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1990-05-04
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INTRODUCTION
NOAH's archive utility is a file compression program which uses a
new compression algorithm I developed while engaged in research in the
computer graphics laboratory at a major University.
Originally designed to compress screens containing graphics
characters for transmission to a raster display, the algorithm has been
incorporated into NOAH's archive utility and provides a higher degree
of compression than any other archive utility.
FILES IN THE SHAREWARE ARCHIVE FILE
NOAH.EXE - For use on 8088/8086 processors.
NOAH.DOC - Documentation in ASCII format.
NOAH286.EXE - For use on 80286/80386/80486 processors.
NOAHD.EXE - Stand alone decompression utility.
NOAHMAKE.EXE - Creates batch files for use with NOAH.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
The programs on this disk have received copyrights in 1989 and
1990. These programs are not in the public domain. These programs have
been released as shareware. Shareware is a concept where the author
allows you to test and evaluate the software for a reasonable trial
period before you decide whether or not to purchase the software.
INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE
I suggest that you make a backup of the distribution disk before
using the software. The steps listed below be followed to be sure you
have a complete working backup.
1) Use DISKCOPY to copy the distribution disk.
2) Use DISKCOMP to verify the backup is identical.
3) Place a write protect tab on both disks.
Once the backup has been made, you will have to extract the files
from the archive storage file. Please see the READ.ME file on the
shareware distribution disk for complete information.
USING NOAH'S ARCHIVE UTILITY
There are just two commands you have to know about. These are used
on the command line when you call the program.
C compresses a file
D decompresses a file
For example, to compress the file FOO.EXE and store it in a file
named FOO.1 the command line would be as follows:
NOAH C FOO.EXE FOO.1
To decompress the file FOO.1 and store it in a file named FOO.EXE
the command line would be as follows:
NOAH D FOO.1 FOO.EXE
or
NOAHD D FOO.1 FOO.EXE
The second command would be used with NOAHD.EXE the stand alone
decompression utility. It is faster than using NOAH with the D command.
NOAH does not compress multiple files into one file. NOAH works on
a file by file basis which allows optimum compression to occur. NOAH
does not force you to use any particular file extension. You have total
control over what file extensions are used. You are required to enter
the name of the file to be processed and the name of output file.
USING NOAH IN BATCH FILES
NOAH can be used in a batch file to install software. This is the
easiest way to use NOAH for software distribution. You can provide
either an ASCII batch file, or use one of the batch file compilers if
you desire. The NOAHMAKE.EXE utility is provided on the disk and is a
great help when using batch files. The use of this utility will be
discussed in detail further along in the documentation.
A very simple batch file named INSTALL.BAT might look like this:
@ECHO OFF
NOAHD D %1FOO.1 %2FOO.EXE
NOAHD D %1FOO.2 %2FOO.OVL
NOAHD D %1FOO.3 %2FOO.OVR
NOAHD D %1FOO.4 %2FOO.DOC
In this case you would instruct the user to place the disk
containing the compressed files in a floppy drive and then enter the
following command:
INSTALL x: y: <ENTER>
Of course the user would have to substitute the proper drive
letters for x: and y: for the procedure to operate properly. This is
just a simple example of a batch file. You can extend it to any lengths
you require.
TEST RESULTS
Tests have confirmed that NOAH has a higher compression ratio than
any other archive utility currently available. Due to its proprietary
algorithm, NOAH CAN compress files which other archive utilities cannot
compress. In several instances NOAH compressed files while other
utilities produced compressed files larger than the original file. I
have enclosed excerpts from the tests to allow you to get a better idea
of how NOAH performs.
1) ASCII FILE COMPRESSION TESTS
For the test of compression on ASCII files we compressed 38
ASCII files ranging in size from 96 to 163,197 bytes.
2) .COM FILE COMPRESSION TESTS
For the test of compression on .COM files we compressed 27 files
ranging in size from 213 to 31,127 bytes.
