Subject: Re: floppy device
To: None <erd@kumiss.infinet.com, amiga-dev@NetBSD.ORG, rhialto@mbfys.kun.nl>
From: Olaf Seibert <rhialto@mbfys.kun.nl>
List: amiga-dev
Date: 06/01/1995 16:44:36
Ethan Dicks wrote:
>Olaf (Olaf Seibert); in <199505251909.VAA16220@septimius.mbfys.kun.nl> on May 25 writes:
>
>> Ah! Finally someone who whill take the messydisk.device code
>> and write something similar for NetBSD! I can mail you the
>> sources if you just wait for me to upload them...
>
>Since people are going to be delving into this stuff... *Years* ago, when messydisk
>was young, I posted a feature request (which I couldn't do myself because I have
>SAS/C, not Aztec/Manx C) that one low-level format be added: 10 sector RX50 format.

Since, I have converted from Manx C to DICE, which should make conversion
to SAS (if needed) somewhat easier, since I had to split the assembler
and C code into separate source files.

>PeeCee users can read and write PDP-8 and PDP-11 diskettes, but we can't :-(  I
>managed to track down the info on headers and intersector gaps, etc., only to find
>there are some *minor* differences between RX-50 and IBM MFM disk layout.  Olaf
>included my original posting with the messydos distribution, but I've never heard
>back from anyone that they read it and were trying to implement it.

I just took a look again, and I don't seen any pressing reason why
messydisk should not at least be able to read those rx50 disks. Perhaps
the CRC is different, but things as contents and sizes of gaps should
not make a bit of difference. If it is the CRC, there is an option to
ignore it. Just so you can try it, I'll be sending you the newest version
of messydisk under separate cover.

>It would be wonderful if RX-50 support managed to make it into any new MFM disk
>schemes.  I would be happy to test it (since most of you probably don't have 5.25"
>disks on your machines :-)
>
>Thanks 10+E6
>
>-ethan

-Olaf.
--
___              Copyright 1995 Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert. All Rights Reserved.
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