This is a beta version!

This means the function interfaces, the structures and all the stuff may
change before the first release version. It does not mean this is very
buggy and unusable. There are some missing parts and some parts of the
documentation are missing as well.

This release is mainly to get some response what to change and how to do
some parts. As it is based in my ideas only, there may be some strange
methods or implemantation ways, which can be changed before first real
release. I'm waiting for your response.

Please do not spread and distribute this archive except to programmers
interested in it and willing to help at least with suggestions.

If you think of using this library in your own programs be prepared to
change the stuff when first release follows. A changing interface may
crash your program, so disable xad supporting functions for release
versions. I do not expect the interface to change so drastically, but
nobody knows.

Suggestions, bug reports, code examples, description texts and external
clients supporting new archivers are welcome.

What means beta-testing:
- Read all the stuff, test programs, write test examples, example programs
- Tell me all your ideas, comments, suggestions, ...
- Tell me nonunderstandable parts of the documentation, includes, autodocs
- Tell me missing documentation parts.
- If you are not sure what the documentations says, tell me what you think
  it means. Most time this helps me to find bad explanations and gives me
  ideas how to make better.
- If you wrote some utilities, examples, tests, ... send them for
  possible inclusion into releases or source "example" collection
--> Means: Send all stuff related to xadmaster.

!!!
!!! Still missing is following part: The disk-hook to write disk archives
!!! to devices and ignoregeometry check for this hook.
!!!
!!! Maybe some other date conversions are needed as well
!!!

And surely new clients: LhA, DMS, Zoo, Zoom, LzX, Arc, ...
- already started PackDev client
- a TarGZ client doing online decompression ???


Dirk Stöcker <stoecker@amigaworld.com>

18th November 1998