Alessandro Levi Montalcini
C.so Re Umberto 10
10121 Torino
Italy
e-mail: LMontalcini@pmn.it
anonymous ftp: //ftp.alpcom.it/software/mac/LMontalcini

Verifile 1.2.1 documentation - November 1994

• Shareware - $5 - cash only
◊  This utility is distributed as shareware: if you like it please honor the shareware system by sending $5 to the author at the address above. Since cashing international cheques is very expensive, please send cash only (U.S. dollars are best, but any other currency is fine).
◊  If you work on the Macintosh, there are many things you can send me instead of the money. Here are some suggestions: original software (but don’t send any shareware/freeware unless you’re the author), books or computer-related magazines (any free issue or subscription will be welcome), CD-ROMs, any piece of new or used hardware, or anything else you’ve created.
◊  There’s still another thing you could do: I’ll finish my physics studies sometime in 1996 and I’m looking for a one-year job as a programmer (or maybe a scientist?) outside of Italy. Let me know if you have anything to offer.
◊  If you can’t afford any of the above an e-mail, a postcard or a letter will be welcome. I speak English, French and Italian. Please forgive me if I don’t answer to all of your letters - I am often overloaded with my school work.

• What is it?
◊  Verifile is a small utility that calculates a checksum and a CRC32 on both the data and resource forks of any file that's dropped on it. This is useful if you want to compare two files that are not on the same machine without having to copy them over a network or modem connection. If the hexadecimal numbers displayed by Verifile match, chances are that the two files are equal.

• Version history
◊  1.2.1 - Cleaned up the code and updated documentation.
◊  1.2 - Fat version! Runs native on Power Macs, displays elapsed time to measure processor and disk performance. The PowerPC code runs a lot faster than the 68K code if the file to verify is on a RAM disk, while the speed improvement is smaller on slower media.
◊  1.1 - Rebuilt with new versions of the compiler (never released).
◊  1.01 - Fixed a small bug that prevented Verifile from opening data files under System 6 (Apple's New Inside Macintosh recommends using HOpenDF instead of HOpen, but it doesn't say it only works under System 7). Thanks to Howard L. Dyckman for reporting this problem.
◊  1.0 - First final release.

• Distribution
◊  Verifile is ©1994 Alessandro Levi Montalcini. It can be freely distributed as long as it is not modified and there’s no charge for it, but it may not be included in any commercial package without my consent.
◊  You may find the latest version of all my shareware programs by anonymous ftp to ftp.alpcom.it, inside the /software/mac/LMontalcini directory. The complete ShareDisk package, which contains all my stuff and can be registered at a very low price, is also available there.
◊  All online services and bulletin boards may make it available to their users at no charge other than the normal connection fees.
◊  All non-profit user groups may distribute it at no charge.
◊  All magazines may publish it on floppy disk without asking me first, as long as I get a copy of the issue containing my software.
◊  All CD-ROM shareware collections and CD-ROM magazines may include it without my prior consent, as long as I get either a copy of the CD-ROM or an offer to buy the CD-ROM at a discounted price.
◊  All redistribution companies such as Educorp may distribute it, as long as I get a copy of each media containing my software and a catalog of the company’s offerings (where applicable).

• Disclaimer
◊  Verifile shouldn’t cause any damage, but you’re using it at your own risk. As an independent software developer, I can make no warranties whatsoever on it.

• Have fun!
◊  And don't forget to $$$ send your contribution $$$ so that more cool utilities will see the light in the near future, at the low-low-low costs of shareware.