3) .EXE FILE COMPRESSION TESTS
For the test of compression on .EXE files we compressed 32 files
ranging in size from 1,977 to 331,725 bytes.
4) SPREADSHEET COMPRESSION TESTS
For the test of compression on spreadsheet files we compressed
24 Lotus 123 spreadsheet files ranging in size from 6,197 to
31,262 bytes.
5) HARD TO COMPRESS FILES
There are certain files which resist compression. These include
files processed by a program compression utility as well as
dictionary files for numerous word processors and graphics files
from programs like Animator. We compressed 11 of these files
ranging in size from 4,0288 to 338,780 bytes.
After computing the totals for the tests it was determined that
NOAH consistently achieved the highest degree of compression followed
by PKZIP, LHARC and ARC.
FILES ORIGINAL NOAH PKZIP LHARC ARC
ASCII 598955 203687 216489 240766 281860
.COM 176671 127601 132720 128645 152763
.EXE 1166291 601215 623084 629002 825421
123 81055 30262 34932 37776 42092
HARD 440145 38243 440867 426331 440352
TOTALS 2463117 1001008 1448092 1462520 1742488
As you can see from the chart above NOAH provided the highest
degree of compression in all of the tests. This is due to the fact that
NOAH compresses each file as an individual unit. Many of the other
archive utilities select one compression method and use that method for
all of the files being compressed.
REPORTING A SOFTWARE PROBLEM
In the event that discover a problem, the author would like to
hear about it. After you have read the documentation to be sure you are
not doing something wrong, please fill out and return the enclosed
Problem Report Form, by U.S. mail.
Please fill out the form completely so the author can understand
what the problem is. If possible include screen dumps of the problem
you have found. If you have any unusual hardware installed please be
sure to include this information as well.
SOFTWARE WARRANTY
This software has been tested and found to be error free. The
author has taken all reasonable steps to be certain that this software
will perform as indicated. However it is impossible for any author to
test their software on every computer in existence today. The author
and his distributors cannot be held responsible for any damage, real or
otherwise that occurs from the use of this software.
For a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase the
author will attempt to fix any problems you might discover. If this is
not possible the author will refund your purchase price.
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help you.
The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an
ASP member, but does not provide technical support for member's
products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue,
Washington 98006 or send a CompuServe message via easyplex to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536.
REGISTERING NOAH'S ARCHIVE UTILTIES
Registration of this shareware is REQUIRED if you continue to use
the software after a reasonable trial period. I consider a reasonable
trial period to be thirty days. There are several registration options
available to select from. The first is a PERSONAL registration. This
allows you to run the software on one computer at a time. A PERSONAL
registration DOES NOT allow you to run the software on a network server
or under a multi-user operating system!
A COMMERCIAL registration is available for corporate, commercial or
governmental use where more than one person might run the software at
one time. This registration includes a site license for unlimited use
at one location and a network server license for use on multiple
networks at one location.
An EDUCATIONAL registration is also available. To qualify for this
you must attach the enclosed order form to your school's purchase order
or letterhead. Purchase orders are accepted from schools provided they
clearly indicate NET 10 DAY terms. An EDUCATIONAL registration includes
a distribution license allowing you to distribute copies to faculty,
staff and students.
All registrations include updates for a period of one year from the
date of purchase and technical support as required. After one year,
updates can be purchased for an update fee equal to thirty percent of
the license fee in effect.
To obtain an update during the one year period following your
purchase you must send a check or money order for five ($5) dollars to
the author to cover shipping and handling costs. Please use the
REGISTER.DOC file on the shareware distribution disk to register this
software.
USING NOAHMAKE
NOAHMAKE is used to create batch files for use with NOAH. These
batch files can be used to compress files or to decompress files. The
following procedure should be followed to use NOAHMAKE.
1) Change to the directory where the files to be compressed are
stored or create a new directory and copy the files to be
compressed to this directory.
2) Copy NOAHMAKE to the directory.
