  One of the coolest games ever! This is a city scenario
datafile for this top game. This datafile is interchangeable with other
platform's versions of SimCity.

SOFTWOOD FILER II PROJECT:  The very best small-end database for the Amiga.
This is the output from the SOFTWOOD FILER II database...

SOFTWOOD OUTLINE FONT: Some bright spark at Softwood decided that,
just to be different, they'd create their own outline font format for
Final Copy that's totally incompatible with Commodore's. Blah. [AH]

SONIC ARRANGER SAMPLED-INSTRUMENT:  I had a look at SOAR from a Fish disk.
Looks incredibly good, I must say.  If I had a shred of musical talent, and
some patience, I would probably register a copy of it.  Anyhow, this
filetype is of course a sampled instrument which is for use with this
software.

SONIC ARRANGER SONG:  As above.  This filetype is song data to be used for
SOAR.

SONIC ARRANGER SYNTHESISED-INSTRUMENT:  As above, except that this filetype
is a "manufactured" instrument.  Instead of having a huge sample (digital
recording) of a snare-drum, you can actually fiddle with SOAR's
synthesiser, and "make" really cool sounding instruments, which when saved
out, are heaps smaller than samples, and can sound even better than
samples.  The old Aegis product "Sonix" had a cool synthesiser, but not as
cool as this baby...

SOUNDBLASTER VOC SAMPLE:  Talking about sounds, I've just plugged in to
Jarre's Equinox.  Lovely.  Anyhow, this filetype is from the MS-DOS side of
town.  The SoundBlaster is a "peripheral" [footnote 6] which allows an
MS-DOS PC to beep in 12 stereo voices, instead of one mono voice.  The VOC
sound filetype is best played on a SoundBlaster, as it sounds like shit on
the Amiga's "built-in" [footnote 7] sound hardware. There are increasing
numbers of software projects that will convert all of these weirdo sound
types to Amiga IFF-8SVX or whatever.

SOUNDTRACKER MODULE:  See NOISETRACKER MODULE...

SOUNDTRACKER SONG:  See NOISETRACKER SONG...

SPIKE CRUNCHER:

STANDARD-FILESYSTEM BOOTBLOCK:  Just a normal "GRABBED" AmigaDOS bootblock,
generally of 1024 bytes length, but it can be more, depending on the
program that it was grabbed with...

STARTREKKER MODULE (4 & 8):  Yet another module/music maker.  This one
allows 4 and 8 voice music to be composed.  The data can be saved out as 4
or 8 voice modules.  CFX knows both.

STARTREKKER MODULE INFO:  I cannot remember what this one was. See above.

STONECRACKER:
STONECRUNCHER:  These appear to be different versions of the same thing.  A
standard-ish address-cruncher.  Both by "Mr. Spiv of Cave", I think.  I
don't know why I remembered that information, but it stuck in my head for
some reason. I don't think these two are decrunchable.

STONECRACKER 4.01 ABSOLUTE: Mr. Spiv (alias Jouni Korhonen of StoneWare
SoftWorks) has rewritten StoneCracker. Version 4.01 features a new look and
feel, and slightly different operation. It claims to be the fastest Amiga
cruncher, and could be probably right, although the XPK 'Nuke' protocol may
kick its arse. This is the address crunch output from SC 4.01. This
appears to be a standard absolute-address decrunch job, which means, it
don't ask the system, it just takes from the system.  This type of file can
hurt your friendly multitasking environment, to say the least. This type
is apparently decrunchable.

STONECRACKER 4.01 COMMAND: This particular manifestation of SC 4.01 is the
command (relocator) output. The file format of this crunched-type is very
similar to Imploder, featuring large BSS hunks for instant ram-load (why
not let DOS allocate everything for you?) and probably features the same
purported memory problems as Imploder. This type is also apparently
decrunchable.

STONECRACKER 4.01 DATA: See above two entries. This is the data output from
SC 4.01. This type is not executable. This may be helpful for data
storage/docs/pics etc., but why bother using this when LhA or PowerPacker
do the job better anyhow? This type is also apparently decrunchable.

