pete@i-core.UUCP (Pete Ashdown) (01/07/90)
Ok, here is some high-weirdness for you. Apple File Exchange will read MS DOS disks through A-Max.... Sort of. The reason I want to do this is because Macs are highly used at my University. In fact, we are required to turn in assignments on Mac format disks. This presents a problem for an Amiga owner like myself, who can use the required compilers (Lightspeed Pascal and C) on A-Max, and can transfer from Mac to A-Max with the DiskTransfer utility. However, I can't go the other way around!! So, when someone told me that Apple File Exchange will work with the A-Max, I was amazed, but I tried it. First I transfered a load of SIT files to an IBM disk at the University. All the Mac's there have the new FDHD drives and the SWIM chip that allows MFM read/writes. It worked wonderfully and transfered the stuff to an IBM disk flawlessly. Now, I was having a hard time believing that Apple File Exchange would work with A-Max. First, doesn't the SWIM chip require the 256K ROMs? Second, the Amiga can read/write MFM, but its completely different hardware! Unless Readysoft made provisions for SWIM chip emulation, then it wouldn't work, right? Wrong. It read the directory without a hitch, it even recognized it as a MS-DOS disk. However, when I went to transfer the files off, it happened almost immediately (ie: the bar moved, but nothing was transfered) and I got a sector not found error. Which leads me to believe that if the Apple File Exchange program was patched a bit, it would be a perfect combination with CrossDOS for transfering binary data between the Amiga and the A-Max. Another thing I should mention is that it didn't transfer from the A-Max to the IBM at all. It stated that the disk was write protected, when in fact, it wasn't. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone from Apple care to comment (ha ha)? Is it possible to write translation modules for AFE for other disk formats/systems?