On 2025-09-15 22:51, rbowman wrote:
On Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:51:04 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
On the other hand, there was a plethora of incompatible
5 1/4" formats (at least before IBM steamrolled them), making it
difficult to exchange data back in the days when there was a lot of
diversity. At least without specialized hardware - our computer club
had a special floppy controller known as the Disk Maker, an S-100 card
which could handle 400 different 5 1/4" formats.
I had a CP/M utility that could read quite a few formats that were created with the Western Digital floppy controllers but no where near 400
flavors.
On the PC the format was handled in software (BIOS or even userland), so
I understand that the number of formats it can handle is infinite.
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:44:31 +0200
"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
On 2025-09-15 22:51, rbowman wrote:CopyRite was the DOS prog to read anything, IIRC
On Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:51:04 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
On the other hand, there was a plethora of incompatible
5 1/4" formats (at least before IBM steamrolled them), making it
difficult to exchange data back in the days when there was a lot of
diversity. At least without specialized hardware - our computer club
had a special floppy controller known as the Disk Maker, an S-100 card >>>> which could handle 400 different 5 1/4" formats.
I had a CP/M utility that could read quite a few formats that were created >>> with the Western Digital floppy controllers but no where near 400
flavors.
On the PC the format was handled in software (BIOS or even userland), so
I understand that the number of formats it can handle is infinite.
xpost to afc, dropping aeu
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:44:31 +0200
"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
On 2025-09-15 22:51, rbowman wrote:CopyRite was the DOS prog to read anything, IIRC
On Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:51:04 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
On the other hand, there was a plethora of incompatible
5 1/4" formats (at least before IBM steamrolled them), making it
difficult to exchange data back in the days when there was a lot of
diversity. At least without specialized hardware - our computer club
had a special floppy controller known as the Disk Maker, an S-100 card
which could handle 400 different 5 1/4" formats.
I had a CP/M utility that could read quite a few formats that were created >> > with the Western Digital floppy controllers but no where near 400
flavors.
On the PC the format was handled in software (BIOS or even userland), so
I understand that the number of formats it can handle is infinite.
xpost to afc, dropping aeu
On PC-s there was hardware floppy controller. Software could
configure it for various formats, but it was less general that
software-only floppy handling. My understanding is that Amiga
could easily write floppies in a format that was impossible to
read using PC floppy controller.
On PC-s there was hardware floppy controller.
configure it for various formats, but it was less general that
software-only floppy handling. My understanding is that Amiga
could easily write floppies in a format that was impossible to
read using PC floppy controller.
On 16/09/2025 21:29, Waldek Hebisch wrote:
On PC-s there was hardware floppy controller.
Wasn't it originally a separate card?
You bought floppies and a controller card.
I see from ebay listings that indeed it was a separate card.
IIRC everything was a separate card then - the video, the serial or
parallel port, floppy drives, hard drives.
All that was built in to the motherboard was a keyboard port.
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