STUFFIT ARCHIVES:  CFX now knows two A??le platform StuffIt archive types.
I don't know of any Amiga version of StuffIt, either cruncher or
decruncher, so you'll need a friend with a Mac to decrunch it for you.
[footnote 9]

SUN MICROSYSTEMS AUDIO SAMPLE:  Yet yet yet another sound sample filetype
from an alien platform, although if anyone want's to give me a SUN
workstation, I'll have it.  Again, this filetype is convertible to
something Amiga-ish, so if you really want this sample, get it converted.

SUPER-CRUNCHER:  Yet another address cruncher.  This one isn't really so
super.  It's just the same as the other twenty-gonzillion address
crunchers.

SUPPLEX OBJECT:  This is the filetype output by the SUPPLEX cruncher.  This
is supposedly an "object" file cruncher, in other words, it should crunch
pre-linked object files, much like the MegaCruncher (which this is a
hack-up version of.) The outputs from this cruncher (like MegaCruncher) are
so ineffectual, and so lame that I cannot see why you'd use this cruncher.
I don't even know if you can DECRUNCH these files...

SYNCROPACKER ADDRESS:  Practically just another address-cruncher, with
nothing special to contribute to the world of Amiga owners.  Has the usual
address-cruncher problems, and doesn't appear to be decrunchable...

SYNCROPACKER RAW:  The Syncropacker data filetype is like its crunched file
brother in that it is next to useless, and not decrunchable...

SYNTHESIS MODULE: Arrrggghhh! Another music module!

TEMP GIF FILE (M.  PODLIPEC):  This is the output of Mark Podlipec's GIF to
HAM program (or is it HAM to GIF?) I can't remember...

TETRAGON 'TETRAPACK':  Probably the best loved (and hated) of the address-
crunchers.  This is the cornerstone of address crunchers, as it is very
good for what it does.  It allows chunks of executable code to be crunched
and fixed to a certain address, and then decrunched to the same address.
It is especially found in demos, and cracked games, as it rarely crashes if
it is the only thing running.  Tetrapack also has the capability of using
the mega/pro decrunch mode, which allows it to start up games right at any
moment inside the game's code, sort of like a software version of
FreezeMachine.  Love it or hate it, it's going to be around for some time
yet.  CFX PRO 5 knows a few different versions of this cruncher.  Generally
not decrunchable...

TIFF IMAGE: Another acronym, this time for Tag Image File Format. These
files are files commonly used in the graphic computer world (Mac, Sun,
NeXT, IBM, etc.) There are usable Amiga utilities around that allow you to
interchange between IFF and TIFF. I don't know just how popular the TIFF
standard is amongst Amiga enthusiasts, but it's probably growing.

TIMECRUNCHER:  Another address-cruncher that does nothing but steamroll
certain memory areas.  Not decrunchable, however, so it's annoying.

TITANCRUNCH 'OVERLAYED':  This is a new concept in crunching.  The title
may suggest that this cruncher is FOR overlayed files.  Quite the opposite
is true.  This cruncher takes NORMAL non-overlayed programs, and crunches
them, then writes out this output filetype which IS overlayed.  Because
overlayed programs are hard to get at (ie.  prying fingers) this offers
some form of primitive protection.  It also allows machines low on memory
to load in a part of the program, decrunch it to memory, and then continue
on loading small parts of the program and decrunching, thus eliminating the
need for HUGE memory areas for decrunching.  The decrunching process
appears to takes significantly longer than other crunchers however.  To
decrunch this one, you will need the new PowerPacker, version 3... Or, get
the newer TitanCrunch 1.2. This will allow you to uncrunch most TitanCrunch
files, but NOT the newer TitanCrunch 1.2 protected version. Another
Imploder protection scheme to haunt us!

TNM'S MASTER CRUNCHER 1:  Probably as close to the first file-cruncher that
we will get.  The New Masters they were called.  This cruncher uses
classical crunching techniques, along with adequate crunching rate and byte
kill factor.  The decrunching speed of this filetype is quite inoffensive.
Easily decrunched by itself (MC1) or just about any PowerPacker.  This
probably leads to memory fragmentation, although I haven't witnessed it
first hand.  Probably the overall most-oft-used file cruncher in the
world...

