
   This is the README for bwc, my block-sorting compressor, version 0.99.  

   bwc is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2;
   for details, see the file LICENSE.

   Please read all of this file carefully.

HOW TO BUILD

   -- for UNIX:
        Type `make'.

        This creates binaries "bwc", and symbolic link "unbwc".

        To install bwc properly:

           -- Copy the binary "bwc" to a publically visible place,
              possibly /usr/bin, /usr/common/bin or /usr/local/bin.

           -- In that directory, make "unbwc" be a symbolic link to "bwc".
   
   bwc is known to compile with gcc 2.7.2 (or later) on:
        i386-linux
        i386-bsd
        solaris
        alpha-linux (64-bit platform)
	amigaos

   -- for other platforms:
   	Add a platform-dependent section to bwc.c, and the Makefile
	(And please notify me if you got it working so I can include it)

COMPILATION NOTES

   bwc should work on any 32 or 64-bit machine.
   (- u32_16.c is a program that outputs correct typedefs for
      16-bit and 32-bit unsigned integers, and a #define if
      pointers are 32 bit (speeds up about 5%, but would eat
       twice as much mem on a 64-bit machine))
   (- u32_8.c is a program that outputs a union to address the
      4 bytes and 2 words of a long in the correct order)
   Most of the code is ANSI-C and that which isn't is mostly
   file-handling.

   I recommend GNU C for compilation.
   If not, do try to get your compiler to inline the functions
   marked 'inline' (And no other functions) to speed performance.

WARNING:
   bwc uses some extremely hairy code, so be sure to know what you're
   doing if you want to meddle with the algorithms.
   Reading the source code only reccomended for those with strong stomachs.
   (Readability ?  Clean code ??  Muaghaha!!)
   P.S. read the Programmer's notes in the comment at the head of bwc.c

DISCLAIMER:

   I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA ARISING FROM THE
   USE OF THIS PROGRAM, HOWSOEVER CAUSED.

PATENTS:

   I don't believe in the validity of most patents on compression algorithms,
   but as far as I know, bwc doesn't use any patented algorithm.

End of legalities.

Feel free to contact me at
   willem@stack.nl
if you have any suggestions or queries.
I thank you for your comments.

Willem Monsuwe

February 2nd, 1998, Eindhoven, NL
