Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!mintaka!think!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!udel!mmdf From: jones@uv4.eglin.af.mil (Calvin Jones, III) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: RE: Archive Idea Message-ID: <14017@snow-white.udel.EDU> Date: 15 Mar 90 19:06:07 GMT Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU Lines: 41 Joe Porkka writes: > Any archive must maintain the same info as any filesystem right? Soooo > why not make the archive itself a filesystem so that the standard > commands (and workbench) work with it. Instead of having to type > "fooarchiver dsfbkha archivename.foo file1 file2" simply type "copy > myfiles archive:neato all". Simple enuff? To get a list of the files, > type "dir archive:neato opt a" Elegant! I like it! > Spring break is coming up and I plan to implement this. The first cut > will be making a compress.device that acts like the trackdisk.device, > then I will simply need to mount any existing filesystem on that. The > compress.device will use a file as its storage mechanism instead of > actual hardware. I believe that Dillon wrote something called FMSDISK that allows you to define a filesystem that resides entirely "within a file". You might want to examine it. (But I forgot where I got it!) > Next cut, make a custom filesystem that understands the compress.device > and can make assumptions about its operation to improve efficiency over > a standard filesystem. It would be best if the resulting archive would end up being a file that was completely compatible with either .ZOO or .LZH files. Or perhaps even an option (from a MOUNTLIST entry?) to have the archive come out to be .LHW. > So, what do you all think? I think you'd probably have more fun spending spring break on the beach getting drunk and chasing sweet-young-things-in-skimpy-bikinis, but I hope you do pursue this idea. --- Cal // Cal Jones - Internet: \X/ BBS: 904-243-6219 1200-9600HST 340Meg, all Amiga Single Tasking? *JUST SAY NO!!!*