New on the freeware software page on my website is a system called QH
(QDOS Headers) which is meant for people like me wanting to store
files on non-QDOS media. Many of us have bad experiences of losing
executable QL program dataspaces and headers when programs saved on
DOS or other 'native' format media have lost their executable file
headers. QH consists of just two short BASIC programs which will store
and restore the dataspace in a separate short file.
This package was developed for use with the CD-ROMs I developed for
Q-Celt Computing. I put the 'main' copy of programs in a QXL.WIN
container for systems like QPC, QemuLator 2, uQLx, QXL, Q40/60 and
others able to read QXL.WINs. I also add zipped archive files of these
programs outside the QXL.WIN for users of systems able to read CD-ROM
media via the host computer and transfer the zipped files onto QDOS
floppy disks or other media, then unzip them on a QL.
QH provides another method. You cannot use programs directly from a
non-QDOS medium, but at least you can copy them to a QL, run a short
BASIC program to restore the executable file header and execute them
from there.
The program which creates the _qh file in the first place can if
required process every single executable file on a medium, creating a
matching _qh file for each executable program. I hope this little QH
utility will prove popular with anyone wishing to distribute QL
software on CDs without being restricted to just the QXL.WIN systems.
--
Dilwyn Jones
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
