KisoCD KisoCD
Version 0.5.2
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1. Introduction

KisoCD is a tool made to easily create data-CDs. It helps you composing the contents of the cd; the work itself is done by mkisofs and burning the CD by cdrecord.

KisoCD's advantage over other cd-burning-frontends is that you "see what you get" (you see every file, every directory and how much space they use, everything while composing the CD via drag'n'drop!) and that you can compose your files freely...take a directory from here, another from there and put them together in the way you want it. You do not have to move your files on the harddisk so that you get a nice CD and you do not have to give mkisofs a command-line which contains some lines of text...I did this some times, and its annoying if you forgot a directory or put it into the wrong place...

Since 0.4.1 KisoCD provides good functionality for use on multi-user-systems.

Making bootable CDs and multisession CDs with KisoCD is also very easy in comparison to other programs.

1.1 Changes 

Version 0.5.2(04.01.2000):

  • i18n: prepared everything for translation, made german translation for program (help-files still only in english).
  • added editline to give path of imagefile
  • "-pad"-option can now be given to cdrecord. Basic patch send by Wolfgang Scherer. Thanks!
  • changed errormessage which appears at virtual cd|new dir if one types nothing or just "/".
  • changed message which appears if cdrecord -scanbus couldn't be executed properly

Version 0.5.1(22.12.1999):

  • Bugfix for recognition of cd-writing-devices: WORM-devices are now recognized, also fixed bug which caused devices on x,0,0 on the scsi-bus not to be recognized (only versions of cdrecord older than 1.8a26).

Version 0.5.0(20.12.1999):

  • Put "Close"-buttons on some dialogs which had none before.
  • Special file for reading device can now also be given via editline, for cases where fileselector doesn't work.
  • Removed confusing messages which appeared when choosing predefined settings for filesystem options while multisession is activated.
  • Made the "process-finished" messages more user-friendly.

Version 0.5.0pre3(21.11.1999):

  • Cleaned up the code, no important warnings at compilation time anymore.
  • Now you can see cdrecords progress in the subprocess window.
  • Enhanced handling of bootable cds: you don't have to worry about directory-structure anymore and predection of the cd's size became more accurate.
  • Finally KisoCD is able to make multisession CDs!!!! Its way to do it is similar to the method used with bootable CDs, so here you don't have to worry about directory-structure, too.
  • Finally fixed errors with parsing "cdrecord -scanbus". Now it also recognizes the output of cdrecord 1.8a26 and later. In 0.4.3 I was wrong to say that the format had changed--before 0.4.3 I only was able to parse one special case of the "old" format. However, now both of them should work fine.
  • Enhanced handling of errors.
  • Some minor bugfixes.
  • Complete rewrite of the option-dialogs. Now I think they "feel" OK.
  • Now a mounted image gets remounted if you changed and recreated it.

Version 0.4.3(25.08.1999):

  • Now you're able to create new directories on the virtual CD without filling them at once.
  • Made some dialogs easier to understand, some little details more user-friendly.
  • fixed various minor bugs
  • there are less confusing messages on startup
  • writing with 6x- and 8x-speed
  • cdrecord changed its "-scanbus" output format in some version. This caused a wrong detection of your cd-writer if you had such a new version of cdrecord. KisoCD now is able to read both formats.

Version 0.4.2(23.08.1999):

  • Bugfix: when hitting the "browse.."-button in "options|more..|image file" or "options|bootable cd|bootable image" a segfault could occur. Furthermore its now checked if your choice makes sense.
  • Bugfix: The global configuration file needed to be writeable for the user, now it is opened read-only.
  • The global configuration file can now reside in $KDEDIR/share/config/, /etc/defaults/ or /usr/local/etc/defaults/; put it where you like.
  • Minor enhancement to the menus.

Version 0.4.1(21.08.1999):

  • Bugfix: when mounting and viewing the image, kfm always opened /mnt, even if one used another mountpoint.
  • included quick-start instructions
  • Bugfix: one got a segfault pressing "cancel" in the fileselectors for the imagefile and the bootable image.
  • added a very simple "file manager" so you don't need the kfm anymore. However, it's just a quick hack.
  • Added support for global configuration file by which the super-user can set options for users and groups of users. Currently all relevant options can be set to a value which then can't be overridden by the user and additionally one can hide complete menus or menu entries (for example because one thinks that they confuse the user, he won't need them or he mustn't use them).
  • possibility to erase cd-RWs
  • enhanced integration of subprocesses and especially their output
  • Of course some changes in the help-files again.

Version 0.4(22.07.1999):

  • The path for cdrecord is looked up and used instead of just calling cdrecord. Changed as a user had problems with cdrecord not being found. 
  • Possibility to delete image-file.
  • some minor improvements
  • kover-output
  • Now one is able to change the name of files which are dragged alone (not in a directory and not in a set of files/directories!).
  • Of course some changes in the help-files again.
  • BOOTABLE CDs!!!!!

Version 0.3pre4b(19.05.1999):

  • same as 0.3pre4, only added some logging as some users report segfaults on startup which I can't explain. Please drop me a note if you have this too!
  • Last-minute-bugfix: segfault when saving file without having added any files or directories.

Version 0.3pre4(14.05.1999):

  • bugfix: image was deleted when running test image
  • "test image" renamed to "simulate image creation"
  • the old "test image" had a problem with reading very long lines from mkisofs's output--problem not really fixed, but should be OK now

Version 0.3pre3(19.04.1999):

  • eliminated need for qtcompat
  • changed the makefiles; kisocd.sh should now be placed in the right directory on all systems
  • fileselector for imagefile enhanced
  • bugfix: it was possible to select a nonexistent device
  • now one can drop several files/dirs at once
  • you can mount an image and view it very easily
  • some little things more....

Version 0.3pre2(27.03.1999):

  • minor improvements in user interface
  • improved the help
  • added "cdDoc|create from current view"
  • bugfix: ofstream.close() was not automatically called, led to problems when saving the options (not on all systems!)

Version 0.3pre1(14.03.1999):

  • "File|Create Image", "File|Burn CD now!" and the "cdDoc"-commands now run separately from KisoCD
  • partially finished, disabled: Multisession support
  • When starting KisoCD you get a window to log in as root so that all functions of KisoCD can be accessed.

Version 0.2.2(13.03.1999):

  • fixed a bug in the previous versions (segmentation fault when opening the options-dialog, did not have to occur everytime due to possible delays in Qt's signal-slot mechanism)

Version 0.2.1(12.03.1999):

  • Treelist does not collapse after adding files/directories (so you see changes at once)

Version 0.2 (10.03.1999):

  • uses KFileDialog instead of QFileDialog
  • eliminated an error at compile time
  • stores every file with ending ".cd"


first official version (08.03.1999) was stupidly called 0.10

1.2 Known Problems

  • For known problems please take a look at my homepage...
  • If you allow "following of links" and get a recursion KisoCD will not recognize that (program will hang, exit with error or something like that). Will be fixed someday when I search for directories and files which are included more than once.
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