Date   : Fri, 31 Jan 1997 11:12:17 +0000
From   : deweger <deweger@...>
Subject: Re: Disk image formats?

Robert Schmidt wrote:
> Wouter Scholten's format was proposed as a sort of a common denominator
> for BBC files.
>
> [praise for the archive format cut]
>
> Disk images, in comparison, are inherently hard to work with - even on a
> BBC or in an emulator.
> 
> No emulators support this format yet

Nope. It may seem weird that with 4 emulators and 4 disk/file format
standards (even more if you consider disk images of the different 
BBC DFSs), there's need for another format (the archive format).

Robert is right that disk images are much less flexible than the
archive format (which sports separate files and cleanly separates
files from their attributes). Therefore you'd best see the archive
format as an intermediate format, for storing files to be used
with any of the emulators.

Moreover, there are many utilities available supporting the archive
format (including my own XFer utility, which is about your only
choice for transferring files between a Beeb and a PC if you
don't have a PC that can read Beeb floppies).

Obviously it'd be nice if the archive format were supported by
emulators directly, but its use doesn't depend on that.

> > The reason I ask is that I have about 1000 DFS discs with various games,
> > roms, utilities, educational programs etc. on which I would be glad to
> > put up on my web site, if I had any idea which format would be most
> > useful.

Please do, please do! Robert's archive is still not fully complete.
And I'm still searching for that Acornsoft adventure, uh, uh, Kingdom
of Hamil or that other one? Some form of coordination with Robert might
however be useful.

Mark.