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From: JTREWORGY@Wesleyan.BITNET (James Treworgy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Write protect mechanisms (was Re: Virus)
Message-ID: <9004102044.AA12596@jade.berkeley.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 90 20:46:54 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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X-Local-Date: 10 Apr 90 13:46:54 PDT
X-Unparsable-Date: 10-APR-1990 16:45:36.56

> In article <9004061744.AA13588@jade.berkeley.edu> C503719@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU
   ("Baird McIntosh") writes:
>   [stuff deleted]
>>hope that my assessment is incorrect.  In any case, I don't think there is a
>>way in software to write to a write-protected disk; the hardware won't allow
>>this type of write to occur (which is perfectly reasonable and expected).
>>
> Unfortunately, the write protect mechanism involves an optical detector. If th
   e
> light source is not functioning it is the same as write-enabling the disk. A
> defective drive will allow writing to a protected disk.
> Proper fail-safe design would have reversed the modes, so that a closed tab
> meant write-protect. A failure in that case would mean a default
> of write-protect.

That's one way to look at it, but if, as you say, the mode had been reversed,
your drive would be useless if the mechanism broke down (you wouldn't be able
to write to disks). As it is, you are just in a situation where you can't write
protect disks if it breaks. I think this has fewer negative effects than not
being able to write at all (all the disks I use extensively are write enabled
anyway, for obvious reasons).
--
James A. Treworgy    -- No quote here for insurance reasons --
jtreworgy@eagle.wesleyan.edu         jtreworgy%eagle@WESLEYAN.BITNET