Shareware Information Mike Albert September 1992 1 Introduction This file describes the shareware programs I currently publish, how to contact me, and how to get current copies of the programs. The programs currently available are: Program Ver. Function ------- ---- -------- CIPHER 1.4 Encrypt/decrypt files FC 2.7 Compare ASCII files FCDOC 2.4 Compare English documents FCBIN 1.2 Compare files byte by byte ASCIIZE 1.2 Convert binary files to/from ASCII ZEROFREE 1.0 Clear disk free space so unerase utilities can't recover your data ZIPFIND 1.2 Search ARC and ZIP files for text strings D 1.0 Manage files, directories, and archives SQUISH 1.0 Compress/decompress files 2 Program descriptions: Program: Cipher Version: 1.4 Files: CIPHER.COM Program CIPHER.DOC Documentation Purpose: Cipher scrambles files so that no one can use them - unless they have the correct key. Cipher is designed to protect files on your computer from misuse by others who may have access to your PC. (The ZEROFREE program described below is also useful for this.) Cipher provides the following benefits: Features: o Cipher is easy to use - it protects you from mistakes and helps you to remember keys. o Cipher is much faster than other programs that provide comparable security. - 1 - o Protection is provided by a reliable, documented method that is highly resistant to attack - even by expert programmers and cryptographic analysts. o Cipher can encrypt files in place, so unerase utilities can't recreate them. o Cipher can also make a new encrypted file and leave the original file untouched - this is useful when sending an encrypted file to someone else. o Cipher checks when decrypting a file to ensure that the file hasn't been corrupted. o Cipher can be used from batch files to provide security automatically. o Cipher guards against changes to itself - you can be sure you have an unmodified Cipher and also detect any subsequent tampering. Program: FC Version: 2.7 Files: FC.EXE Program FC.DOC Documentation Purpose: FC compares two text files and lists the differences between them line by line. FC provides the following benefits: Features: o FC shows word by word differences between lines that have changed. o FC can ignore white space changes. This is useful when you want to ignore format changes in "C" programs or other text. o FC never gets confused or "unsynchronized" (as some comparison programs can). o FC always finds the smallest set of differences between files, and never misses matching lines. o FC helps "C" programmers merge program changes. FC can compare two "C" programs containing separate sets of changes, and combine them automatically to make a single program. o FC lets you do multiple comparisons in one run. o FC lets you list changes in ways that make sense to you by providing multiple display options. You can also customize FC to use your favorite options automatically. - 2 - Program: FCDOC Version: 2.4 Files: FC.EXE Program FC.DOC Documentation Purpose: FCDOC compares two text English files and lists the differences between them sentence by sentence. FCDOC works with any ASCII text file containing English text. Features: o FCDOC ignores format differences, so changes in margins, indentation, and white space are not shown. This allows you to look at content changes without being distracted by unimportant details. o FCDOC can show word by word differences between sentences that have changed. o FCDOC never gets confused or "unsynchronized" (as some comparison programs can). o FCDOC always finds the smallest set of differences between files, and never misses matching sentences. o FCDOC lets you do multiple comparisons in one run. o FCDOC lets you list changes in ways that make sense to you by providing multiple display options. You can also customize FCDOC to use your favorite options automatically. Program: FCBIN Version: 1.2 Files: FCBIN.EXE Program FCBIN.DOC Documentation Purpose: FCBIN compares two files and lists the differences between them byte by byte. Features: o FCBIN shows PER BYTE differences between files. Line endings are treated just like other characters. o Any type of file - ASCII, executable, data base, etc. - can be compared. o FCBIN never gets confused or "unsynchronized" (as some comparison programs can). - 3 - o FCBIN always finds the smallest set of differences between files, and never misses matching bytes. o FCBIN lets you do multiple comparisons in one run. o FCBIN can be customized to use your favorite options automatically. Program: ASCIIZE Version: 1.2 Files: ASCIIZE.EXE Program Purpose: ASCIIZE transforms any file to or from an ASCII-encoded form. This is useful when transferring a binary