CrossADFS 0.9.25 - metadata round trips and expanded filetypes (public test)

Public test update: CrossADFSFileSystem 0.9.25, with the unchanged AcornFormat 0.9.1 app and icons.

Download and install

Download CrossAcorn-Setup-0.9.25.zip below, extract the complete drawer, close Acorn files and Format windows, and double-click Install on the Amiga. Restart once to load the updated handler. Existing installations use the same installer. Open system disk → Tools → AcornFormat for the formatter app.

The ZIP contains runtime programs, the native Workbench Installer script, icons, credits and TXT guides. Development sources, tests, logs and disk captures are excluded.

New since the previous public release

• Acorn metadata round trips through ordinary Workbench copies. Real files and drawers expose a CrossADFS1 Amiga file comment carrying their original load/execute fields, filetype, full Acorn timestamp and catalogue attributes. A comment-preserving copy carries it onto the Amiga disk; copying it back restores those values. No separate .inf files, copy application or background watcher is needed.
• More automatic filetype associations for new files, covering pictures, documents, music, archives and video: IFF/ILBM, RTF, ProTracker and other trackers, MP3, SVG, TAR/GZip/BZip2, Office/OpenDocument and more. Existing PDF support gains header recognition for files without an extension.
• Checks using bytes already being copied: distinguish IFF ILBM/PBM pictures from other IFF containers, recognise common ProTracker signatures, distinguish GEM .img pictures from disk images, and identify CRLF-only plain text without changing its contents. No additional floppy reads; emulated small/nested/256KiB copy-flow read/write/erase counts match 0.9.24.

Existing valid Acorn metadata carried back in the comment takes precedence over new-file defaults. Filetype assignment does not convert data or install an Acorn viewer/player. The L/D/E/F filesystem, LongFiles, RAM sprite icons and AcornFormat features are retained; no F+ support is added.

Metadata limits and testing

The destination filesystem and copy tool must preserve Amiga file comments. Host shared folders, PC/FAT disks and archives may discard them. Keep the comment and file intact; changed-length files cannot restore the old record, and ADFS L cannot represent every F/D/E attribute bit. This preserves catalogue fields, not every application's possible extended metadata. Generic .info icons are not a universal filetype identifier; arbitrary icon ToolTypes are not imported by this update.

• The owner reported the preceding 0.9.24 metadata round trip working on their Amiga/A3010 setup. Earlier physical floppy checks used Workbench 3.2.1 and the A3010.
• 0.9.25 passed 62 automated m68k runs with 65,140 assertions across 68020/68040 and L/D/E/F, plus host classifier/write tests, V40 source/API checks and installer interpreter tests.
• The expanded filetype handling still needs physical hardware feedback. A full stock Workbench 3.1 boot has not been tested, and other OS versions have not each been boot-tested.

Read the included METADATA.txt for a round-trip test and FILETYPES.txt for the full mappings and distinctions. Use backed-up or expendable test media; bugs can cause data loss. Formatting erases directory contents. Save RAM:AcornFormatReport.txt if formatting fails.

Requirements

Classic Amiga, 68020 or later, internal DF0, and intended Kickstart/Workbench 3.1 or later compatibility. No FPU or ReAction/chooser.gadget dependency. L/D/E require DD media; F requires an Amiga HD drive and HD media.

Personal project and AI assistance

CrossADFS is Andrew's (MasterCatsUK) personal project, which he decided to share with the community. Andrew directs the project and carries out physical testing; OpenAI's ChatGPT/Codex has provided substantial help with research, code generation, debugging, automated tests, documentation and release preparation.

The credits and sources, also included as CREDITS.txt, record the references and the outstanding provenance/licence review.

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