rburns@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Randy Burns) (03/07/87)
Is there any way to get a mac to read a disk produced on an AMIGA? A friend of mine is writing a program and it would be very useful for him to have this kind of data transfer. I know the two disk formats are completely different. I thought there my be some trick one could use, this might involve writing the data on the amiga redundantly. It would be ok if additional software was required on the Mac end.
beilke@puff.UUCP (03/09/87)
In article <10445@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, rburns@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Randy Burns) writes: > Is there any way to get a mac to read a disk produced on an AMIGA? A > friend of mine is writing a program and it would be very useful for him > to have this kind of data transfer. I know the two disk formats are > completely different. I thought there my be some trick one could use, > this might involve writing the data on the amiga redundantly. It would > be ok if additional software was required on the Mac end. I don't know if the Mac can read Amiga disks, but the Amiga can read Mac disks. For information look at the GO AMIGA product list in _AMIGA World_. BTW, I can't remember what the program is called, or if it is shipping yet. Just thought I'd mention it. // Matt Beilke \\// {hplabs, seismo, caip, etc}!uwvax!puff!beilke
nicholso@hpesoc1.UUCP (03/10/87)
The Amiga hardware is capable of reading and writing Apple II and Macintosh formatted disks. Whether or not any software exists that allows this to be done, I don't know. I doubt that it is possible for a Mac with an IWM to read an Amiga formatted disk. The IWM has a GCR data separator that looks for a sync bit every byte. This throws away timing information that would occur in an MFM or RLL encoded data stream. About five years ago I remember seeing an article on reading Atari 800 disks with an Apple II. As I recall some of this timing information might be recoverable statisically, but not with certainty. It is highly probable that appropriate magic software would allow a Mac with an IWM to write an Amiga formatted disk. Anyone know what the new Macs use for the disk controller? Ron Nicholson ..hplabs!hpda!nicholso
dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (03/10/87)
If the Mac disk controller has the ability to read raw transitions, I don't see why you couldn't read an Amiga disk. Amiga disks are standard MFM encoded, but since the Amiga track buffers disk I/O, it doesn't need to put any spacing between sectors and can squeeze an extra sector on each track. (this is why Amiga disks are 880K and Mac/Ibm disks are 800K). -Matt