Updates to README and README.WINDOWS

diff --git a/README b/README
index 25fe9bb1bb6caad6efc4e697fb4f33fe4d7e3bac..b2ef0e94fda3ad708ec6ef54dd47a138d1c86300 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -8,36 +8,40 @@ and DISM.
 
                                   INSTALLATION
 
 
                                   INSTALLATION
 

-To install wimlib and wimlib-imagex on Windows, simply download and extract the
-ZIP file containing the latest binaries from the SourceForge page
-(http://sourceforge.net/projects/wimlib/).  You probably have already done this!
-
-To install wimlib and wimlib-imagex on UNIX-like systems (with Linux being the
-primary supported and tested platform), you must compile the source code, which
-is also available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/wimlib/.  Alternatively,
-check if a package has been prepared for your Linux distribution.  Example files
+To install wimlib and wimlib-imagex on UNIX-like systems, you can compile from
+source (e.g. './configure && make && sudo make install').  Alternatively, check
+if a package has already been prepared for your operating system.  Example files

 for Debian and RPM packaging are in the debian/ and rpm/ directories.
 
 for Debian and RPM packaging are in the debian/ and rpm/ directories.
 

-                                    WIM FILES
+To install wimlib and wimlib-imagex on Windows, just download and extract the
+ZIP file containing the latest binaries.  See README.WINDOWS for more details.
+
+All official wimlib releases are available from SourceForge
+(http://sourceforge.net/projects/wimlib/files).
+
+                                   WIM FILES

 
 A Windows Imaging (WIM) file is an archive designed primarily for archiving
 Windows filesystems.  However, it can be used on other platforms as well, with
 some limitations.  Like some other archive formats such as ZIP, files in WIM
 
 A Windows Imaging (WIM) file is an archive designed primarily for archiving
 Windows filesystems.  However, it can be used on other platforms as well, with
 some limitations.  Like some other archive formats such as ZIP, files in WIM

-archives may be compressed.  WIM files support multiple compression formats,
+archives may be compressed.  WIM archives support multiple compression formats,

 including LZX, XPRESS, and LZMS.  All these formats are supported by wimlib.
 
 including LZX, XPRESS, and LZMS.  All these formats are supported by wimlib.
 

-A WIM file consists of one or more "images".  Each image is an independent
-top-level directory structure and is logically separate from all other images in
-the WIM.  Each image has a name as well as a 1-based index in the WIM file.  To
-save space, WIM archives automatically combine all duplicate files across all
-images.
+A WIM archive contains one or more "images", each of which is a logically
+independent directory tree.  Each image has a 1-based index and usually a name.
+
+WIM archives provide data deduplication at the level of full file contents.  In
+other words, each unique "file contents" is only stored once in the archive,
+regardless of how many files have that contents across all images.

 
 

-A WIM file may be either stand-alone or split into multiple parts.  Split WIMs
-are read-only and cannot be modified.
+A WIM archive may be either stand-alone or split into multiple parts.

 
 

-Since version 1.6.0, wimlib also supports ESD (.esd) files, except when
-encrypted.  These are still WIM files but they use a newer version of the file
-format.
+An update of the WIM format --- first added by Microsoft for Windows 8 ---
+supports solid-mode compression.  This refers to files being compressed together
+(e.g. as in a .tar.xz or .7z archive) rather than separately (e.g. as in a .zip
+archive).  This usually produces a much better compression ratio.  Solid
+archives are sometimes called "ESD files" by Microsoft and may have the ".esd"
+file extension rather than ".wim".  They are supported in wimlib since v1.6.0.

 
                              IMAGEX IMPLEMENTATION
 
 
                              IMAGEX IMPLEMENTATION
 


@@ -62,7 +66,7 @@ commands and their syntax.  For additional documentation:
     files are converted from UNIX-style "man pages", they do document
     Windows-specific behavior when appropriate.
 
     files are converted from UNIX-style "man pages", they do document
     Windows-specific behavior when appropriate.
 