TRISTAR DOUBLE ACTION:  The Double Action cruncher claims to be about the
best cruncher around.  I found otherwise.  It constantly crashed on my
2000.  I didn't even get to benchmark it alongside IMPLODER and PP.  This
output type is of the address-cruncher type, in other words, it decrunches
its program straight to memory.  Probably not decrunchable.  It probably
has many different crunching modes, but as none of them would work, I was
hard-pushed to get a header file from any of them, but I did (just)...

TRYIT CRUNCHER:  This jewel is by "Bernd!" I just *love* this program.  I
would give up a dirty weekend in Niagara with Kelly Bundy to meet with
Bernd! and talk address crunchers [footnote 10].  The description of this
cruncher I gave to my beta-testers was "...another sluggish address
cruncher..." and this filetype is the fruit of Bernd!'s sweaty loins.

TSK (?):  This little beauty just kept on avoiding and avoiding.  I
couldn't get a header file or anything from it.  Crash, crash, crash etc
etc.  Appears to be another address-cruncher, probably written to celebrate
that Lars had cracked his first copy-protected disk.  Good on you Lars...

TUC (THE ULTIMATE CRUNCHER):  This filetype comes from a cruncher which
probably contained the world's first encrypted command crunching.  This
program was hard to fathom since it's titles/instructions were written in
something akin to German, or was it French, or Ethiopian? Yet again,
another address cruncher.

TUFF ADDRESS:  A nicely cleaned up version of Bytekiller, sporting a speed
increase of around 30%.  This speed increase is because of a shutdown of
just about all DMA stuff, except the crunching routine.  Slightly better
crunching too, I must add.  How do I know this?  Because I wrote the thing.
It is essentially another address-cruncher, with the same problems as
before, but it is quicker.  Generally not decrunchable, but with some
trickery can be decrunched...

TURBO SILVER OBJECT:  An output of this type is from Impulse's Turbo Silver
raytracing program.  This is a specific object ONLY, and not a scene file.

TURBOSQUEEZER:  From the French:  TURBINE, generally accepted larrikinism
for "SPEED"; also SQUEEZER, meaning to make smaller, to crunch.  How wrong
they could be.  This cruncher is neither TURBO (ie.  fast) nor is it a
squeezer, as it often makes your files BIGGER.  This is a hybrid cruncher
that defies explanation.  Generally not decrunchable, but you can try if
your brain can take it... This flaming article also now covers
TurboSqueezer 8, which does other amazing crunching feats, but nothing
truly stupendous. TurboSqueezer 8 now has two different decrunch header
types: short and long. Wow, guess what the difference is!? Yep, one is
green, while the other one can't whistle.

VIDEOSCAPE 3D CAMERA FILE:  Videoscape 3D output file for camera
positioning inside of animation "scenes"...

VIDEOSCAPE 3D MODEL FILE:  Output file describing various parts of a
centralised "OBJECT" or "MODEL" to be placed inside of a scene, so that
Videoscape 3D can render the scene, complete with the model.  The model can
be designed with various "modeling" software (ie.  Aegis Modeler)...

VIDEOSCAPE 3D MOTION FILE:  Videoscape output file describing the movements
of essential parts of a "scene" within a Videoscape 3D animation...

VIDEOSCAPE 3D SETTING FILE:  Output file from Videoscape 3D describing the
aesthetic parts of a Vscape animation scene...

VIRUS CHECKER PREFERENCES:  VirusChecker by John Veldthuis will alow you to
save your defined preferences to your SYS:  disk so that next time you run
Virus Checker, you won't have to re-define your setup.  This filetype is
that preference file.

VIRUSZ PREFERENCES:  VirusZ will save this default configuration file when
you tell it to. This file holds information about the setup of VirusZ so
that the next time you run VirusZ, it will remember how to set up your
default environment, and keep you happy.

