Unix Command Line - RAMLOAD/RAMSAVE commands

[gids.rs@sasktel.net]

These two programs are highly modified from the original programs by Robert Heath.  This allows you to store an entire disk's contents into a file and restore that file back to the disk.  What makes this method better than copying files is, it makes an exact duplicate of the hard drive, by finding used blocks and storing the data on each used block, along with its corresponging block number, into a single file.  No creating directories or files, and no need to update the hard drives header information, which makes creating a disk effortless.

The highly modified part is, you can copy any disk to a file and back.  Not just the Ram disk.  There are no restrictions with the kind of OS that is on the disk.  Forked files and sparse files will not be affected.  This makes it ideal for creating a new GSOS bootable disk with all your favorite desk accessories, init files and control panels.  Just set up a newly formatted disk with the system files you want, run RAMSAVE to save the disk to a file, and RAMLOAD to recover the file back to a newly formatted disk.  You can even have more than one disk file saved, and recover the disk file that suits your needs.

What I use it for, is to recover the disk file that has all the Unix commands, to the Ram disk for quick access.  Works great on a IIc with extra RAM.  Unix Command Line looks for its commands from a changeable default directory.  This way, the commands do not have to be on every disk, nor do they have to be on the boot disk.  And what faster medium than a Ram disk for computers without a hard drive?

These programs are definitely worth the space in a anyone's software collection.


Someone elses great idea, still has room for improvement. - a great man once said.  And if he didn't then, I'm just saying.

Rob