Hoping to overcome users’ fear of data compression systems, Atlanta, Georgia-based disk management software company Chili Pepper Software Inc is shipping Infinite Disk for MS-DOS software that automates disk management chores and, it is claimed, increases hard disk capacity by around five times. It works by compressing and/or removing files that are never used, and bringing them back automatically when they are needed. The company says that Infinite Disk is the first MS-DOS-based package to employ the Hierarchical Storage Management methodology used in mainframes. The system automatically compresses and/or relocates files depending on how long they have gone unused. Files that have not been used for a specified number of days are compressed in place. Those not used for a specified number of additional days are then moved completely off-line to another MS-DOS device such as floppy disk, removable hard drive or floptical disk. Every file moved by Infinite Disk still appears to be on the local disk drive.
Never used
When an off-line file is opened it will be automatically decompressed or recalled from off-line medium without disturbing the application in use. Chili Pepper reckons the product will change the way people use computers. It says its research shows that 70% or more of the data on a personal computer hard drive is never used at all, yet there’s never enough disk space and no way to identify needless data. Infinite Disk supports PC-DOS versions 4.0 upwards and is available direct from Chili Pepper Software for $90 until the end of January, and for $190 after then. Though Infinite Disk is Windows 3.X-compatible, a Windows-based version is under development and scheduled for release in the first quarter of 1993. Additional versions for the OS/2 and NetWare operating systems are set for release by the second quarter 1993. Other future Chili Pepper products include intelligent file back-up, physical drive monitoring, and disk optimisation systems.
