AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS.BITNET ("David A. Lyons") (03/08/89)
>Date: Tue, 7 Mar 89 18:32:41 GMT >From: Stdnt 42 > <mailrus!uflorida!haven!aplcen!jhunix!c08_d042 > @TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU> > >This discussion brings something to mind. There's ways to check to >see if there's a disk in a 5.25" drive so that it *doesn't* slamm the >r/w head. Most well written games and older utilities (like create >with garfield) used it. It only takes about 3/4 second, or faster >even, to find if there is a disk in the drive ready to be read. [...] >It requires custom routine, however, since Pro[DOS] uses the retard >method. If Pro[DOS] did it this way tho...nobody would be bitchin >about 5.25" drives not being suitable for gs's. > >Chris Coleman c08_d042@jhunix If ProDOS and/or the GS/OS APPLEDISK5.25 driver used a method like that, people would be complaining that sometimes their system refused to recognize their good 5.25 disks. Why? Because there's no way to guarantee that the drive's read/write head is actually at a valid track. _Especially_ if the last thing you did with the drive was play a copy-protected game or access a nonstandard disk with more than 35 tracks, that method could incorrectly decide there was no disk. What you call the "retard method" I call a method that always works. Anyway, 3/4 of a second is still far too long for the Finder to poll the 5.25 drives the way it does for 3.5 drives (and presumably for _any_ removable-media devices with GS/OS drivers that can report whether media is present). The Finder polls about twice a second. I never said 5.25 drives weren't suitable for GSs, but they aren't nearly as much fun. I have two and use them--but mostly to copy disks to send to people with no 3.5" drives. 3.5" disks store 5.7 times as much data (800K/140K) for about 3 times the price ($0.79/$0.25 from MEI). And, of course, access to the 3.5s is faster, and the disks are sturdier. --David A. Lyons bitnet: awcttypa@uiamvs DAL Systems CompuServe: 72177,3233 P.O. Box 287 GEnie mail: D.LYONS2 North Liberty, IA 52317 AppleLinkPE: Dave Lyons
ALBRO@NIEHS.BITNET (03/09/89)
O.K., some people hate work-arounds, but as far as I know _everybody_ hates the Brrrrtttttthhhh as The IIgs polls an empty 5 1/4" drive. So it costs $0.39 per drive to get a disk from MEI, format it for ProDOS, and leave it in the drive. What's the problem?