¢¢¢¢¢ ¢ Documentation for SUPER ARC version 2.0 and SUPER UN-ARC version 2.3¢ By: Robert Puff 11/21/88¢ ¢ WHAT IS ARC?¢ ¢ Arc is short for Archive. It is a program (actually in this¢ case, two programs) that allow you to "Archive" or compress one or¢ more files into a single .ARC file for later retrieval. Arc is¢ available for many computer types; a file created on one will be able¢ to be unarced on another. The only exception to this that I am aware¢ of is the CP/M version of Arc for the Commodore. Super Arc uses¢ several mathematical compression techniques to reduce the size of the¢ data to be compacted by as much as possible. "Why would you do that"¢ you ask? A number of reasons, but primarily Time - Time is money.¢ This can be realized when downloading a file from a long-distance¢ BBS, or from a pay service such as CompuServe or GEnie. Super Arc¢ will compact your file(s) as much as it possibly can, which averages¢ around 30%. As a bonus, Super Un-Arc will uncrunch files created¢ with AlfCrunch, so separate programs are not required! Also included¢ in Super Un-Arc is the code necessary to un-squash files. Squashed¢ files are created by Phil Katz's PKPAK utility for the PC. This¢ makes Super Un-Arc THE most compatible unarchiver for the 8-bit! You¢ must, however have an expanded machine for this feature.¢ ¢ Arc is not the same thing as Diskcomm (Disk Communicator, a¢ program I wrote back in '87.). Diskcomm is designed to compact¢ entire floppy disks sector-by-sector, making an exact copy of the¢ disk; while Arc is file-oriented. What this all means is if you have¢ a disk that is self booting, or looks for data in specific sectors,¢ you should use Diskcomm to turn that disk into a file for easy¢ transfer. If however, you wish to transfer only a few of the files¢ on the disk, or the files on the disk are not dependent on being¢ specifically located at a certain sector, then Arc is the program to¢ use. Please remember that Disk Operating Systems (DOS) look for¢ specific sectors, so they should NOT be compacted by Arc. Diskcomm,¢ while it does have compaction techniques, is not as sophisticated as¢ Arc; so if you REALLY want to make the smallest file of a boot disk,¢ you could Arc the Diskcommed file. Be sure, however, that the person¢ receiving your file knows he must go through two processes to recover¢ the disk: UnArcing the file, then unDiskcomming the resulting file!¢ ¢ ¢ SETTING UP SUPER ARC & SUPER UN-ARC¢ ¢ Both of the files, ARC.COM and UNARC.COM are binary, command¢ files. This means they should be loaded from your DOS menu by¢ selecting the LOAD BINARY FILE option. If you are using a command¢ processor DOS (such as DOS XL or SpartaDOS), simply type the first¢ part of the filename at the prompt. If you are using Atari DOS 2.5¢ with the RAMdisk handler, you will need to do a little more in¢ set-up. Go to your DOS menu, and do the following:¢ 1. [C]opy DOS25.MOD,ARC.OBJ¢ 2. [C]opy DOS25.MOD,UNARC.OBJ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ 3. [C]opy ARC.COM,ARC.OBJ/A¢ 4. [C]opy UNARC.COM,UNARC.OBJ/A¢ What you have just done is added a patch to the beginning of Arc &¢ Unarc, to fix a bug in DOS 2.5. Use the ARC.OBJ and UNARC.OBJ files¢ now; both ARC.COM and UNARC.COM may be deleted.¢ ¢ You may wish to set up Super Arc & UnArc on a separate disk¢ with a menu program. There are many public domain menu programs that¢ will fit the bill; just be sure the loader program is capable of¢ loading Binary files, not (just) BASIC programs. Super Arc & UnArc¢ will automatically disable the internal BASIC on XL/XE machines, so¢ there is no NEED to hold the OPTION key when booting. (SpartaDOS is¢ the only exception to this rule: because of a bug, BASIC will not be¢ turned off.) Technical note: Super Arc & UnArc initially load in at¢ $6F00, then relocate themselves to LOMEM. Thus there is no conflict¢ with a certain value of lomem. If the size between LOMEM and HIMEM¢ is insufficient, the program will print the message "NOT ENOUGH¢ MEMORY" and exit.