kim@analog.UUCP (Kim Helliwell ) (04/07/86)
I finally figured out the trick of formatting 400K disks as HFS disks--you apparently have to hold down the option key throughout the whole operation, not just at the beginning! This raises the following question in my mind: Why did Apple choose MFS as the default for 400K disks? It seems to me that most people would want to have every disk formatted as HFS, no matter what, except for a few cases, in which one would hold down the option key to force MFS. This would by extension work for both 400K and 800K disks, and would be much more intuitive and consistent with the spirit of the Mac interface (OK, my opinion!). Given that the above is what I want, is there any easy way to patch things to make HFS the default for 400K disks and reverse the meaning of the option key? Ideally, this sort of thing would be in a resource, wouldn't it? Kim Helliwell hplabs!analog!kim ... back in the days when telephones didn't have dials and every call was a crank call.
dave@rocksvax.FUN (Dave Sewhuk) (04/11/86)
HFS 400K disks have less free space on them. I don't know about you, but
every K counts on those disks. Besides the HFS ROM makes no real distinctions
about MFS and HFS disks (except for the extra pixel in the window). User
interface is preserved - directories still are fake on the MFS and if copied
to HFS will mkdir them and fill them as you expect.
If the fact the HFS is the 'option' on Initialize Disk - it is true it is
documented that disks greater than 800K get HFS unless you optionally
pick the other. That seems like 'option' to me!
Dave
arpa: Sewhuk.HENR@Xerox.COM
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ns: "Sewhuk:HENR801G:Xerox".ns@Xerox.COMbaron@runx.OZ (Jason Haines) (04/15/86)
Firstly, if one wants to format 400K HFS volumes, one holds the option key down
at the getvolumename dialog. You hold it down a few seconds after pressing OK
and there you have it!
The advantage of defaulting 400K disks to MFS is for the benefit of all the
people out there who have 400K SS drives like me. If someone neglected to
format my SS disk to MFS, copied some documents to it, and handed it to me, I
could not use it! In fact, it is in the spirit of macintosh that it be done
this way (and not as you suggest).
Disclaimer: These opinions are mine alone, and are not intended to offend.
/* Jason Haines
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*/borton@sdcc3.UUCP (Chris Borton) (04/20/86)
In article <1009@runx.OZ> baron@runx.OZ (Jason Haines) writes: > ... >The advantage of defaulting 400K disks to MFS is for the benefit of all the >people out there who have 400K SS drives like me. If someone neglected to >format my SS disk to MFS, copied some documents to it, and handed it to me, I >could not use it! In fact, it is in the spirit of macintosh that it be done >this way (and not as you suggest). Another use of 400K HFS disks I've found occurs when you want to put a *large* number of files on the floppy. 400K MFS has a limit of ~100 files (unless you tweak the directory) and this doesn't work for things like HD Util and MacZap Patcher. Both of those programs have well over 100 patch files. No problem with HFS! -Chris -- Chris Borton, UC San Diego Undergraduate CS; Micro Consultant, UCSD borton@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU || ...!{ucbvax,decvax,noscvax,ihnp4,bang}!sdcsvax!borton