Date   : Mon, 11 Aug 1997 14:54:39 +0200
From   : Wouter Scholten <wouters@...>
Subject: Re: bbc diskimages

Robert Schmidt wrote:
> 
> Wouter Scholten wrote:
> >
> > bbcim097 diskimage handling:
> >
> > I will use the following format in bbcim 097:
> >
> > Given a diskimage 'games' there's a info file 'games.dsk', a text file
> > containing:
> >
> >         DFS DS 40 10 256
> > (counter suggestions??)
> 
> Not really, except I'm in the favor of a more freeform format, a la
> Windows' INI files:
> 
> [Disk Info]
> Format=DFS
> Sides=2
> Density=D
> TracksPerSide=40
> SectorsPerTrack=10
> BytesPerSector=256
> 
> Here, order doesn't matter, and adding new fields is easy.  There are
> several public domain libraries out there for handling such files.

well, what fields would you want to add? This is not a INI file
containing entries for various programs.

	Format sides tracks sectors bytes
defines all you want to know externally for any disk format.

I would prefer a postfix notation such as
        DFS DS 40 tracks 10 sectors 256 bytespersector

(Mark Usher suggested DFS DS 40T 10S 256B)

I don't see an argument for elaborating too much in such files. If
someone doesn't know what the numbers mean he shouldn't use them. This
is a utility writer thing.


BTW, what do you think of this:

        DFS DS 40 10 256
	(format sides tracks sectors bytes)

would be simple, easy to use, and is very readable.
the .inf format can be extended in the same way as anything after the
first line is discarded

	$.ELITE 0E00 8023 Locked CRC=xxxx
	(name load exec lock crc [NEXT name])

Still, I prefer a single line, especially for .inf's.

Perhaps this could be used:

format	DFS
sides	2
tracks	40
sectors	10
bytes	256

(more like a unix init file)

I'd prefer keeping the .inf's as they are and not in such a format as
they are almost what *CAT gives on the BBC.

> A similar format for *.inf files would also be beneficial, I think, as
> it is much more intuitive for new users.  (If there ever is a majority
> for this, changing the archive to reflect the format we agree upon is an
> automatic process.)

No, I don't see that at all.

  name loadaddr execaddr locked 

is very simple. If some one doesn't understand what the 2 numbers mean
he (she?) never used a bbc
seriously which means he wouldn't be the person to examine .inf files
anyway.

[BTW, info files MUST now contain a name. This was optional in the
specification but the '/' in bbc files makes this impossible. This also
means xbeeb can't handle all bbc files and should use a .inf like
format. I.e. _CATALOG_ would contain all the .inf entries.]

Furthermore, by new users you mean people who USE the software. They are
dependent on others to provide conversion utilities which means they
don't have to look at the .inf files.

Anyone can use bbcim to extract files from diskimages with bbcim and all
info files are then created automatically so no one except the utility
writers/emulator writers need bother with the exact format.

Further suggestions are welcome.

Wouter