¢ ¢ ¢ USING SUPER ARC¢ ¢ Once the program has loaded, you will be presented with a¢ number of parameters on the top of the screen, and a menu. (If you¢ are using a command processor DOS, you may specify commands on the¢ command line as an alternative of using the menu. Please see the¢ section below entitled 'USING SUPER ARC WITH CP DOSES'.) First, the¢ parameters will be discussed. To modify them, press [P], then use¢ the arrow keys to move to the desired parameter. Now hit [RETURN] to¢ toggle between YES and NO. Press [ESC] when finished.¢ ¢ Screen Off: If this option is enabled, the screen will narrow¢ to a single status line in the middle of your screen during the¢ compaction process. This will increase processing time by 30%. If¢ there is a need for more user-input, or if any errors occur, the¢ screen will be restored. If this option is set to NO, the screen¢ will remain unchanged.¢ ¢ Disk Swaps: This option is for single-drive users. If this¢ option is enabled, you may use a different disk as your destination¢ (using the same drive). This is helpful when the source and¢ destination will not all fit on one disk. Make sure that your source¢ and destination disks are formatted in the same density! Also,¢ follow the prompts VERY carefully. If this option is set to NO, or¢ if you specify different source and destination drives, you will not¢ be prompted.¢ ¢ Compact with Query: If this option is set to YES, as Super¢ Arc finds each file, you will be asked if you wish to compact it.¢ This is useful for selecting exactly which files on a disk you want¢ to include in the archive. At the prompt, you may answer [Y]es to¢ compact the file, [N]o to skip it, [P] to change the source¢ drive/mask, [1-9] for disk directories, or [ESC] to finish arcing.¢ If this option is set to NO, all files found will be compacted.¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ ¢ Crunch Only: A brief explanation of the arcing process is in¢ order here. When you compress a file with Super Arc when this option¢ is set to NO (it defaults to NO), the program first analyzes the data¢ in the first pass to determine which of the three types of¢ compression would create the smallest file. The three types are:¢ Storing, where no compaction is done; Packing, where repeated bytes¢ are "packed", and Crunched, where the data is run through a¢ sophisticated compressing routine. It then reads the source a second¢ time, actually compacting the data this time. The "Crunching" method¢ of compaction is usually the method used most often (perhaps 90%).¢ If this option is set to YES, Super Unarc will not analyze the file;¢ it will only Crunch it. This takes only 1/2 the time, since the¢ compaction process is done only once instead of twice. The¢ disadvantage is that on those files that will not benefit from¢ Crunching, you will not have the smallest possible file.¢ High-resolution picture files usually fall into this category.¢ ¢ Special note for SpartaDOS users: If you set the Crunch Only option¢ to YES, Super Arc will initially crunch the data, but if it¢ determines that Crunching is not the best, it will re-write the file¢ using the best method. This may seem to be the best of both worlds;¢ however, the file will still be the same length. If you add more¢ files to the archive, the unused space will disappear. What this all¢ means is that if you want the smallest file possible, leave this¢ option set to NO. If you want to do it quick, and aren't too¢ concerned with size, set this to YES.¢ ¢ Password Encrypt: Setting this option to YES will cause the¢ arced file to be encrypted with a special password you enter. The¢ only way to recover the file created will be if the person unarcing¢ your file enters the same password you used. I STRONGLY recommend¢ you not use this feature often, because it is HIGHLY unlikely you¢ will be able to recover the file without it. The password is not¢ hidden anywhere in the file, so you can't look for it. When this¢ option is set to YES, Super Arc will ask for the password after you¢ have entered the destination filename. Pressing [RETURN] will cancel¢ the password, and continue as normal. The password is not case or¢ inverse sensitive, but should not contain any spaces if you wish to¢ use an IBM or ST to unarc the file. Setting this Password Encrypt¢ option to NO (as it is by default) will not use any password data,¢ and will compact as normal.