
     DALTON DISK DISINTEGRATER 1.2

         (C)July 1984/May 1985

   Program & dox written by: DALTON
  Special thanks to: THE NECROMANCER
    Distributed by: The Disketteer

______________

 INTRODUCTION
______________


     First, I would like to point
out that the soul purpose of this new
DDD 1.2 version is to enable Catsend
3.0 to function properly with DDD 1.0
which it didn't to start off with!

     Therefore DDD 1.2 should only
be used with Catsend!!  DDD 1.2 works
with all transfer programs but please
use DDD ][ (new version!) with all
other transfering programs.

     All DDD 1.2 supported commands
are identical to those of DDD 1.0.
Therefore please refer to DDD 1.0
documentation for a complete tutorial
on the supported commands!


____________________________

 WHY D.D.D. VERSION 1.2 ???
____________________________


     The soul purpose of this version
is to content Catsend users. DDD 1.2
performs flawlessly with all Catsend
versions! Therefore I suggest all
Catsend sysops to switch from Disk
Rigger to DDD 1.2 because DDD's packing
algorithm is much more efficient than
Disk Rigger's or any other present disk
compresser except for DDD ]['s. Packing
disks with DDD 1.2 will only be more
beneficial to you.

 - More available disk space for
   Catsend sysops with few floppies.

     I regret for not having released
this DDD 1.2/CATSEND 3.0 compatible
version sooner. But now there is DDD ][
which works properly with CATSEND (to a
certain extent).


______________

 COMPATIBILITY
______________


     DDD 1.0 and DDD 1.2 are not at
all compatible with eachother!!
DDD 1.2 compressed files contain
2 less than signs <<, a slngle digit
and 2 greater that signs >> at end
of their filenames so that you can
differ both versions apart.

[DDD 1.2] - Catsend compatible version.

Example:  *B 123 SUPER PINBALL<<0>>
          *B 040 SUPER PINBALL<<1>>


[DDD 1.0] - Not Catsend compatible.

Example:  *B 123 SUPER PINBALL<0>
          *B 040 SUPER PINBALL<1>


_____________________

 ROACHES IN CATSEND!
_____________________


     Why didn't DDD 1.0 work properly
with Catsend to start off with???
Your guess was as good as mine.
I recently located a bug in good old
Catsend! (Believe it or not..)

     Following many experiments on this
matter, I noticed a glitch (bug!!) in
Catsend that wouldn't transmit every
byte of a binary file! This error only
occured randomly throughout the tests.
Which in turn explains why some DDD 1.0
packed files successfuly unpacked after
they were transmitted using Catsend.

     Here are the following bugs I
located in Castend. This section is
a little technical; therefore if you
are curious, keep reading...


Roach Number 1
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     This bug concerns regular BINARY
FILES as well as DDD 1.0 packed files
when transmitted over by Catsend.
(Only Binary files; not Applesoft,
Integer or Text files...).  DDD 1.0
failed to unpack the packed files
because of this following error:

     With certain binary files Catsend
will not transmit the last bytes.
For example, with DDD 1.0 packed files
(123 Sectors) Catsend will not transmit
the last 3 bytes. These last bytes are
vital to the UNPACK command in DDD 1.0!

     At the same token, I tried various
binary files other than DDD 1.0 files
and sometimes Catsend refuses to
transmit the last bytes. I am unsure
where the error is in Catsend, although
I am sure it exists! One certain fact
I was able to determine is that this
error revolves around the length of the
binary file being transmitted.


Roach Number 2
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

     Catsend is unable to transmit any
file exceeding 255 sectors! In effect
if you attempt transmitting a file that
towers over 255 sectors, Catsend will
only transmit the difference.

Example: *B 300 SUPER PINBALL

     Catsend in this case would only
transmit 44 blocks:   300 minus 256 =
44 sectors. Here is where the error
arises! The file (or compressed file)
Catsend saves on your disk will not
be the complete version.

     This error will cause a huge
delima with DDD ][ (new version!)
because DDD ][ usually compresses
a whole disk into one file exceeding
the length of 256 sectors.

Note: This bug is not in any way
      responsible for the original
      malfunction of DDD version 1.0
      with Catsend!


_________________________________

 NOTE TO: THE WOMBAT & THE GONIF
_________________________________


     Your Catsend has revolutionized
distribution of software! Please be
aware that it contains unpleasant
ROACHES. Unless you correct these
errors I believe Catsend will remain
absolete in comparison to the awesome
Catfur ][!! Perhaps you dudes should
consider a catsend version IV!?


____________

 CONCLUSION
____________


     I corrected the original DDD 1.0
to cooperate with Catsend by simply
reducing the compressed files by 3
lovely bytes! And another miracle was

casted. Therefore I decided to name
this new version, DDD 1.2!!

     One word to all Catsend sysops:
Why in the hell don't you switch your
system to a Catfur ][ line? It will
save you a lot of bloody trouble
because all DDD versions function
perfectly with Catfur! Especially
DDD ][!! Besides Catfur is the new
mode nowdays.. You don't see computer
geeks wearing Catsend anymore!?


           Signed:

                 //\\
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           ///  DALTON  \\\
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