3) Run NOAHMAKE and read the information screen displayed.
4) Allow NOAHMAKE to create the batch files.
At this point in time the directory will contain the original files
plus two new batch files named COMPRESS.BAT and INSTALL.BAT. I have
included samples of the batch files below.
@ECHO OFF
REM CREATED ON 04-19-1990 AT 14:01:28 - FILE I.D. NUMBER 147894
REM THIS IS THE COMPRESSION BATCH FILE
NOAH C %1PW.COM %2PW.1
NOAH C %1MASTER1.SPC %2MASTER1.2
NOAH C %1MASTER2.SPC %2MASTER2.3
NOAH C %1MASTER3.SPC %2MASTER3.4
NOAH C %1PERSONAL.SPC %2PERSONAL.5
The COMPRESS.BAT file shown above contains the names of the files
found in the directory. NOAHMAKE.EXE, COMPRESS.BAT and INSTALL.BAT are
excluded from the list. Each line of the batch file calls NOAH with the
C (compress) switch and compresses a file. The programs keeps track of
the number of files and adds the number as the file extension.
You can see that I have added a variable to allow you to designate the
source and destination drives.
Calling the COMPRESS batch file as follows:
COMPRESS C:\PFS\ D:\
would instruct COMPRESS.BAT to compress the files in C:\PFS\ and store
them on drive D in the root directory.
@ECHO OFF
REM CREATED ON 04-19-1990 AT 14:01:28 - FILE I.D. NUMBER 147894
REM THIS IS THE INSTALL (DECOMPRESSION) BATCH FILE
IF %1dr == %2dr goto samedrive
NOAHD D %1PW.1 %2PW.COM
NOAHD D %1MASTER1.2 %2MASTER1.SPC
NOAHD D %1MASTER2.3 %2MASTER2.SPC
NOAHD D %1MASTER3.4 %2MASTER3.SPC
NOAHD D %1PERSONAL.5 %2PERSONAL.SPC
goto end
:samedrive
ECHO --- THE SOURCE AND DESTINATION DRIVES MUST BE DIFFERENT!
goto end
:end
REM The files will require 357683 bytes to install.
The second example above is the INSTALL (decompression) batch file.
This could be used (after being edited and/or compiled) to INSTALL the
files from the distribution disk. Note that the last line will display
the total amount of disk space required by the files. This number is
calculated by adding the size of each file included in the batch file.
NOAHMAKE creates very simple batch files. Each set of batch files
contain a file I.D. number. These I.D. numbers are used to be sure that
the COMPRESS file matches the INSTALL file. All of the lines starting
with 'REM' can be deleted once you are finished editing the batch
files.
The batch files are compatible with BATCOM a batch file compiler.
I suggest that you use the batch files created by NOAHMAKE as a
starting point and edit them to your specifications.
PROBLEM REPORT FORM
Please fill out this form completely and return it to the author.
Certain questions require you to fill in answers and others require you
to circle an answer.
Program: ______________________ Version: ___________________
Date: _________________________ Phone: _____________________
DOS version: __________________ DOS: PC - MS - 386MOS
EMAIL address: _____________________________________________________
Processor: 8086 80286 80386SX 80386DX 80486 NEC V20 NEC V30
Co-Processor: None 8087 80287 80387SX 80387 Weitek 1167 3167 4167
Floppy 1: 360k 720k 1.2m 1.4m Floppy 2: 360k 720k 1.2m 1.4m
Hard disk manufacturer:________________________________________
Hard disk capacity:____________________________________________
Disk controller: XT type AT type Interface: RLL MFM SCSI ESDI IDE
Please describe the problem in as much detail as possible. If possible
please include screen dumps commented to show the problem and any error
messages DOS or the program may have displayed.
Please return this form to the author. I will evaluate and attempt to
correct the error as soon as possible. If I require more information I
will contact you by phone or by EMAIL.
Richard Levey
151-28 22nd Avenue
Whitestone, New York 11357