¢ ¢ Those are the parameters that are on the top of the screen.¢ On the main menu, there are more options. You may format a floppy or¢ RAMdisk in either single or double density by typing [F]. Selecting¢ [D] will allow you to delete file(s). You may use these two options¢ to prepare your destination disk for the destination file.¢ ¢ Selecting [G] will cause your computer to reboot (act as if it¢ had been turned off, then back on). This is helpful for preserving¢ the contents of RAMdisks when switching programs. For XL/XE users:¢ remember to hold [OPTION] down while pressing [G] if you want to¢ reboot without internal BASIC.¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ ¢ Pressing [H] will return you to your DOS menu, or to the¢ command processor if you are using a command processor DOS.¢ ¢ Disk directories may be done by pressing the drive number¢ (1-9), then entering the subdirectory pathname to view. Simply hit¢ [RETURN] here to view the main directory. Disk directories may be¢ also done at the "Enter Source Filemask" prompt, and the Compact with¢ Query prompts.¢ ¢ ¢ HOW TO ARC A FILE¢ ¢ Change any parameters you wish in the top box, then type [A]¢ to Arc file(s). Super Arc will now ask you for the destination¢ filename. ".ARC" will be added to the filename specified, so you do¢ not need to specify the extender. Type the drive identifier and¢ filename. (Examples: D2:TESTER, D6:FILES>SAMPLE) Drive 1 (D:) will¢ be assumed of no "Dx:" is specified. The program will now open that¢ destination file.¢ ¢ Now you will be prompted for the "Source Filemask". Super Arc¢ is now asking you which file(s) you want to put into this single¢ destination file. If you wanted to arc all files on drive 1, you¢ would enter "D1:*.*" [RETURN]. To arc only the file "TEST.BAS" on¢ drive 2, you would enter "D2:TEST.BAS" [RETURN]. This is basically¢ the same as entering the source when using the copy file feature of¢ your DOS. Subdirectories are supported! To arc all files ending¢ with .COM on drive 3 subdirectory MOD, use "D3:MOD>*.COM" [RETURN].¢ ¢ If you set the Compact with Query option to YES, the program¢ will display each filename it finds, and ask you if you want to arc¢ it or not.¢ ¢ The compacting process will now begin. If the Crunch Only¢ option is set to YES, the number of bytes saved will be displayed¢ after the file was compacted. Otherwise, the resulting size of each¢ compacting process would occupy will be displayed, along with which¢ of the three types Super Arc chose. If the Screen Off option is set¢ to YES (as it is by default), you will just see the message¢ "Compacting xxx". Your screen will be restored after it is done.¢ ¢ Note for SpartaDOS users: Super Arc will save the time and¢ date of each file automatically. If the source is not in Sparta¢ format, or if using any other DOS, the date of 09/01/88 and time of¢ 12:00 PM will be saved.¢ ¢ After the file(s) have been compacted, you will be prompted¢ for the source filemask again. If you have any more files to add,¢ enter them now. Otherwise, press [RETURN], and your archive will be¢ complete! If you ever get a disk error while arcing, the destination¢ file should be deleted. It will not have meaningful data.¢ ¢ If you have an arced file, but want to add some more files to¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ it, you may use the [B] function from the menu, Add to an Archive.¢ This functions identically to arcing a file from scratch, except the¢ data will be added to the destination file you specify. Be sure your¢ destination disk has as many sectors free as the length of the Arc¢ file to which you are adding, because Super Arc must copy the¢ contents of that file into another temporary file to properly append.¢ The temporary file is then deleted. If there are any problems adding¢ to an arced file (such as if the file you are adding to is not in Arc¢ format), the message "Cannot add to file" will be displayed.