
FCPY -- FillCopy

    Purpose:
        This program copies files to a floppy until it's full, then
        continues on another.  It's main reason for existing is to
        give me something to do.

    Installation:
        None required, beyond putting the executable file someplace where
        DOS can find it.

    Status:
        Freeware.

    Distribution:
        Distribute freely to whomever you want, for whatever reason.

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    FCPY tries to fit the most files it can onto the target disk before
    asking for another.  The way it does this is not terribly
    sophisticated -- it copies the biggest file first, and continues by
    size in descending order.

    Of course, the archiving utilities (ARJ, PKZIP, et al.) do this much
    better, if you don't mind having your files packed into an archive.
    There are times when this is not acceptable, and FCPY is for those
    times.  More importantly, those programs already exist, and I needed
    something to do.

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    HOW TO USE FCPY:

    FCPY works pretty much like DOS copy:  FCPY source target
    There are some switches, too:

	-l	Write a log file.		(not implemented)
	-c	Continue from log file.		(not implemented)
	-h	Include hidden/system files.
	-r	Recurse subdirectories.		(not implemented)

    Hmmmm... seems like most of the option switches are 'not implemented'.
    Maybe they will be implemented one day, but don't hold your breath.
    In fact, maybe you will implement them yourself.

    The idea with the log file is that if you have to stop and juggle
    things around, you can pick up where you left of with the -c switch.
    This would have been useful to me once upon a time.

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    NOTES ABOUT THE SOURCE CODE:

    The source compiles with Zortech C++ v3.0r4, for sure.  It will prob-
    ably also compile with any other respectable DOS-based C++ compiler,
    with nothing more than header file changes.  Possible exception:
    The ZTC library functions dos_getftime and dos_setftime used in
    filecpy.c are not ANSI... your compiler probably has similar functions,
    and they are probably called something else.

    There are various functions defined in fileio.h for dealing with wierd
    DOS style time/date stamps.  These are not included because they are
    not used by FCPY.  If you have need of such things, ask -- and ye shall
    receive.

    All the source files have copyright notices in them.  This does not mean
    you can't copy them.  It just means I don't want somebody coming along
    saying I can't use my code because it belongs to them.  Not that anyone
    would.  Probably the only actually useful stuff is the filecpy function
    and the filepath class, anyway.

    Feel free to use this stuff for anything you want.


    Direct any questions/comments to:    davidsnelson@yahoo.com

    ______________________________________________________________________


    Here is something that is frustrating to me...
    Suppose you wanted to copy the following files to a 1.44Mb floppy:

    file1   500,000 bytes
    file2   500,000 bytes
    file3   400,000 bytes
    file4   300,000 bytes
    file5   140,000 bytes

    Now it is perfectly obvious that you will most efficiently fill the
    floppy by leaving out file3.  However, this is not perfectly obvious
    to FCPY.  I have poked around with various methods of choosing the best
    possible combination of files, but all have been expensive in terms of
    time and memory.  If you have an algorithm for doing this, I would love
    to hear about it.

    --Dave Nelson, 15-Jul-1999
      <davidsnelson@yahoo.com>



BTW:    Jesus is coming soon... get right, or get left!
