louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) (04/29/87)
I got such a good response with my previous query about SCSI drivers, I'll throw another one out. Disk Partitions. Yup, those things. Here's the model I'm working from; I've got a large disk on my Amiga (I wish!) which is attached via a SCSI interface to the host. I'd like to be able to unplug it, and carry it to my friend's Amiga, plug it in, and have it work. No editing of files or hacks in S:STARTUP-SEQUENCE or anything. The way to do this is to define a standard disk partition table on the disk which the disk driver reads at initialization time. Consider that you might not even have a good idea how many heads and tracks are on the drive, so this information should probably be there as well. This will help out the equivelent of trackdisk.device to know how large the drive is. Once you know how large the device is, you can now partition it up. It still looks like one disk unit, but each partition (DH0, DH1, etc) starts at a different cyl. offset. This is already supported in the DOS, so all you need to do is have the disk driver plug in the appropriate values when it does a MakeDosNode() (in then expansion.library). It would be real nice if the partition tables were identical, so I could more a disk between different manufactures disk systems. So, how about it? CBM: whadda you do with your disk system? If it is resonable, then there's no reason that other shouldn't follow your lead with theirs. If it's not reasonable, then shame on you! Someone needs to pick up the ball here before its too late and we end up with N incompatible systems. ---* start soapbox mode *--- This sort of information might be floating around, available to deveoplers. I *used* to be a developer, but I guess producing freely redistributable software (like GFXMEM, menu packages in BROWER, etc) really doesn't count as much. I can't afford to plunk down many hundreds of $ to keep up with EA and such. I'm just doing it for the fun of it, and I hope that the Amiga community and CBM benifit from it. I'm not going to pay for the privilige, however.. And they didn't even send me a release 1.2 after testing all of the beta versions.. Seriously, doesn't CBM see any value in supporting those of us that produce PD-type software? We can't all be an EA. ---* end soapbox mode *--- Louis A. Mamakos WA3YMH Internet: louie@TRANTOR.UMD.EDU University of Maryland, Computer Science Center - Systems Programming
cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (04/29/87)
In article <1601@umd5.umd.edu>, (Louis A. Mamakos) writes: > I got such a good response with my previous query about SCSI drivers, I'll > throw another one out ... I'd like to be able to unplug > it, and carry it to my friend's Amiga, plug it in, and have it work. No > editing of files or hacks in S:STARTUP-SEQUENCE or anything. Hmmm, assuming you carried your disk over to this friends Amiga could you not also carry over your Workbench disk? If you wish to daisy chain it off your friends SCSI disk then you would have a problem. Then you would need to execute something that added your drive to an existing system. > The way to do this is to define a standard disk partition table on the > disk which the disk driver reads at initialization time. Consider that > you might not even have a good idea how many heads and tracks are on the > drive... Well, many SCSI drives (the Seagate ST-225N for example) support a SCSI command to read the capabilities of the drive. This tells you how many heads, sectors/per track and sector size you can expect. Writing the driver to reserve an extra block at the start of a partition to contain partition information would be nice but I don't see that it buys you all that much in terms of capability. > Once you know how large the device is, you can now partition it up... At least MicroBotics lets you do this now. Just mount each partition and tell it where they start. > It would be real nice if the partition tables were identical, so I could > more a disk between different manufactures disk systems. Shades of PC-DOS here. Although I can't quite completely parse this sentence. My overriding question is this "How often do you move your Hard disk around, and if it is often do you suffer large numbers of media failure from bouncing the heads around?" Are you really trying to use this thing like a very delicate floppy? > So, how about it? CBM: whadda you do with your disk system? If it is > resonable, then there's no reason that other shouldn't follow your lead > with theirs. If it's not reasonable, then shame on you! Someone needs to > pick up the ball here before its too late and we end up with N incompatible > systems. [I am slowly