Disk images are a wonderful way of packing entire folders or disks into a single file, either for transport across the Internet or simply for backup. They are Apple’s preferred format for distributing Mac OS X software. Unlike other formats, disk images preserve long filenames and Mac and Unix metadata and are compatible with all versions of Mac OS X. To access an image’s content, simply double-click the image file in the Mac OS X Finder. The contents of a disk image can be accessed in-place; unlike with archives, you can view and open the files on a disk image without spending the time—or disk space—to uncompress the entire image. Apple’s Disk Utility can be used to create disk images, but DropDMG is more powerful and easier to use.