Multi-platform distribution format (Was: Backups [was

[Fred Cisin]

>> single sided FM/SD 77 tracks, 26 sectors per track, 128 bytes per
>> sector 256,256 bytes (250.25K)
On Sun, 20 Sep 2015, Chuck Guzis wrote:
> There was a good reason for that.
> Many early disk controllers did not have a "write index to index" fucntion 
> that also enabled writing special (i.e. missing clocks) characters.  As a 
> result, one had to purchase 8" floppies pre-formatted (this actually 
> persisted for quite some time).  IBM 3740 format was the most common format 
> out there; hence the easiest to obtain.

It certainly made absolute sense as the format to use.

But, I had thought that there should then be a SECOND standard for 5.25", 
for those machines without 8" support.
Gary disagreed.  Having more than ONE "standard" makes it not completely a 
standard.  Still, a 5.25" "recommended" format, or a specific family with 
sides and densities,  would have made a lot of people less miserable, 
(did we really need thousands of mutually incompatable formats?),
and I would have been programming some other project.

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred     		cisin at xenosoft.com