In MS-DOS 3.30 and later and all versions of Microsoft Windows come with Microsoft File Compare as the command fc. Whenever fc encounters a difference between the two files it is presented in the following format:

***** old.txt deleted lines 

***** NEW.TXT inserted lines ***** 

Note that fc capitalizes the filename of the second file. This format is not useful as input for other computer programs. Line notations are missing, but more problematic for an algorithm is the output of filenames by fc which is indistinguishable from an inserted or deleted line beginning with five asterisks and a space. Such a line may occur in a file that was produced by or discusses fc itself.

This is obsoleted by WinDiff which first shipped as part of the NT Resource Kit Tools.

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