AFX
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AFX Version 0.1
19.08.91
--------------------------
Automatic
File
Extractor
With this Program it is possible to unpack and use files which were packed
with LHarc. The only difference users will notice is in the speed of access:
A Floppy-drive will seem to accelerate to the speed of a Hard Disk or
RamDisk.
1. Packing of Files:
--------------------
AFX supports only LZ5-Files, these must have the suffix 'AFX'. AFX-Files can
be generated and packed with LHarc V 2.01d.
The Compress function of LHarc is called with the Command 'c', then you
must specify the Filename (including Wildcards). The Files are then all
SINGLE Packed and Saved under their own name.
With the Command
C *.*
all files will be compressed.
2. How it works:
----------------
When a File is opened, an automatic check is carried out to ascertain
whether the file has a valid LHarc-Header and is LZ5 packed. If this is the
case then sufficient memory will be reserved to perform the unpacking.
There are two possibilities:
1. Not all Programs can satisfactorily handle errors on opening. With
this in mind AFX contains its own custom memory-management, which
in this Version can process 20 KB.
2. A buffer will be needed for the unpacked data. The bigger this
Buffer is, the faster the file will be processed, but also the more
memory is occupied. If, for example, a Buffer of 128KB is available,
things will go very quickly. Note that 1MB is needed for for 10 open
Files. In this Version the Buffer is set at 2KB.
On installation AFX occupies about 23-24KB. Only if many Files are opened
simultaneously will more memory be called upon.
On Registering this parameter will be increased.
3. What functions are supported?
--------------------------------
At the moment only the Functions fread, fseek, fopen and fclose are
supported. Also fsfirst always returns the Length of the unpacked File.
It cannot unpack Program Files. Instead these are given the special suffix
PFX. The companion program PFX will deal with these.
4. Speed:
---------
Short files (up to 10KB) are read-in at approx. 55 KB per Second.
Larger files are read at approx. 70-90KB per Second -- depending on Buffer
size.
5. Future Versions:
-------------------
- If a single Byte in a File is changed then the file must be re-packed,
otherwise errors will occur.
6. Shareware:
-------------
AFX and PFX are distributed as Shareware. Each Program is priced at 20 DM,
but both as a package are available for just 30 DM. Registered Users are
entitled to Updates for 10 DM.
The registered version of AFX contains:
- Adjustment of the Buffer size, in order to maximise speed.
- A faster fseek routine.
- No start-up screen to annoy you!
- The very latest versions of PFXPAK, Fortune and LHarc.
7. "History" of past versions:
------------------------------
Version 1.3:
- It was faster than V1.2.
Version 1.2:
- This gave some problems with a few Programs. This has now been cured.
Version 1.1:
- Limited in the files it would work with. Keyboard interface had a few
bugs which caused occasional crashes.
Version 1.0:
- First Version to run properly. Before there were great unreliability
problems and the Source Text needed to be totally revised.
You can contact me at the following address:
Thomas Quester
Lampenland 9
2050 Hamburg 80
Germany
Tel: 040/7205431
Btx: 0407205431
BLZ: 20010020
National Giro Hamburg: Account_number: 6220 12-201
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