RCSId: $Id: README,v 1.5 1995/04/08 20:23:48 Rhialto Exp $

Overview
********

   `xpkdisk.device' is an exec-style device that looks like
trackdisk.device and similar disks. The difference is that it compresses
its data and stores it in multiple files in an existing filesystem.

   * Version 37.8 works around a horrible bug that is really caused by
     XPK when track files are not compressible.  Look in the source
     file "devio.c" for details, near the symbol XPKBUG.

     The bug was pointed out to me by Ulrik Jensen <uj2001@hdc.hha.dk>.

   * Fixes a bug in xdClear which assumed that all partitions started
     at track 0.

     The bug was pointed out to me by Michael Barsoom
     <mbars@bluejay.creighton.edu>.

   * You can now change the XPKD: assign on the fly, if you're careful.

   * xdClear now works with the fake scsi.device, which does not seem to
     know about ETD_* commands.

   * Now keeps the old track file while writing a new one. The old
     track file is only deleted after successfully writing the new one.
     You have more control about what to do in such situations.

   * Now includes a utility to reclaim space from deleted files.

   * Now uses a hierarchical track naming scheme for faster access!

   * Now behaves better in cace of threatening lack of disk space.

   * Now handles read-only media.

   It uses the XPK (eXternal PacKer) standard to do the actual
compression.  This has many advantages:

   * You can choose which compression is most effective for your
     purpose. For one disk, you might want a very tight compression
     that is slow, for another you may prefer a faster but less
     efficient compression.

   * As soon as another XPK library is released, you can use it for your
     compressed disk(s).

   * Because each track is a standard XPK-compressed file, you can use
     the normal XPK utilities to uncompress your data, should you wish
     to do so.

   * You can change the compression type of a disk on-the-fly. All
     already compressed data remains perfectly usable, but upon
     re-compression your new choice will be used.

   * You can even manually decompress and recompress your disk (when
     xpkdisk is not accessing it, of course) with another compression
     method.

 PERMSSN    UID  GID    PACKED    SIZE  RATIO     CRC       STAMP          NAME
---------- ----------- ------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------ -------------
[generic]                 6993   17982  38.9% -lh5- dc3e May 24  1993 copying
[generic]                 1843    4344  42.4% -lh5- f128 Apr 12  1995 device1.a
[generic]                 4296   12773  33.6% -lh5- 2865 Apr  8  1995 device2.c
[generic]                 7970   27559  28.9% -lh5- 764b Apr  8  1995 devio.c
[generic]                  172     340  50.6% -lh5- 884a Dec 29  1993 Files
[generic]                 1459    4503  32.4% -lh5- d0de Apr  2  1995 Install-XpkDisk
[generic]                  421     810  52.0% -lh5- 1f23 Nov  8  1993 Install-XpkDisk.info
[generic]                 2239    5531  40.5% -lh5- 2a27 Apr  8  1995 magic.c
[generic]                  977    2264  43.2% -lh5- ec5f Apr  8  1995 Makefile
[generic]                  867    1938  44.7% -lh5- 1e45 Apr  8  1995 mkci.c
[generic]                  299     471  63.5% -lh5- 9299 Apr  8  1995 Mountfile
[generic]                  896    2084  43.0% -lh5- 1e7e Apr  8  1995 name.c
[generic]                 4533   13378  33.9% -lh5- 6932 Apr  8  1995 prefsmain.c
[generic]                 2483    7732  32.1% -lh5- facf Dec 29  1993 prefswindow.c
[generic]                 1213    5842  20.8% -lh5- 8d0b Oct 16  1993 prefswindow.gui
[generic]                  453     985  46.0% -lh5- 887e Oct 16  1993 prefswindow.gui.info
[generic]                  656    2424  27.1% -lh5- 2704 Dec 29  1993 prefswindow.h
[generic]                 1204    2385  50.5% -lh5- 0f04 Apr  8  1995 readme
[generic]                 1720    4113  41.8% -lh5- a81e Apr  8  1995 ripcord.c
[generic]                 7631   11884  64.2% -lh5- 7675 Apr  8  1995 xdClear
[generic]                 4634   14284  32.4% -lh5- b625 Apr  8  1995 xdclear.c
[generic]                 5044    7440  67.8% -lh5- af21 Apr  8  1995 xdName
[generic]                  945    2210  42.8% -lh5- 4642 Apr  8  1995 xdname.c
[generic]                 8775   14300  61.4% -lh5- 44fe Apr  8  1995 xdPrefs
[generic]                  319     522  61.1% -lh5- ee19 Aug 16  1993 xdPrefs.info
[generic]                 7335   12160  60.3% -lh5- 2b9b Apr 12  1995 xpkdisk.device
[generic]                12661   35297  35.9% -lh5- b303 Apr  8  1995 xpkdisk.guide
[generic]                  221     468  47.2% -lh5- ec72 Apr  1  1995 XpkDisk.guide.info
[generic]                 1918    4895  39.2% -lh5- b108 Apr  8  1995 xpkdisk.h
[generic]                11933   30527  39.1% -lh5- 7495 Apr  8  1995 xpkdisk.texi
---------- ----------- ------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------ -------------
 Total        30 files  102110  251445  40.6%            Apr 12  1995