AIN - Revision history

Jsummers at 20:33, 6 March 2025

2025-03-06T20:33:04Z

Dexvertbot: /* Sample files */

2023-12-28T04:19:26Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers at 14:03, 2 April 2023

2023-04-02T14:03:09Z

Jsummers at 13:10, 30 March 2023

2023-03-30T13:10:08Z

Jsummers at 15:26, 29 March 2023

2023-03-29T15:26:09Z

Sembiance: Added sample files

2021-06-03T01:48:15Z

Added sample files

Jsummers: /* AINEXE */

2019-10-01T20:18:14Z

‎AINEXE

Jsummers: Rewrite

2019-10-01T20:15:15Z

Rewrite

Effect2: Linked PUT

2019-09-09T05:24:16Z

Linked PUT

Effect2: Removed comma

2019-09-08T13:40:28Z

Removed comma

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 Some of the bits at the end of the file might also help to identify AIN, but they are not byte-aligned.
-AINEXE-compressed EXE files most likely have ASCII "{{magic|AIN}}" at offset 32.
+AINEXE-compressed EXE files most likely have ASCII "{{magic|AIN2}}" at offset 32.
 == Software ==
@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|pier05/002/ain22.zip|AIN 2.2&#x5b;1994-07-01, English&#x5d;}}
 ** AIN 2.23: [https://archive.org/details/cd-ascq DP TOOL CLUB CD ASCQ] → CD_ASCQ_28_030496.iso → DOS/TOOLS/AIN223.ZIP
 ** [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/ain232.exe AIN 2.32]
 ** [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=698 Various versions at old-dos.ru] - Includes v2.22, and a v2.1 demo.