¢ ¢ ¢ USING SUPER ARC WITH CP DOSES¢ ¢ You may invoke Super Arc to perform certain functions without¢ having to use the menu when using Command Processor DOSes such as DOS¢ XL and SpartaDOS. Super Arc will return to the CP after it is done,¢ or upon an error. The following is the proper syntax:¢ ¢ [Dn:]ARC [Dn:][path>]filename[.ext] Dn:[path>]source [/ACPQSX]¢ [password]¢ ¢ The first parameter is the destination filename. Remember¢ .ARC will be added to it if you do not specify an extender. The¢ second parameter is the source filemask, and the third optional field¢ is the options desired:¢ A = Add to the existing source archive¢ C = Use Crunch only (with SpartaDOS, this isn't really what it means:¢ re-read the section on Crunch Only for explanation)¢ P = Use the fourth parameter as an encryption password¢ Q = Compact with query¢ S = Have screen remain fully on¢ X = Enable Disk Swaps¢ ¢ The default (no third parameter field) is: Screen Off-YES,¢ Disk Swaps-NO, Compact with Query-NO, Crunch Only-NO, Password-NO.¢ The fourth parameter is only used if the password [/P] is specified.¢ Some examples:¢ ¢ [Dn:]ARC D2:TEST D3:*.BAS /QSC¢ ¢ Will ask you if you want to arc each file on drive 3 ending¢ with .BAS, leaving the screen on, and enabling the Crunch Only¢ option. It will write the result to D2:TEST.ARC.¢ ¢ [Dn:]ARC TEST MYFILE.OBJ /P DATA¢ ¢ Will compact file MYFILE.OBJ on the current drive, and write¢ the destination to the file TEST.ARC on the current drive. It will¢ use the word "DATA" as a password.¢ ¢ [Dn:]ARC D1:TEST2 D3:*.* /AC¢ ¢ Will arc all files on drive 3, and add them to the already¢ existing file TEST2.ARC on drive 1. It will enable the Crunch Only¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ option.¢ ¢ ¢ USING SUPER UN-ARC¢ ¢ Super Un-Arc operates much like Super Arc, except it is doing¢ the opposite - Taking a single source, and writing out one or more¢ destination files. The following is a list of the parameters in the¢ top box of Super Un-Arc. To save space, refer back to the parameter¢ section of Super Arc for some of these.¢ ¢ Screen Off: (same as in Super Arc).¢ ¢ Disk Swaps: (same as in Super Arc).¢ ¢ Over-Write: This is a safety feature. If a file already¢ exists in the directory you have specified with the same name as the¢ file being uncompacted, Super Arc will ask you if you want to¢ overwrite your existing file. Typing [Y] will overwrite it; pressing¢ [N] or [RETURN] will skip the file and proceed to the next entry.¢ Pressing [ESC] will abort the unarcing process. All the above will¢ take place if the Over-Write option is set to NO. Setting it to YES¢ will not prompt you, and will overwrite any files having the same¢ name.¢ ¢ Extract with Query: If this option is set to YES, the program¢ will display each entry in the arced file, and ask you if you wish to¢ uncompact it. This is handy for viewing just the text files in an¢ archive. Setting this option to NO will extract all files.¢ ¢ Time/Date Stamp: This option is valid only under SpartaDOS.¢ Setting this option to YES will cause the destination files to be¢ written out with the original time and date of the file when it was¢ first Archived. Some arc programs do not save the time and date, so¢ if you get a bogus value, you know why. If this option is set to NO¢ (as it is by default), the current time and date will be used.¢ ¢ Password Encrypt: This option is to be used when the source¢ file has been encrypted with a password. If this option is set to¢ YES, you will be asked for the password after entering the¢ destination pathname. Pressing [RETURN] will disable the password¢ (incase you inadvertently turned it on). The password can be 1-20¢ characters long, and is not inverse or case sensitive. If you use¢ the wrong password, you may get a "File is Corrupted" message, but¢ the destination file will be corrupted.¢ ¢ As with Super Arc, the [D]elete, [F]ormat, [G] Reboot, [H]¢ Return to DOS, and [1-9] directories function just as in Super Arc.¢ See the section entitled 'Using Super Un-Arc with CP DOSes' for¢ information concerning passing parameters to Super Un-Arc.