Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga:74631 alt.religion.computers:2247 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!unsvax!uns-helios!alfter From: alfter@uns-helios.nevada.edu (SCOTT ALFTER) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,alt.religion.computers Subject: Re: A3000UX competition Message-ID: <2505@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU> Date: 16 Dec 90 22:15:33 GMT References: <16482@cbmvax.commodore.com> Sender: news@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga Organization: University of Nevada System Computing Services Lines: 31 In article rang@cs.wisc.edu (Anton Rang) writes: > * The ability to have a foreign file system installed easily. VMS > can do this in theory (you write an ACP process to interpret the > file system commands) but I've never seen anyone do one, and it > would be a lot of work. The Apple //gs, Macintosh, and Amiga all > have this. Does SVR4? (They support both SysV and BSD, at least.) > I think that Mach is a good step in this direction (not just for > file systems, but for VM etc. as well.) The IIGS does have this capability (file system translators, or FSTs), but it's presently severely underused (can you say "no ability to read Mac disks yet?"). FSTs are available for ProDOS (the Apple II's native file system), AppleShare (for file servers), and High Sierra (for CD-ROM), but that's it presently. I've heard the Amiga has something similar, but I'll leave the answer to somebody who knows what he's talking about WRT the Amiga. The Mac doesn't have this capability at all. Otherwise there would be no need for Apple File Exchange. With an HFS (the Mac's file system) FST installed in a IIGS, you could just pop a Mac disk in any drive and read and write info. The Mac can't do that; Apple File Exchange is a standalone program that translates stuff between HFS, ProDOS, and MeSsy-DOS. MultiFinder might make using it a bit easier, but if I have a text file on a ProDOS disk that I want to read into Microsoft Word, I'd have to run Apple File Exchange first. If the Mac had FSTs, you could read the file directly off the ProDOS disk into Word. Scott Alfter-----------------------------_/_---------------------------- / v \ Apple II: Internet: alfter@uns-helios.nevada.edu ( ( the power to be your best! GEnie: S.ALFTER \_^_/