Executable envelopes

Executable envelopes refers to a diverse class of files that use a standard executable format, but which were generated in a formulaic way from some original file (which may or may not have itself been executable). They usually consist of a boilerplate decoder section, plus a payload section that could potentially be extracted to a standard format.

Executable compression
Refer to Executable compression.

Executable protection
(password protection, obfuscation, authentication, tamper-proofing, expiration, etc.)

The Security section of the SAC collection has many such programs.

Some Executable compression utilities also have features of this type.

(TODO: Populate this section.)

Self-extracting archives
Most self-extracting archive formats are covered (or would be covered) in the article for the corresponding Archiving format.

A few are listed at Archiving, especially if they have their own article.

Self-extracting installers
Self-extracting installer formats are listed at Archiving, along with other formats.

Executable documents
(A document in some known format, combined with a viewer for that format.)

Most such formats are covered (or would be covered) in the article for the corresponding document format.

Executable text
(plain text, text with simple markup, simple e-book formats, etc.)


 * Asc2Com (MorganSoft)
 * AutoCom (REXXCOM) (companion to AutoDoc) [][]
 * BIGTEXT (Kevin Solway) [][]
 * BREEZE text to .EXE format (Kevin Solway) (see also Breeze)
 * DIZ2EXE (Olan Patrick Barnes) []
 * DOC2COM (Dan K. Nelson) []
 * DOC2COM (Gerald DePyper)
 * Electronic Text Publishing System, The (Philip P. Kapusta) []
 * MakeScroll (Eric Gans) []
 * READMAKE (Bruce Guthrie / Wayne Software) []
 * SHOW (Gary M. Raymond)
 * Simply Docs (SimpleWare / Robert E. Pitcher) []
 * TEXE
 * TextExe (LRC Computing)
 * TEXTLIFE (Kevin Solway) []
 * TurboTXT (by HyperWare, part of ExtraDOS Toolbox) []
 * TXT2COM (De Trans Software)
 * TXT2COM (Keith P. Graham)
 * TXT2COM (Prakash.K)
 * TXT2COM (Wiering Software)
 * TXT2EXE (John De Palma) []
 * TXTRUN (Sawada) []
 * WriteMe System, The (Sitting Duck Software) []
 * XDOC (JauMing Tseng)
 * X-Filer (Philip P. Kapusta) []

Executable graphics
There are probably a lot of old self-displaying raster graphics formats of this type, e.g. self-running FLI, but they are rarely documented specially.


 * FMAC2COM
 * GIFEXE
 * GRABBER
 * Graphic Workshop self-displaying picture
 * NETPIC
 * PIXIT
 * Title-Maker
 * VGAPaint 386 COM Program
 * VGAPaint 386 PCX Self-Extracting Picture

Executable ANSI Art
(ANSI Art and related formats)


 * ANS2COM (REXXCOM) []
 * ANSi To Exe Converter (BUFF) []
 * P-Screen COM Screen
 * sMAUG ANSI Executable
 * TheDraw COM File

Other executable documents

 * Font Mania (REXXCOM) (COM format)

Executable libraries
(Multiple executable files combined into one executable file.)


 * ARK (executable library)
 * COM-Pack library
 * XEQ

Compiled scripts
(Some compiled script formats don't fit this category very well, but may be listed here anyway.)


 * BAT2EXEC
 * BatLite

Transfer-encoded executables
(A file that remains executable despite having had a transfer encoding or the like applied. This is impossible or impractical with most executable formats, unless they are very "raw", as .COM format is.)


 * c2t (Jørgen Ibsen)
 * com2txt (Naoyuki Nide)
 * Com2txt (Dark Stalker)
 * COMT
 * NETRUN

Special-purpose formats:
 * NETPIC
 * NETSEND

Links

 * → Executable Tools Pack - Collection of many DOS utilities