¢ ¢ You may view the contents of an arced file by typing [V].¢ Enter the source filename. ".A??" is added to the end of the source¢ filename you enter, so if the extender is .ARC or .ALF (for Arc and¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ AlfCrunch, respectively), the file will be read.¢ ¢ ** PLEASE NOTE IF THE SOURCE FILE HAS NO EXTENDER, ADD A [.] PERIOD¢ AFTER THE SOURCE FILENAME! **¢ ¢ This means if you have a file on drive 3 named TEST (no extender),¢ you should enter "D3:TEST.". If the file was named TEST.ARC, then¢ you would only have to enter "D3:TEST". When viewing a file, each¢ filename, compaction method, and expanded sector size (in¢ single-density sectors) will be shown. The total number of single or¢ enhanced density free sectors needed to uncompact all the files will¢ be displayed at the end. When using double-density, divide the¢ counts by 2 (approximately).¢ ¢ ¢ HOW TO UNARC A FILE¢ ¢ To un-arc or un-alfcrunch a file, first change any parameters¢ you wish in the top box; then type [A]. Enter the source filename¢ (and extender if it is not .ARC or .ALF - see the paragraph on¢ [V]iewing files for information on the source filename). If the file¢ is not found, an "Error 170" will result. You may then use the¢ directory functions to locate the correct name, and try again.¢ ¢ You will now be prompted for "The destination pathname or¢ drive # (& mask)". Entering data at this prompt will do two things:¢ it will tell Super Un-Arc where to put the destination file(s), and¢ it will also tell which files you wish to recover. If you wanted to¢ extract all files and place them on drive 2, you would simply press¢ [2] and [RETURN]. If you wanted to place them in a subdirectory¢ called "SUBDIR" on drive 3, you would use "D3:SUBDIR>". You may also¢ use "E:" to make the output go to the screen (for viewing text files:¢ use Control 1 to start and stop), or P: to route the output to your¢ printer. Using "N:" will extract each file, but throw away the data¢ (N for Null device). The use for this feature is to test the¢ integrity of the source file (to see if there might be some bad bytes¢ in it).¢ ¢ Also with this prompt, you may select which files to extract¢ from the archive file. For example, if you viewed a sample arc file¢ and found two .DOC files, you could print them out by unarcing to¢ "P:*.DOC". The same thing applies to disk files; to extract all¢ files ending with .BAS in an archive to drive 1, use "D1:*.BAS".¢ (Just "D1:" by itself will extract all files.) Wild cards are not¢ necessary; if you wanted to extract a single file, you could just¢ type in that filename after the destination drive identifier. So¢ there are two ways to extract certain files: enable the Extract with¢ Query option, and/or specify the filespec when entering the¢ destination filemask.¢ ¢ The uncompressing process will now begin. Each filename,¢ compression type, uncompacted length in single-density sectors, and¢ the number of bytes saved by the compaction will be displayed. If¢ you specified a subdirectory for the destination and it is not found,¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ Super Un-Arc will ask you if you wish to create the directory.¢ Subdirectories are supported for MYDOS and SpartaDOS. If a file¢ exists on your destination with the same name as the one you are¢ about to uncompact, the program will ask you if you wish to overwrite¢ the file ONLY IF the Over-write option is set to NO.¢ ¢ If you have turned on the "Extract with Query" option, the¢ program will prompt you if you wish to extract the file displayed.¢ Pressing [Y] will extract it, [N] will skip and go to the next entry,¢ [P] will allow you to change the destination drive number/path/mask,¢ [1-9] will allow you disk directories, and [ESC] will terminate the¢ un-arcing process.¢ ¢ If Super Un-Arc has a problem opening up the destination file,¢ you will be given an error recovery menu. This will allow you to¢ change the destination drive number/path/mask, and do directories.