keating@rex.cs.tulane.edu (John W. Keating) (12/10/90)
Why hasn't anyone come up with a floppy disk that can read and write in both IBM and Macintosh (and Amiga, and ...) formats? Is the hardware so different that no one even wants to attempt it, or is it a matter of proprietory hardware? On the same note, why hasn't a 5.25 inch drive been created for the IBM that can read and write in both 360K and 1.2M formats correctly? It seems to me as if a drive that can do these things would be in high demand. John
gaynor@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Jim Gaynor) (12/11/90)
In article <5350@rex.cs.tulane.edu> keating@rex.cs.tulane.edu (John W. Keating) writes: >Why hasn't anyone come up with a floppy disk that can read and write in both >IBM and Macintosh (and Amiga, and ...) formats? Is the hardware so different >that no one even wants to attempt it, or is it a matter of proprietory >hardware? The Apple FDHD can read/write Macintosh, MS-DOS, OS/2, and Apple ProDOS 3.5" floppy diskettes. The Atari ST format is, I'm told, identical to the MS-DOS format. The Amiga could most likely be done in software - Amiga drives are 3-speed variable, Mac drives are 5-speed variable. (That's why you -have- to have a Mac drive to read Mac disks directly with AMax on the Amiga - not enough speeds on the Amiga drive). >On the same note, why hasn't a 5.25 inch drive been created for the IBM that >can read and write in both 360K and 1.2M formats correctly? That's a question that belongs on comp.sys.ibm-pc.*. And it seems you posted there too, so that's taken care of. -- Jim Gaynor - Systems Analyst 1 + "This is Serious. He is Lost. The Ohio State University ACS-FM-OCES | We must begin the Search at once." gaynor@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.ed | -Rabbit, from gaynor@agvax2.ag.ohio-state.edu + "The House at Pooh Corner"