This program is distributed on shareware basis. See 'license.txt' file for more details. Tar is a tool to save files to archive media and restore them back again. Despite of its name, the program handles many media types, be it a floppy disk or regular file. The program was initially written for UNIX operating system, but since many other OS support its format, tar became a useful tool for information exchange between different platforms. There was number of tar implementations. What are the reasons to field another one? Distinguishable features of the given program are: - it process in a uniform way under both MS-DOS and UNIX clones; - it does read/write UNIX-compatible floppies and quarter-inch streamer cartriges under DOS; - it supports unusual floppy formats: 80-tracks-by-9-sectors and DEC Rainbow (under DOS); - it supplies data compression option under both DOS and UNIX; - it allows to read System V and/or GNU multivolume archives under DOS and all UNIX clones; - it includes option to restore damaged archives and plenty of other useful options. You can read detailed description in 'tar.txt' file. Possible improvements in future versions are briefly mentioned in 'to.do' file. Copyright issues I) Source codes performing 'deflate' compression are derived from Info-Zip 'zip' 2.01 distribution copyrighted by Mark Adler, Richard B. Wales, Jean-loup Gailly, Kai Uwe Rommel, Igor Mandrichenko and John Bush. Info-ZIP's software (Zip, UnZip and related utilities) is free and can be obtained as source code or executables from various anonymous-ftp sites, including ftp.uu.net:/pub/archiving/zip/*. Accordingly to Info-Zip copyright license terms you can also get original Zip sources directly from myself for the cost of overhead expenses only. II) since LZW algorithm used by compress program is protected by US patent, there are two versions of the program with certain restrictions associated with them. Call the program without parameters to obtain info screen. First line contains version information - something like 'Tape ARchive utility v3.20a' with subsequent plus or minus sign. If this sign is minus (-), then this version has unlimited distribution but provides less functionality: it supports LZW extraction only, not compression. Namely, both 'z' and ',' (comma) options will work for extraction only (they will work with 't' or 'x' options). plus (+), then this version includes full LZW support, i.e. it allows to create compressed archives, but it may not be sold in US. As a rule that means that you are not allowed to use it in US - see license agreement for details. Full version is available via anonymous ftp from home site ftp.kiae.su (144.206.136.10) as msdos/arcers/tar320ap.zip