VISTA DEM DATA:  Vista is one of these new graphics programs that make
pretty, very realistic pictures of real or imagines places from sets of
numbers.  Vista generates landscapes and pseudo-landscapes which look quite
cute.  Additional to your selected numbers, Vista will act upon other
"base" data, which is released by the Meteorological Dept. every so often.
This data is known as DEM data (I cannot remember what DEM stands for at
the moment!) The DEM data is collected via satellite.  This data is
apparently in some generic form that these programs can read, and can
generate cute pictures from.  This filetype is of that datatype.

WARP (DISK-TRACKER):  One of the first disk-trackers to be presented to the
Amiga.  It is the predecessor to DiskMaSher, and from the same company.  Of
course, DiskMaSher has now made WARP redundant.  Used to archive certain
(or all) tracks from a disk, crunch them, ready to send via modem, or to
store for archival purposes.  Of course this one is decrunchable...

WAV SOUND SAMPLE: Windows (?) sound sample for PC/compats.

WHITTAKER MUSIC MODULE: From the genius of David Whittaker. This is a
custom filetype which is practically a self-contained music playing
package. Some good module players do indeed play these filetypes along with
the more famous *tracker music types.

WHOINFO DATA FILE: Data file needed by the program WhoINFO.

WORDWORTH PREFERENCES: Defaults file saved by Digita's interesting but
kludgy word processor, WordWorth. (Well, at least it comes with an
British dictionary...!) [AH]

WORKBENCH .info FILE:  Just the usual icon files, really.

XPK <multi>: The eXternal Protocol: Kompression library set. This is a set
of well thought out compression functions placed into shared libraries.
There are many diferent compression algorithms at use here, and CFX should
know them all. For further information on each XPK filetype, see the
appropriate XPK readme file in the XPK user's release.

ZAP DISK ARCHIVE:  Apparently a "better disk-tracker/archiver than LHWARP"
but I wouldn't bet on it.  The old Zap tracker generates these filetypes
after crunching a disk for you.  Probably best avoided since it's not
really a well-known archiver.

ZOO:  Another interesting Amiga file archiver, which was one of the best
until the spate of Lempel-Zev/Huffman encoding algorithms ended its reign
of superior archiver.  Now LHARC and PKAZIP have taken over from this one,
but you will probably see this filetype around occasionally.
decrunchable...

ZOOM (DISK) ARCHIVE:  A new disk-tracker from Olaf Barthel, I think.
(Correct me if I'm wrong!) I haven't really used it much, so I only know
that it crunches a disk, track by track.  That's it really, other than it's
generally decrunchable.  CFX knows several different versions of ZOOM,
since there has been a few updates since ZOOM's filetypes were originally
added to CFX.  CFX knows:
-v5.0;
v5.0+
v5.0+ encrypted.
The encrypted filetype is a new type with version 5.0+ of ZOOM.  This
filetype is decrunchable, and appears to be quite usable.  From my tests,
however, DMS 1.11 runs slightly better than ZOOM, although I haven't
performed tests lately.

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[1]  Red and white chequered floor with shiny mirrored balls.
[2]  Conditions apply.
[3]  Lovely plumage the Norwegian Blue!
[4]  LHA kicks ass. Oh, that reminds me. What I want for Xmas, part 1:
      Kelly Bundy.
      A version of Shrink that runs as fast as LHA 1.32.
      Thanks...
[5]  It's 05:00am, and not even G'n'R UYI 1 can save me now.
[6]  "Peripheral" from the MS-DOS dialect meaning "..to add something as a
     complete afterthought, generally costing the fool buying it a fortune.."
[7]  "built-in" from the Los Gatos dialect meaning "..to have an inkling
     about hardware design.." [footnote 8]
[8]  Not to be confused with C= strategies or C= employees.
[9]  First check with A??le and ensure you don't owe them a squillion in
     back-payments for defaulted licencing infringements.
[10] Well, I'm lying. So sue me.

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CFX ⌐ 1988+ Bob Rye
Outline fonts ⌐ 1990+ Agfa Corporation