
CatFish                        Version 1.2                        May 28, 1996
==============================================================================


DESCRIPTION

    CatFish is a disk catalog browser. It allows you to save snapshots of the
    directory/file structure of your disks and to browse through them at any
    time. The catalog files maintained by CatFish are very compact and fast,
    and can easily handle the huge directory trees often found on large disks
    or on (shareware) CD-ROMs. CatFish will calculate all total subdirectory
    sizes, and lists the date of the newest file found inside each directory.
    Furthermore, CatFish can be used as an application/document launcher.

    CatFish is based on the MetaKit library, a shareware C++ class library for
    persistent data structures. The sources of CatFish and several other small
    sample programs are freely available as part of the MetaKit distribution.
    
    Best of all, CatFish is free.


CHANGES IN THIS VERSION

    + Added file searching and a customizable sort order for the file list.
    + Scans now include hidden & system files. Win 95: capitalized filenames.
    + Some user interface enhancements, a menu bar, more keyboard shortcuts. 
    
    For the latest news, check the home page - http://purl.net/meta4/catfish


GETTING STARTED

    Using CatFish is easy, just start it up. There is no installation, there
    are no DLLs, it runs on all flavors of Windows. Support for long filenames
    is included for Windows 95, but catalogs themselves must have short names.

    When you create catalog files, these will be placed in the same directory
    as CatFish (with a ".CF4" suffix). If you move CatFish, you must move the
    catalogs as well, otherwise these catalogs will no longer be accessible.

    When you start CatFish for the first time, it will give you a few tips.


FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS ONLY

    The MetaKit Library is a software development library for data storage and
    easy handling of structured objects and collections in C++. If you require
    bulky/powerful database functions, look elsewhere, but if you need a small
    self-contained library to store structured data, please check it out:

                http://purl.net/meta4/metakit

    If you are a C++ programmer interested in persistent storage, Winsock, or
    simple client/server applications for TCP/IP, you will probably find some
    useful code and ideas in MetaKit. It even has a utility to create catalogs
    of remote FTP servers (yes, these catalogs can be browsed with CatFish).
    
    MetaKit registration is US$25, add $65 for source code and commercial use.


DISTRIBUTION

    The CatFish utility is copyright Meta Four Software, NL. You may use this
    free software for any purpose, as long as you leave all copyright notices
    in place and assume all risks for its use, regardless of the consequences.


CONTACT INFORMATION

    Jean-Claude Wippler          mailto:jcw@meta4.nl

    Meta Four Software             http://purl.net/meta4
    Meekrap oord 6
    3991 VE, Houten                 fax:+31 30 635 2337
    The Netherlands
