If you find the ADFS difficult to use, then the ADU ROM from Pineapple Software may be of interest. Peter Rochford reports.

ADU from Pineapple Software is a 16K filing system utility ROM, aimed at users of both the BBC Model B with an ADFS fitted and the Master series. It comes with a well-written 28 page manual and is packaged in a video cassette-type case. The ROM has some 15 'star' commands as listed in Figure 1, several of which provide 'instant' versions of many of the utilities on the ADFS disc.

ADFS Utilities 1.02
ADU
BACKUP <source> <target>
CATALL (<dir>)
DFSADFS <DFS drive> <ADFS dir>
DIRALL (<dir>)
DIRCOPY <$.afsp> <$.dir>
DIRDESTROY <dir>
DISCEDIT
DRIVE (<drive>)
FORMAT <drive> (<size>)
KILLADU
MENU (<dir>)
PWRBRK
VERIFY <drive>
VFORMAT <drive> (<size>)

Figure 1

By using several control keys, you can move around the ADFS selecting directories or files. If a file is selected, ADU will try to identify what type it is and act accordingly. For example Basic files will be CHAINed and machine code programs *RUN. Files for View, ViewSheet, Inter-Word etc. are recognised, the ROM entered, and the specified file loaded. Some of the more interesting commands are:

*BACKUP - Uses all available main and second processor memory to backup a disc. Only the sectors with information on the source disc are copied onto the target disc. This feature makes the procedure very fast.

*DFSADFS - Transfers all files from a DFS disc to an ADFS directory. Creates any new directories automatically.

*DIRCOPY - Copies a directory structure from one place to another.

*DIRDESTROY - Enables the deletion of any directory from a disc, and all items and directories below it.

*DRIVE - This allows programs that were written for DFS and contain *DRIVE, to work with ADFS. The *DRIVE is trapped without error generation and a *MOUNT issued. A very nice feature.

*PWRBRK - Simulates a power-up reset of the computer.

One command that needs special mention is *MENU. When invoked, this command provides a catalogue of the currently selected disc, along with a list of all the ROMs in the machine. Whilst in menu mode, many other commands may be issued: to unplug ROMs for example, load RAM banks, wipe RAM banks and delete files. A feature I really like is the COMPACT command, which will compact the current disc until all free space has been moved. This saves the usual tedious process with the ADFS of having to repeatedly type *COMPACT to achieve this (although we published a utility last month in Beebug to do just this).

In general this is a useful ROM for ADFS users. The backup and compact commands are particularly good as they save so much time. The menu features are also very powerful and take some of the pain out of using the unwieldy ADFS. I have to say though, that comparisons must be made between this ROM and both Advanced Computer Products ADT ROM and Beebug's Master ROM. Both of these provide most of what ADU offers and much more for a similar price, so do check these out.