¢ If you gave the wrong drive number, or your destination was¢ write-protected, you can fix it here, then press [RETURN] to¢ continue. If you wish to bail out, press [ESC].¢ ¢ If you have the "Screen Off" set to yes (as it is by default),¢ you will only see each filename as it uncompacts. If you have the¢ "Disk Swaps" set to yes, the screen will remain on, so that you can¢ see when to insert the proper disk. If the screen is "off" and you¢ wish to turn it on, Press [SPACE]. When Super Un-Arc extracts the¢ next file, the screen will be restored.¢ ¢ The uncompressing process will continue until completion or a¢ major error. If you get the message "File fails CRC check", that¢ file is corrupted and should probably be discarded. The version 1.2¢ of Arc program written by Ralph Walden had a bug that caused this to¢ occur quite often, sometimes because it DID put bad bytes in the¢ file, other times not. If you see a file that was "Squeezed" with a¢ CRC error, it was probably caused by this 1.2 Arc program - Use the¢ file at your own risk. If you get CRC errors on any other type of¢ compacted file, the files ARE bad! If the CRC error is followed by¢ the messages "Not an ARC or ALFCRUNCH file" or "File is corrupted",¢ the source file is bad. You may occasionally get the message "Not an¢ ARC or ALFCRUNCH file" at the end of uncompacting an AlfCrunch file.¢ This is due to extra bytes at the end of the file caused by improper¢ X-modem routines; but all the file(s) will be intact.¢ ¢ Super Un-Arc 2.3 now supports un-squashing, a method do¢ compaction recently introduced by IBM, ST, and commodore computers.¢ This new method of compaction requires 16K of additional memory;¢ memory that is really not available on the standard 8-bit Atari.¢ However, if you have a 130XE, upgraded 800XL, or an Axlon-compatible¢ upgraded 800, the last bank of extra memory in these machines will be¢ used. Un-squashing is totally automatic - it is used just like the¢ other methods. If you do not have any extra memory, and you try to¢ unarc a file that was squashed, the program will give you the message¢ "You need >=128K to unsquash", and will end.¢ ¢ When viewing or uncompressing a file, Super Un-Arc verifies¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ that the file was indeed created by Arc or AlfCrunch. If it is not,¢ it checks to see if the source file was compacted with Diskcomm, or¢ is a binary file. It will report what it finds, or "Not an Arc or¢ AlfCrunch file" is it cannot determine. If there are any garbage¢ bytes at the beginning of the file (caused by older terminal¢ programs), the program will search ahead to find the true start.¢ ¢ ¢ USING SUPER UN-ARC WITH CP DOSES¢ ¢ As in Super Arc, the program supports parameter passing with¢ command processor DOSes such as DOS XL and SpartaDOS. If there are¢ no parameters specified, or if they are in an improper syntax, the¢ program will ignore them, and display the menu. This is the proper¢ syntax for Super Unarc:¢ ¢ [Dn:]UNARC [Dn:][path>]filename[.ext] Dn:[path>][mask] [/OPQSTX]¢ [password]¢ ¢ The first parameter is the source file (remember ".A??" will¢ be added to the name, so specify the extender if it does not begin¢ with .A), the second is the destination drive number, or path (and¢ mask), and the third optional parameter is the options desired:¢ O = Over-Write set to YES, will overwrite any file with the same name¢ as the destination¢ P = Use a encryption password (the fourth parameter, which is only¢ used with this option)¢ Q = Extract files with Query set to YES¢ S = Have screen remain full during uncompaction¢ T = Use time/date stamp from source file when writing destination¢ files¢ X = Disk Swaps set to YES, for single drive users¢ ¢ You may specify none, any, or all (in any order). The default¢ without any options is: Screen Off:YES, Disk Swaps:NO, Over-Write:NO,¢ Extract with Query:NO, Time/Date stamp:NO, Password encrypt:NO. The¢ fourth parameter is only used if the password [/P] is enabled. Some¢ examples:¢ ¢ [Dn:]UNARC D2:TEST 3 /QS¢ ¢ Will uncompact the file D2:TEST.A?? to drive 3, extract with¢ query, and have the screen remain on.