5 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: I tried to add a new archive type to support XYZ format, but couldn't. I even specified all needed commands, what else can I do?

A: You can't add new archive formats by simply specifying some shell commands. To handle each archive type you need an appropriate module, and only programmers can write modules. If you think you are skillful enough to write a module, have a look at the section "Archive modules".

Q: It would be very good if X-Arc could read archives in xyz format.

A: As time passes I will try to engage people to write new modules, since I have not enough time to do that myself. If you think you can write one, don't hesitate and conctact me after reading the "Archive modules" section.

Q: It would be very good if X-Arc could handle DMS or ADF.

A: DMSs are disk images, not file archives. X-Arc will never be able to read those kinds of file.

Q: I would really like if X-Arc could ...

A: Have a look at my to-do list to see whether your idea is already there. If it is not feel free to expose it to me: I will immediately tell you whether it can be implemented or not. Every new idea is hearthy welcome!

Q: X-Arc has this bug, causes that GURU or that Enforcer hit...

A: First make sure you are not using a pirate version. If you are, maybe that's the cause of your problems. If you are otherwise using a legally registered copy or a demo version, please send me a report about the bug you have found. Every bug report should be as detailed as possible: I can't solve problems if I can't identify them.

Q: It would be a good thing if we had different versions of X-Arc, each optimized for a particular CPU type, or a PPC version.

A: Archive modules automatically switch to proper code when they recognize newer CPUs.
Module versions able to spawn PPC-compiled commands are being studied, while the ZIP archive module is already able to work with the "Zip" and "Unzip" commands which have been compiled for PowerUp� by Gabriele Greco.
About the main program, it would be very good to have a PowerUp� version, but it is not up to me: X-Arc is written in Amiga-E, and that compiler is currently unable to generate PPC code.

Q: Since I already have DOpus, why should I use X-Arc?

A: X-Arc offers much more features than DOpus with respect of archive management. Furthermore, X-Arc is faster at performing some operations, supports more archive types (and will support even more of them)... to sum up, X-Arc is a program designed to manage archives, while DOpus remains a (powerful) program for generic file management.

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