file via an ASCII-only medium (e.g. an EMAIL message). Features: o You can add an explanation to the front of the ASCII-encoded file. o Any changes made to the ASCII-encoded text are detected when the text is converted back to binary. Program: ZEROFREE Version: 1.0 Files: ZEROFREE.EXE Program ZEROFREE.DOC Documentation Purpose: ZEROFREE protects your deleted files from access by others who have access to your machine. Without ZEROFREE, undelete utilities and disk editors can recover data that is left in unused data areas of your disk. Features: o ZEROFREE zeroes the complete unallocated data area of a disk, so undelete utilities, disk editors, and data recovery programs cannot access data from deleted files. o ZEROFREE zeroes the directory entries of deleted files, so that the names, sizes, or dates of deleted files are erased too. o ZEROFREE zeroes the unused space at the end of files, so that disk editors can't recover data that may remain there. - 4 - Program: ZIPFIND Version: 1.2 Files: ZIPFIND.EXE Program ZIPFIND.DOC Documentation Purpose: ZIPFIND searches ZIP or ARC files for text strings, and displays each line of each archived file that contains the desired string. Features: o Any type of file stored in an ARC or ZIP file can be searched for any text string. o You can use your own text search program to provide more powerful search options. Many programs (e.g. GREP variants) provide pattern searches and special output options not otherwise available. o You can use MS-DOS wildcards to search multiple ARC and ZIP files. Program: D Version: 1.0 Files: D.EXE Program D.DOC Documentation Purpose: D lets you manipulate directories, files, and archives in an intuitive and direct way. Features: o D provides all standard file operations (e.g. view, delete, copy) plus more obscure operations (e.g. setting file date). o D provides all standard directory operations (e.g. make directory) plus more obscure operations (e.g. delete a directory and all files within it). o D handles ARC and ZIP files as if they were directories. o D provides many other features. Program: SQUISH Version: 1.0 Files: SQUISH.EXE Program - 5 - Purpose: SQUISH compresses or decompresses files. Features: o Squish uses standard input and output, so that file redirection and pipes can be used. 3 Support, Ordering, and Licensing: I support all programs via CompuServe mail. Messages should carefully describe your problem or question, and be sure to note the version of the program you're using. I support all registered users, and usually reply to those who haven't yet decided whether or not to register. I'll also respond to queries via regular U.S. Mail. My CompuServe userid is [70325,1134], and my mailing address is: Mike Albert P. O. Box 535 Bedford, MA 01730 I welcome all comments and suggestions concerning my programs. I'd like to know how you are using them, where you got them, and what problems, bugs, or weaknesses you find. If you tell me about enhancements or changes you're interested in, I'll make an effort to provide them. Anyone can order the latest version of my shareware programs directly from me for a fee of $5.00. Just send the order (make sure it contains your mailing address) with your check to the above address. You'll receive a 5 1/4 inch 360Kb floppy disk containing the latest version of all my shareware products. If you need other formats (5 1/4 inch 1.2Mb or 3 1/2 inch 720Kb or 1.44Mb) I can provide them. If you live outside North America, please send extra money for the increased postage. All my programs are distributed as shareware. Registration payments are donated to Oxfam America, an international development and disaster relief agency. It's a worthy charity that I've been supporting for many years. As stated in Oxfam literature, "Oxfam America is an international agency that funds self-help development projects and disaster relief in poor countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and also prepares and distributes educational materials for people in the United States on the issues of development and hunger. The name "Oxfam" comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in England in 1942. Oxfam America, based in Boston, was formed in 1970, and is one of seven autonomous Oxfams around the world (Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Quebec, Hong Kong and the United States). Oxfam is a nonsectarian, nonprofit agency that neither seeks or accepts U.S. government funds. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law." - 6 - For more information, you can phone Oxfam at 617-482-1211, or write to them at: Oxfam America 26 West Street Boston, MA 02111-1206 - 7 -