

   -----------------------------
    CRIDERS COMPRESSION SYSTEM: 
   -----------------------------

- 1984 by G. C. Crider

Have you ever wished you could
cram a few more games on your
favorite game disk?  Have you
wished your backup files took up a
little less of your total disk
library?  Or maybe you wished that
some of your files took a little
less time to transmit on your
modem.  If so, then CRIDER'S
COMPRESSION SYSTEM (CCS) is just
the thing you need.

WHAT DOES CCS DO?

CCS will compress duplicate
concatenous characters into a four
byte algorithm, thus reducing the
size of any file or program which
contains such strings.  When you
want to use the file, you may
expand it back to its original
form or, in the case of binary load
programs, load and run them
directly from the compressed format
using a CCS menu.

The nature of the file
determines the amount of com-
pression you will get.  Tokenized
BASIC files tend to compress very
little.  Many games which contain
large amounts of formatted screen
memory will compress as much as
40-50%.  My experience on machine
language games indicates a tendency
to recover about 15-20% of the
sectors on each disk that I
compress (100-140 sectors).  My
games are generally on double-
density disks.

CCS will work on double or
single density disks, using any
DOS.  The load menu contains it's
own load routine, thus making it
DOS independent (as long as the
files are ATARI DOS 2.0
compatible).  OS/A+ version 2,
DOS/XL, SMARTDOS, MYDOS, and K-DOS
are all compatible.  OS/A+ version
4 is not compatible.


CCSCOMP:
********

This is the machine language
compression program used to
compress a single file.
1. Use the load binary file
feature of DOS or your favorite
menu to load the program and begin
execution.  DOS must be resident.
2. Insert the source and
destination diskette(s) in the
drive(s).

3. Enter the file specs
(including Dn:) of your input
(normal) file and output
(compressed) file as requested by
the program.  Use of wild cards
could produce incorrect results or
loss of data.
     Do not use the input file as
the output file.  This will result
in an ERROR 0.
     CCS will be able to determine
the correct density if the drive
has been properly configured prior
to execution of CCSCOMP.  The new
ATARI DOS 3 "double density" that
is actually closer to density and a
half will probably not work.

4. Compression begins
immediately and is complete when
the compression statistics and the
words "END OF JOB" appear on the
screen.

Note: Use CCSEXP to uncompress
(expand) a CCS compressed program.


AFTERWORD

If you would like the latest
versions of all of the above
mentioned utilities, send me a
disk, self-addressed mailer and
postage along with $5 to cover
copying costs and I will return the
diskette with the programs and
documentation files.  If you want
to send me some software you think
I might like, forget the $5 charge!
It is O.K. if I already have it.
It is the thought that counts.

If you encounter difficulties
with this or any of my programs, do
not hesitate to call or write.  I
don't guarantee a fix, but maybe I
can offer a little sympathy.

     Gary C. Crider
     1105 Burgess Ct.
     Arlington, TX 76015
     (817) 467-1114

