---------Original Message:
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:09:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
Subject: RE: Extracting CDOS and CP/M) files
> >Now that 22Disk and the rest of the tools have been exonerated, we can
> >concentrate on ways to read the hard to read sectors - a ubiquitous
> >problem with Cromemco disks.
On Fri, 12 Oct 2007, M H Stein wrote:
> Admittedly a problem when trying to read their disks with today's crippled
> controllers, but their use of a common SD Track 0 meant that without any
> . . .
> It all just looks different from today's PC-centric perspective.
No complaint about the idea of minimal first sector.
The specific problem that I was referring to is the incompatability with
trying to read Cromemco diskettes using an NEC 765 type controller, which
needs a larger index gap, resulting problems reading the first sector
of each track.
------------Reply:
Tell me about it; went through 7 mobo/fdcs while trying to help Dave D;
although some could write OK (which was all I really needed to recreate
his images), I never did find one that could *read* using IMD or Uniform.
Slowed down the drive, which sometimes helps, but still no good reads.
That's why I keep at least one Cromemco system up & running; much
easier to go the other way and copy to MSDOS disks on the Cromemco
(or transfer files the old-fashioned RS-232 way).
Nevertheless, just wanted to point out that their format wasn't quite such
a dumb/bad thing as it seems from a PC POV; just too bad IBM picked
the 765 instead of the 1793.
BTW, that disk ID in track 0 is not *required*; if it's not found, the controller
defaults to (stays in) SD/SS mode (although that doesn't mean that CDOS
will be able to read your particular flavour of CP/M disk unless it's the
IBM 8" "standard").
mike
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:11:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
Subject: Re: Extracting CDOS and CP/M) files
>>> The blame was always hung on the disk compression, since that was what
>>> people NOTICED being different; but the compression was NOT the problem.
>On Thu, 11 Oct 2007, Jules Richardson wrote:
>> Smartdrv was purely a disk cache, wasn't it?
>Yes. But MICROS~1 was completely clueless what the risks were and how to
>deal with them for WRITE caching (what happens if the power goes off, or a
>disk error occurs before the cached stuff gets written?)
Well, in all fairness if the power goes off just before or during a disk write I
don't see how you could avoid problems without a battery backup or similar.
>> The compression was something
>> else... umm... doublespace?
>Therein hangs a bizarre tale of conflict and betrayal between MICROS~1 and
>Stac Electronics (billg said, "I'm having a bad day", when the court
>awarded damages), and the differences between DOS 6.20, 6.21, 6.22.
Not one of his finest moments fer sure...
>>> Ah, the good old days.
>> And then Windows came along...
>Has anybody explained to Al Gore about how Windoze is the primary cause of
>global warming?
I KNEW IT! MICROSOFT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL WARMING!
Now, how many ways are they going to make money out of it....
m
>Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:05:52 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Fred Cisin <cisin at xenosoft.com>
>Subject: RE: Extracting CDOS and CP/M) files
<snip>
>Now that 22Disk and the rest of the tools have been exonerated, we can
>concentrate on ways to read the hard to read sectors - a ubiquitous
>problem with Cromemco disks.
-----------
Admittedly a problem when trying to read their disks with today's crippled
controllers, but their use of a common SD Track 0 meant that without any
configuration changes the OS could concurrently and transparently read a
mix of at least 8 different types of disks; not many systems of that day
could do that.
Want to copy your SDSS 8" disk to a DDDS 5" one? No problem.
Friend or business partner has some data on SDSS 5" disks that you
want on DDDS 8"? Just pop in the disks and copy away; add some
software and you can even copy to/from MS-DOS disks if you must.
Run Z80 CDOS/CP/M Wordstar on your 68000 Cromix+ CS-400?
No sweat (although a different issue). Process your old CDOS data
files with your UNIX software? Not much harder.
It all just looks different from today's PC-centric perspective.
mike
It seems that an audio file of the Sinclair tape will load fine. Now
then, is there an archive of data tape audio files somewhere? Will I have
to start one myself?
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:06:36 -0600
From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com>
Subject: Re: Tony - was: SGI Onyx - Three Phase to Two Phase
conversion
>In article <01C80C7E.C6F95220 at mandr71>,
> M H Stein <dm561 at torfree.net> writes:
>> [...] why waste any of it on preaching to the choir or the unenlightened
>> foolish ones, as the case may be...
>LOL, as if those are the only two choices.
--
It sometimes sounds like they are, at least in Tony's view...
m
Does anyone have (or can point me to) a scanned copy of the
manual for a MicroSolutions Compaticard I by any chance?
Also the drivers, in case the ones I have are for another version?
Can't find mine and only found the IV on the 'Web.
Would be much appreciated; TIA
mike
Hello Paul Anderson,
I want to purchase DEC PDP11/93 (1). Can I get a quote from you? If it is in stock, please reply me. What does it include? I mean how is the configuration?
If it is 2MB how much? If it is 4MB how much?
Thank you very much
Regard
Beijing KSD Electron Technical Service Center
_________________________________________________________________
????? MSN ??????????
http://mobile.msn.com.cn/
-------------Original Message:
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:16:58 +0100 (BST)
From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell)
Subject: Re: SGI Onyx - Three Phase to Two Phase conversion
> Even Tony who has so often contributed valuable information seems
> to be spending more of his time preaching and arguing his various
> gospels lately...
Although I read every message that appears here, I've found few threads
recently that I can really contribute to. Of the current threads, I have
no real knoweldge of RSX, I've never used CDOS (and I know little of disk
imaging programs), and so on. Now, get a good hardware/repair thread
going, nand it'll be difficult to stop me ;-)
-tony
-----------------Reply:
True enough; most threads don't interest me either, and your comprehensive
contributions on the hardware side (and occasionally even software) are greatly
appreciated; thank you for giving us as much time on those as you do.
However, by now we're all pretty well acquainted with your philosophy
of hardware ownership, maintenance and repair, not only of computers
but automobiles, cameras, watches & clocks, machine tools etc. as well.
Life is short and there are so many things that need your restoring & repair
skills; why waste any of it on preaching to the choir or the unenlightened
foolish ones, as the case may be...
mike
