SLICE (Ziff Communications)
SLICE is a file splitting utility for DOS, designed for use with floppy disks. It was developed by Bob Flanders and Michael Holmes, and Ziff Communications. It was published in the 1989-05-16 issue of PC Magazine.
The set of files it creates includes a generated executable file named SPLICE.COM, which reconstructs the original file. So, this is a kind of self-extracting archive format.
A mysterious "SPLIT 1.0" utility may be found alongside SLICE 1.0. SPLIT is clearly an early version of SLICE. The source code is nearly identical, other than the name change. Instead of "SPLICE.COM", it creates a file named "UNSPLIT.COM".
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Format details
For v1.0 (and SPLIT), each fragment has a 30-byte header. For v1.2-1.3, the header is 31 bytes.
The first byte is 0x01 in the last fragment, otherwise 0x00.
Identifiers
The fragment filenames have extensions like ".?01", ".?02", etc., where "?" is a character taken from the original extension.
Identification
There doesn't appear to be a simple way to identify a data fragment file as such, just from its contents.
The executable part of the format, the SPLICE.COM/UNSPLIT.COM file, is identifiable. For example, for all known versions and instances, the text "PC Magazine ■ Bob Flanders & Michael Holmes" appears at offset 81.
Specifications
- The v1.0 fragment header is described in the PC Magazine article (page 290).
Software
- VOL8N09.ZIP - Contains SLICE 1.0 (SLICE.*) and SPLIT 1.0 (SPLIT.*).
- SLICE 1.2
- SLICE 1.3
Sample files
- The Education Master (4th Edition) → EDUCATIONS_MASTER_4TH_EDITION.{bin,cue} → files/foodtion/fred*/...
Links
- Slice Oversize Files Down to Floppy Size - Article in PC Magazine, 1989-05-16, p. 279-