¢ ¢ [Dn:]UNARC TEST.JNK P:*.DOC /P DATA¢ ¢ Will uncompact all .DOC files to the printer from the file¢ TEST.JNK on the current drive. It will use the word "DATA" as the¢ password to unencrypt the archive.¢ ¢ [Dn:]UNARC D7:MOD>MYFILE N:¢ ¢ Will verify the integrity of the file MYFILE.A?? in the¢ subdirectory MOD of drive 7.¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ ¢ ¢ CLOSING COMMENTS¢ ¢ I had originally desired to put both Arc and Unarc programs¢ into one, but due to memory constrictions, this was not possible.¢ Both programs require tables over 16K in length, so it leaves little¢ for the program itself. In fact, if you use Super Arc or Un-Arc with¢ a cartridge installed, you will have VERY small I/O buffers.¢ ¢ I would like to take the time to thank all the people who have¢ helped by debugging, giving hints, etc, but this file would be 10K¢ longer! :-) However, a special thanks goes out to all GEnie users,¢ who helped test these two programs, and to Frank Walters, for his¢ intensive de-bugging efforts! Also a special thanks to Glenn Garman,¢ who makes sure everyone can understand my documentation!¢ ¢ A good deal of time has been spent on these programs - much¢ longer than I intended. The public domain, however, needed a good¢ Arc and Unarc program. So I have released this program as Shareware.¢ What this means is that you may use it as you like, and give it to¢ your friends, clubs, etc, without cost. However, I would ask that¢ you consider the time and effort involved in creating a program such¢ as this. Making it compatible with all DOSes was no small feat! If¢ you enjoy the program, consider sending a token of your appreciation.¢ This will provide incentives for me to keep updating and writing¢ other quality utilities for the Atari 8-bit. If you have any¢ suggestions, donations, comments, etc, please send them to:¢ ¢ Robert Puff¢ Suite 222¢ 2117 Buffalo Rd¢ Rochester, N.Y. 14624¢ ¢ I may also be reached on GEnie (mail address is BOB.PUFF), and¢ on these local BBS's:¢ ¢ The Moose BBS (716) 381-5139¢ The Lakeside Manor (716) 338-2453¢ ¢ ¢ TECHNICAL NOTES¢ ¢ Super Arc & UnArc both use the vectors provided at HATABS for¢ screen and keyboard I/O, so re-direction should present no problems.¢ Both programs load in at $6F00, then relocate to LOMEM. If there is¢ not enough room between LOMEM and HIMEM, the programs will display an¢ out-of-memory message, end exit. The remainder of memory from the¢ end of the program to HIMEM is used by input/output buffers; the¢ bigger the buffer the faster the program will run. (Super Arc will¢ just fit when a cartridge is present.) Built-in BASIC will be¢ disabled automatically, unless SpartaDOS is detected. The programs¢ detect Sparta by looking for a "S" in location $0700.¢ ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢ A graphics 0 call is made when the program exits, to maintain¢ compatibility with programs that play with the display list such as¢ TDLINE. Screen memory is saved, so the data on the screen is¢ preserved. If you wish to include Super Arc & UnArc in specific¢ application software (such as a graphical Operating System), please¢ get in touch with me, as small modifications to the program could be¢ easily done.¢ ¢ If you are using MYDOS version 4.0 thru 4.3C, you may wish to¢ upgrade to version 4.4. Super Arc & UnArc will work correctly with¢ the older versions, but certain functions will be much slower. The¢ new version 4.4 of the DOS at the time of this writing is about to be¢ released to the public domain, so obtaining the new version should¢ not be a problem.¢ ¢ Both Super Arc & UnArc support three delimiters for separating¢ subdirectory names: The colon [:], the greater-than sign [>], and the¢ backslash [\].¢ ¢ Bob Puff 11/21/88¢ ¢ P.S. A version 2.1 of UnArc managed to sneek out the same time a¢ small bug in the program was discovered. Also, version 2.2 of UnArc¢ had a bug in uncompacting very large squeezed files. If you have or¢ see this version, or any earlier version of this program for that¢ matter, please delete them.¢ ¢ ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
