UnSquish version 1.0, by Steffan in 1996 ======================================== 1. What is UnSquish? ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ An Intuition interface to the XFD library. In plain English, this means that UnSquish is a virtually universal decompresser. It will unpack most packed files (but not archives). 2. Installing UnSquish ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Drag the icon to whereever on hard- or floppy-disk you want to install it. You must also have xfdmaster.library version 37 or above installed in LIBS:. If you don't have a suitable version, one is supplied in the UnSquish/libs/ directory. Just copy it into LIBS:. 3. Using UnSquish ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A. From Workbench Double-click on UnSquish's icon. The program will open its status window, and put up a standard ASL file selector. Choose the file you want to decompress. UnSquish will load it; if it is a crunched file, you will be asked to confirm that you want to decrunch. If you choose to do so, the file will be decompressed, and the file selector will re-open so you can save the file. You can abort the save by canceling the file selector. Once the file has been saved/canceled, you have the option of loading and decompressing another file. In the event that decrunching fails, due to corrupted data for example, UnSquish will inform you of the failure. You will then have the chance to load another file, or quit. If you click once on UnSquish's icon, hold Shift, and double-click on another file's icon, UnSquish will load that file instead of initially putting up the file selector. Alternatively, if you are using AmigaOS version 3 or above, you can drag an icon into the file selector (I don't think this works under AmigaOS 2 but I may be wrong). B. From Shell Synopsis: UnSquish [file] If "file" is specified, UnSquish will load that file and attempt to decompress it. If "file" is not specified, UnSquish will use the file selector. Other than that, UnSquish behaves identically from Shell as it does from Workbench. 4. Bugs and limitations ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ No known bugs (now watch someone prove me wrong :-) UnSquish can't cope with encrypted files, eg those produced by PowerPacker with its encrypt option, or by some XPK encrypters. It will try to decompress, but will fail with a "wrong password" error. A password entry facility will be included in the next release. Executables that have been packed by some "dirty" packers get irrevocably altered by them. Whilst UnSquish will unpack the programs, they will not work in their decompressed state. Fortunately, not many people use this kind of packer any more. The two most common Amiga packers (PowerPacker and Imploder) are perfectly safe. People who have been using xfdmaster.library for some time will know that extra decrunch modules (called "slaves") are available for it. UnSquish does not support these slaves. This should not present much of a problem, as all the common decrunchers are included in xfdmaster.library. Only a few obscure ones exist as slaves. UnSquish requires AmigaOS release 2.00 (Exec version 36) to run. This is only a limitation if you have AmigaOS release 1.3.3 or below... 5. About packers ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ File packers are great. However, some are more efficient than others. As an example, take the old packer "Turbo Squeezer". Whilst it packs pretty well, newer packers (such as my favourite, Imploder) are more efficient, both in terms of file size and speed. However, Imploder has no option to decrunch files packed with old packers. This is where programs like UnSquish come in. Armed with UnSquish, you can decompress programs compressed with old packers, and recrunch them with Imploder (no, the authors of Imploder (Peter Struijk and Albert Brouwer) are *not* paying me commission! :-) Imploder does not support data files, only executables. For data, I recommend the XPK system. If you have xpkmaster.library installed, XFD (and hence UnSquish) will decompress files compressed with any of the XPK slaves that you also have installed. Isn't is confusing that XPK and XFD look so similar :-) Never use dirty "absolute address" packers. It is impossible to decrunch them properly. Programs like xfdDecrunch (by Georg Hörmann) can *sort-of* get them decrunched and working. But it isn't easy; UnSquish doesn't even try. 6. History ---------- - UnSquish v0.1 (21-Aug-96, internal beta release only) · First release. - UnSquish v1.0 (25-Sep-96, first public release) · Small bug in window drawing code fixed. · Now requires xfdmaster v37+ (previously required v36+). 7. Plans for the future ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Add password entry facility for encrypted files. Write a version that's okay under AmigaOS 1.2/1.3x (will be short of quite a few features though), if there is demand for one. 8. Legal stuff ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ xfdmaster.library is copyright İ1996 by Georg Hörmann. UnSquish is copyright İ1996 by Stephen Williams (no, Steffan is not my real name :-). UnSquish is freeware. It may be uploaded to bulletin boards and distributed by PD libraries, provided only a nominal charge is made for distribution. UnSquish may be included on magazine cover disks. If you wish to include UnSquish on a cover disk, please write and let me know. UnSquish may not be included in any commercial package without the permission of the author. UnSquish is not in the public domain. It may not be modified in any way. No-one may make any profit from UnSquish. 9. How to contact the author ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Throw snail-mail at: Stephen Williams, 9, Helmsley Way, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6BG, England.