sorts of different machines in the housethoughwe needed more portable solution splitting files portably since all the computers in my house ran pythona simple portable python script came to the rescue the python program in example - distributes single file' contents among set of part files and stores those part files in directory example - pp \system\filetools\split py #!/usr/bin/python ""###############################################################################split file into set of partsjoin py puts them back togetherthis is customizable version of the standard unix split command-line utilitybecause it is written in pythonit also works on windows and can be easily modifiedbecause it exports functionits logic can also be imported and reused in other applications###############################################################################""import sysos kilobytes megabytes kilobytes chunksize int( megabytesdefaultroughly floppy def split(fromfiletodirchunksize=chunksize)if not os path exists(todir)caller handles errors os mkdir(todirmake dirread/write parts elsefor fname in os listdir(todir)delete any existing files os remove(os path join(todirfname)partnum input open(fromfile'rb'binaryno decodeendline while trueeof=empty string from read chunk input read(chunksizeget next part <chunksize if not chunkbreak partnum + filename os path join(todir('part% dpartnum)fileobj open(filename'wb'fileobj write(chunkfileobj close(or simply open(write(input close(assert partnum < join sort fails if digits return partnum should note that this background story stems from the second edition of this bookwritten in some ten years laterfloppies have largely gone the way of the parallel port and the dinosaur moreoverburning cd or dvd is no longer as painful as it once wasthere are new options today such as large flash memory cardswireless home networksand simple emailand naturallymy home computers configuration isn' what it once was for that mattersome of my kids are no longer kids (though they've retained some backward compatibility with their former selvessplitting and joining files