beginning to think what you are saying is that you want a standard SCSI driver and user interface but I may be totally mis-reading this too.] Commodore has already defined a standard place to put partitioning information which is in the MountList file. Whether a manufacturer uses it is up to them. > ---* start soapbox mode *--- > ... I *used* to be a developer, but I guess producing freely > redistributable software really doesn't count as much. I can't afford > to plunk down many hundreds of $ to keep up with EA and such. I'm just > doing it for the fun of it, and I hope that the Amiga community and CBM > benifit from it. I'm not going to pay for the privilige, however.. And > they didn't even send me a release 1.2 after testing all of the beta > versions.. > > Seriously, doesn't CBM see any value in supporting those of us that produce > PD-type software? We can't all be an EA. > ---* end soapbox mode *--- > Louis A. Mamakos WA3YMH Internet: louie@TRANTOR.UMD.EDU [DANGER..DANGER..Will Robinson..FLAMES AHEAD...] I find myself amazed and offended and all sorts of other unpleasant emotions at Louis' comments above. Complaining because Commodore won't send you *free* disks? Get Real buddy. First of all, Commodore offers a $50/yr program for those 'less serious' developers, which includes Amiga Mail and I assume disk updates. Second their staff answers questions over Usenet and BIX whether or not you are a developer. Besides if you are just 'doing it for the fun of it' you are *not* a developer, you are an enthusiastic user. But even so you are still supported by the CATS staff. CBM obviously sees value in supporting the PD-type software, they make sure Fred Fish has the latest IFF stuff or demos and examples, and they post most of them to the net anyway. People in the Atari conference have paid $300 for developer status and complain they don't get the level of support that Commodore gives away free! Sheesh, every time I sit down to write code on this machine I thank those gals and guys for their efforts at making it possible. So give them a break please. I am sure you more than $1 a week's value out of their support. [FLAMES SUBSIDING ...] > And they didn't even send me a release 1.2 after testing all of the beta > versions.. Just out of curiosity, how many bug reports did you send in? Did you keep your end of the bargain ? If you did, they gave you credit toward the fee for being a developer. All you needed to do was send in five bugs and your $50 would be paid! Being a developer is a *give* and take proposition. Enough for now. -- --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These views are my own and no one elses. They could be yours too, just call MrgCop() and then ReThinkDisplay()!
ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) (04/30/87)
In article <1601@umd5.umd.edu> louie@sayshell.umd.edu (Louis A. Mamakos) writes: > >This sort of information might be floating around, available to deveoplers. >I *used* to be a developer, but I guess producing freely redistributable >software (like GFXMEM, menu packages in BROWER, etc) really doesn't count >as much. I can't afford to plunk down many hundreds of $ to keep up with >EA and such. I'm just doing it for the fun of it, and I hope that the >Amiga community and CBM benifit from it. I'm not going to pay for the >privilige, however.. And they didn't even send me a release 1.2 after >testing all of the beta versions.. > >Seriously, doesn't CBM see any value in supporting those of us that produce >PD-type software? We can't all be an EA. > Assuming for the moment that EA has access to more information than we do (which I seriously doubt), what evidence is there to suggest that EA has done a better job at developing software than any of us? Just look at some of the stuff they've put out of late. Buggy, poorly-thought out (Deluxe Video 1.2 still needs 6 bitplanes to make 16 colors. Truly pathetic.), and copy-protected (but that's another flame...). Now, look at the quality of FREE (or nearly so) software that has appeared on Fish Disks and BBS's all over the place. I think CBM has supported us very well, especially through this medium. CBM has pretty much given us nearly everything we need to know and let us sink or swim. Nice to be swimming with all you guys. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ ________ ___ Leo L. Schwab \ /___--__ The Guy in The Cape ___ ___ /\ ---##\ ihnp4!ptsfa!well!ewhac / X \_____ | __ _---)) ..or.. / /_\-- -----+==____\ // \ _ well ---\ ___ ( o---+------------------O/ \/ \ dual ----> !unicom!ewhac \ / ___ \_ (`o ) hplabs -/ ("AE-wack") ____ \___/ \_/ Recumbent Bikes: "Work FOR? I don't work FOR The _O_n_l_y Way To Fly! anybody! I'm just having fun."