dpg@cs.nott.ac.uk (Dave Gymer) (05/14/91)
I'm about to start work on an MeSsy-DOS filing system for MiNT, and would appreciate some advice about the way it should handle filenames. Some possabilities are: 1) Have it work just like TOS, ie. convert all names to uppercase internally. 2) Have filenames stored on disk as whatever case they were created with. This is the way the versions of MeSsy-DOS I've used work. Within the filing system, of course, all matching is case-insensitive, but programs calling Fsfirst() get mixed case. 3) As 2), but have programs running in MiNT domain get mixed case, programs in TOS domain get uppercase. Any thoughts on the relative merits of these approaches? Any other ways of doing it? -- /* 'Grave' Dave Gymer --------- Internet: dpg@Cs.Nott.AC.UK *\ +* 42 St Marys Park, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 0EF, England *+ +* Olivier's Law: "Experience is something you don't get *+ \*-------------------------- until just after you need it." */
apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) (05/15/91)
dpg@cs.nott.ac.uk (Dave Gymer) writes: >I'm about to start work on an MeSsy-DOS filing system for MiNT, and would >appreciate some advice about the way it should handle filenames. Before you "start work" please check to see if TOS's and MiNT's own filesystem isn't what you need. They *are* MSDOS compatible. You can take TOS disks and use them on PC's. Well, that's not quite true. They have to be formatted by a program which does an MS-DOS compatible format. The difference is a couple of bytes at the beginning of the boot sector. Original TOS didn't set that up the way MSDOS needed. New TOSes (1.4 and greater) do. Other people's formatters, like DoubleClick, let you select this as an option. There is no difference at all in the data part of the disk, only a couple of bytes in the first sector which we ignore and they use. Sometimes you can format a disk on a PC and use it on an ST. You can certainly READ the disk on the ST. You can't WRITE it unless the disk was formatted with two FATs. Some newer MSDOSes think they're doing you a favor by writing just one FAT. If you have one of those, use the option to FORMAT which says, "Put two FATs on the disk." Aside from these details of formatting (which are not minor), the TOS and MSDOS filesystems are identical, files, subdirectories, and all. ============================================ Opinions expressed above do not necessarily -- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp. reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else. ...ames!atari!apratt
dpg@cs.nott.ac.uk (Dave Gymer) (05/20/91)
In article <2940@atari.UUCP> apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) writes: >dpg@cs.nott.ac.uk (Dave Gymer) writes: >>I'm about to start work on an MeSsy-DOS filing system for MiNT, and would >>appreciate some advice about the way it should handle filenames. > >Before you "start work" please check to see if TOS's and MiNT's own >filesystem isn't what you need. They *are* MSDOS compatible. You can >take TOS disks and use them on PC's. Yes, but ultimately the aim of MiNT is surely to completely replace TOS. And, by the way, the ST cannot cope with disks with a number of FATs other than 2, or floppies with sector sizes >1024 bytes (unusual, I admit :-), and doesn't handle disks with FATs of size != 5 sectors correctly. >Well, that's not quite true. They have to be formatted by a program which >does an MS-DOS compatible format. The difference is a couple of bytes at >the beginning of the boot sector. Original TOS didn't set that up the way >MSDOS needed. New TOSes (1.4 and greater) do. Other people's formatters, >like DoubleClick, let you select this as an option. There is no difference >at all in the data part of the disk, only a couple of bytes in the first >sector which we ignore and they use. I have an STe, and this does the correct formatting. >Sometimes you can format a disk on a PC and use it on an ST. You can >certainly READ the disk on the ST. You can't WRITE it unless the disk was >formatted with two FATs. Some newer MSDOSes think they're doing you a >favor by writing just one FAT. If you have one of those, use the option to >FORMAT which says, "Put two FATs on the disk." I often use disk formatted on an Amiga under MSH: - if I give them only one FAT, or FATs not of 5 sectors, my ST CANNOT read them (I have to use DiskEdit to get the files back). Of course, if I format the disks on my STe, I have no problems. >Aside from these details of formatting (which are not minor), the TOS >and MSDOS filesystems are identical, files, subdirectories, and all. I notice that some versions of MS-DOS (DOS 4.0 on a PS2 I know) save a mixed case filename on the disk (at least on the hard drive). But the ST doesnt' mind too much if I take a sector editor to a disk and change the case of the directory entries. I hope this has helped clarify my reasons for attempting this project. But please, nobody hold their breath: it won't even be ready for testing until late this year (October of November at the earliest) as I'm going to be away from my STe over the summer (woe is me :-( ). -- /* 'Grave' Dave Gymer --------- Internet: dpg@Cs.Nott.AC.UK *\ +* 42 St Marys Park, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 0EF, England *+ +* Olivier's Law: "Experience is something you don't get *+ \*-------------------------- until just after you need it." */