@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 == Sample files ==
-* https://telparia.com/fileFormatSamples/archive/ain/
+* {{DexvertSamples|archive/ain}}
 [[Category:Executable compression]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 }}
 '''AIN''' is a compressed archive format, produced by a DOS shareware program of the same name. It was developed by InfoService Ltd., later Transas Marine Ltd.
 == AINEXE ==
-AIN also includes an [[executable compression]] utility named '''AINEXE'''. It compresses [[MS-DOS EXE]] files.
+AIN also includes an [[executable compression]] utility named '''AINEXE'''. It compresses [[MS-DOS EXE|DOS EXE]] files.
 == Self-extracting archives ==
@@ Line 16: / Line 56: @@
 Version 2.32: The included AINEXT.EXE extraction utility doubles as the self-extractor module. You can prepend it to an AIN archive to create a self-extracting archive. Or you can use AIN's <code>-e</code> option to create a self-extracting archive instead of an .AIN archive (this requires that AINEXT.EXE be present). Note that AINEXT.EXE may report its version number to be 2.31.
 == Identification ==
-At least some .AIN files start with the byte sequence (hex) {{magic|21 ?? 00 00 00 00 00 00}}.
+Robust identification of AIN format is nontrivial. The software itself uses the header checksum and index checksum.
 AINEXE-compressed EXE files most likely have ASCII "{{magic|AIN}}" at offset 32.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Self-extracting archives ==
-(TODO)
+Some versions support self-extracting archives, in [[MS-DOS EXE|DOS EXE]] format.
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 25: / Line 29: @@
 ** AIN 2.1[1993-07-14]: [https://archive.org/details/ppcdcol-MBI Ultimate collection 95] → UTIL_/AIN.EXE
 ** AIN 2.2[1993-10-13, Russian]: [https://archive.org/details/2015-02-12.fidonet.org.ua FTP mirror - fidonet.org.ua - 2015-02-12] → fidonet.org.ua/pub/arcers/ain.arj
-** AIN 2.2[1993-12-10, English]: [{{CdTextfilesURL|psl/pslv2nv08/DOS/UD/AIN22.ZIP}}]
+** {{CdTextfiles|psl/pslv2nv08/DOS/UD/AIN22.ZIP|AIN 2.2&#x5b;1993-12-10, English&#x5d;}}
-** AIN 2.2[1994-07-01, English]: [{{CdTextfilesURL|pier05/002/ain22.zip}}]
+** {{CdTextfiles|pier05/002/ain22.zip|AIN 2.2&#x5b;1994-07-01, English&#x5d;}}
 ** AIN 2.23: [https://archive.org/details/cd-ascq DP TOOL CLUB CD ASCQ] → CD_ASCQ_28_030496.iso → DOS/TOOLS/AIN223.ZIP
 ** [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/ain232.exe AIN 2.32]
-** [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=698 Various versions at old-dos.ru]
+** [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=698 Various versions at old-dos.ru] - Includes v2.22, and a v2.1 demo.
 * AINEXT - Official extract-only utility, sometimes distributed separately.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |released=≤1993
 }}
-'''AIN''' is a compressed archive format, produced by a DOS shareware program of the same name. It was developed by Transas Marine Ltd.
+'''AIN''' is a compressed archive format, produced by a DOS shareware program of the same name. It was developed by InfoService Ltd., later Transas Marine Ltd.
 == AINEXE ==
 AIN also includes an [[executable compression]] utility named '''AINEXE'''. It compresses [[MS-DOS EXE]] files.
-== Self-extracting AIN archives? ==
+== Self-extracting archives ==
-The AIN software was distributed in what seems to be a "self-extracting AIN archive", and the [[file command]] agrees that that is a thing. But we haven't seen any evidence of a publicly-available program or feature for creating such files.
+(TODO)
 == Notes ==
-The documentation says "AIN version 2.21 archive format is incompatible with that of AIN version 2.0."
+The documentation says "AIN version 2.2 archive format is incompatible with that of AIN version 2.0." But, no versions before 2.1 have been found.
 == Identification ==
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 == Software ==
-* [http://www.retroarchive.org/garbo/pc/arcers/ain22.zip AIN 2.2]
+* AIN
-* [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/ain232.exe AIN 2.32]
+** AIN 2.1[1993-07-14]: [https://archive.org/details/ppcdcol-MBI Ultimate collection 95] → UTIL_/AIN.EXE
 == Sample files ==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |subcat=Archiving
 |extensions={{ext|ain}}
-|released=1990s
+|released=≤1993
 }}
-'''AIN''' is a 1990s [[DOS]] compression/archival format, apparently produced by a shareware program of the same name. Not much information is available on it, beyond what has already been stated (which is to be found on several copying-from-each other "format information" sites<ref>https://wikiext.com/ain-ain-compressed-file-archive</ref><ref>https://pc.net/extensions/file/ain</ref><ref>https://www.azfiles.net/extension/ain.html</ref><ref>https://fileinfo.com/extension/ain</ref>). The webpage of a format identification program<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/19981203161119/http://ameba.lpt.fi/%7Eeerheino/shs/shaid.htm</ref> links its name to the list of software produced by a since-defunct company called "MicroFox"<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/19990203234357/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/microfox/programs.htm</ref>; however, the only compression utility listed there, called "[[PUT]]" (the decompressor being called "GET"), writes to files with the extension .put in an extant copy<ref>https://archive.org/details/msdos_festival_PUT345</ref>, and is listed separately on the identification software webpage.
+'''AIN''' is a compressed archive format, produced by a DOS shareware program of the same name. It was developed by Transas Marine Ltd.
 == Software ==
-* [http://www.manmrk.net/tutorials/compress/downloads/pci-a174.zip Ainviewer]
+* [http://www.retroarchive.org/garbo/pc/arcers/ain22.zip AIN 2.2]
-* [http://www.manmrk.net/tutorials/compress/downloads/pci-f215.zip FID]
+* [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/ain232.exe AIN 2.32]
-* [http://www.manmrk.net/tutorials/compress/downloads/mup122.zip Multiple Unpacker]
-** [https://web.archive.org/web/19970723101643/http://www.diku.dk/students/misak/english/ Author's homepage] (does not seem to contain any relevant information, at least in English)
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/19981203161119/http://ameba.lpt.fi/%7Eeerheino/shs/shaid.htm SH Archive Identifier]
-** [http://www.manmrk.net/tutorials/compress/downloads/shaid260.zip Version 2.60]
-* [http://www.objectrescue.com/products/recover-file-types.html Various ObjectRescue products] <!-- How I found this format, while investigating XIF names -->
-== References ==
+[[Category:Executable compression]]
-<references />