Merlin2

Merlin 2 is the next-generation analysis software. Work on it is slated to start soon.

Current planned features:

Merlin2 analysis software:

This is for analyzing more difficult disks — whether slightly damaged, copy protected, of an unknown format, or whatnot.

There should be an easy way of loading one or more DFI (or other) flux images. Direct acquisition from the device should also be supported It should be possible to select multiple tracks to work on at a time, and to mask/filter unwanted tracks. Charts should be available, much like in the current Merlin1 prototype. It should be possible to "layer" multiple reads or multiple tracks, to correlate them (this would be useful for weak-bit protection as well as spiral-track protection, as well as for failing disks). A hex viewer should be available, showing the on-disk data using the selected decoder.

  Since the decode pipeline has multiple steps, it should be possible to view the "data" at any of these. So for example, GCR nybbles should be viewable, as well as decoded headers+data.

Multiple data separators should be available (I believe philpem did some work on this). It should not be too difficult to add a new decoder (use a scripting language maybe, python?).

Tool must be cross platform and easy enough to use — run on Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as other POSIX-compliant operating systems.