-                                COMPRESSION RATIO
+                               COMPRESSION RATIO

 
 wimlib (and wimlib-imagex) can create XPRESS, LZX, or LZMS compressed WIM files.
 wimlib's compression codecs usually outperform and outcompress their Microsoft
 
 wimlib (and wimlib-imagex) can create XPRESS, LZX, or LZMS compressed WIM files.
 wimlib's compression codecs usually outperform and outcompress their Microsoft


@@ -282,9 +286,9 @@ This section documents the most important options that may be passed to the
        and --without-ntfs-3g when building for Windows.
 
 --without-fuse
        and --without-ntfs-3g when building for Windows.
 
 --without-fuse

-       The --without-fuse option completely disables support for mounting WIM
-       images.  This removes dependencies on libfuse, librt, and libattr.  The
-       wimmount, wimmountrw, and wimunmount commands will not work.
+       The --without-fuse option disables support for mounting WIM images.
+       This removes dependencies on libfuse, librt, and libattr.  The wimmount,
+       wimmountrw, and wimunmount commands will not work.

 
        The default is --with-fuse when building for Linux, and --without-fuse
        otherwise.
 
        The default is --with-fuse when building for Linux, and --without-fuse
        otherwise.


@@ -350,9 +354,8 @@ file format:
     security descriptors and hard links, support for LZMS compression, and
     support for solid archives.
   * ImagePyX (https://github.com/maxpat78/ImagePyX) is a Python program that
     security descriptors and hard links, support for LZMS compression, and
     support for solid archives.
   * ImagePyX (https://github.com/maxpat78/ImagePyX) is a Python program that

-    provides similar capabilities to wimlib-imagex.  One thing to note, though,
-    is that it does not support compression and decompression by itself, but
-    instead relies on external native code, such as the codecs from wimlib.
+    provides some capabilities of wimlib-imagex, with the help of external
+    compression codecs.

 
 If you are looking for an archive format that provides features similar to WIM
 but was designed primarily for UNIX, you may want to consider SquashFS
 
 If you are looking for an archive format that provides features similar to WIM
 but was designed primarily for UNIX, you may want to consider SquashFS


@@ -362,7 +365,7 @@ has optional support for storing UNIX owners, groups, modes, and special files
 such as device nodes and FIFOs.  Actually, I use it to back up my own files on
 Linux!
 
 such as device nodes and FIFOs.  Actually, I use it to back up my own files on
 Linux!
 

-                            LICENSE AND DISCLAIMER
+                             LICENSE AND DISCLAIMER

 
 See COPYING for information about the license.
 
 
 See COPYING for information about the license.
 

diff --git a/README.WINDOWS b/README.WINDOWS
index 66babca330ef2e15265ac2852c67a0dac72dff00..cd8c7e0e32a2fde946809e4e8f1d3c5bc896b0e7 100644 (file)
--- a/README.WINDOWS
+++ b/README.WINDOWS
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ The Windows distribution of wimlib is a ZIP file containing the following items:
   * License files for all software included.  These are all free software
     licenses.
 
   * License files for all software included.  These are all free software
     licenses.
 

+Note that there are separate ZIP files for 32-bit (i686) and 64-bit (x86_64)
+binaries.  They are both fully supported, but you should prefer the 64-bit
+binaries when possible as they can be noticably faster.
+

                                  WIMLIB-IMAGEX
 
 wimlib-imagex supports most features of Microsoft's ImageX as well as some
                                  WIMLIB-IMAGEX
 
 wimlib-imagex supports most features of Microsoft's ImageX as well as some


@@ -74,3 +78,8 @@ interface available for wimlib or wimlib-imagex.  However, an unofficial, beta,
 Windows-only graphical user interface that provides a thin wrapper around
 wimlib-imagex can be downloaded at
 http://reboot.pro/files/file/485-wimlib-imagex-command-line-compiler/.
 Windows-only graphical user interface that provides a thin wrapper around
 wimlib-imagex can be downloaded at
 http://reboot.pro/files/file/485-wimlib-imagex-command-line-compiler/.

+
+If you want to build your own Windows binaries from source, MinGW-w64 is
+required.  Configure with --host=i686-w64-mingw32 or --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32.
+You will need to satisfy the third-party dependencies (libxml2, winpthreads, and
+win-iconv), which in the official releases are statically linked into the DLL.