Ricardo Bittencourt wrote:
> The "option" system you defined is very similar to
> the "chunks" system as defined in the MIDI file format standard.
> I think it should not used, because we already exposed the problems
> of binary data: too difficult to edit, too difficult to update,
> have problems in machines with different endianess. Let's just
> stick with ascii files, this is what linux does all time.
I don't like the idea of AND a seperate file AND those seperate files
compressed again in one file, it can be done the way I described too which
is much more transparant and easy, the emulator doesn't need difficult unzip
routines for example. You can edit it through emulators and/or an external
tool. Like editing the ID3 information in MP3's through Winamp. I don't
think that's a pain... And I DO think files with lots of text in it are
suited for configuration files etc, but they are an awful waste of space
when they are used for every ROM file on your computer's hard disk.
Maybe that doesn't really matter on PC (you can use an open source zip
decruncher source and stuff), but it's much easier to implement/use on a
real MSX.
There is a big difference between what you describe and what I describe.
Your idea is dedicated to emulator use (including preview images etc.), and
mine is, as the title describes, an extended ROM format, purely about the
ROM information, to which as well useful (ROM mapper type) as unuseful
(release date) can be added. It can easily be extended, and it doesn't need
a lots-of-work unzip routine and a harder-to-code parser (from an MSX
perspective).
I think it's essential to keep it all in one file, 'cause multiple files
mess up your directory and make it less simple to copy (imho lots of
seperate sram and save game files in your game directory are a crime). I
also think it's not the task of this file format to compress the file (it's
an extended ROM format, not an emulator-optimized "ROM in a zip-file"
format, which actually is two formats in one). The user can decide if he
wants to compress the file or not, it should be seperate from the file
format. And if you want your emulator to be able to read compressed games,
then simply let it read the first ROM file when a user opens a ZIP file
(just like zSNES, Winamp, and some arcade emulators do).
> > (The .msx extension idea for example... apparantly someone else
> > got the same idea...:)).
>
> Everyone seems to had the same idea at the same time,
> so it must be a very good idea indeed.
:) I think it's rather very logical than very good.
Well, that's about it.
~Grauw
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