Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!fernwood!cronos!yosemite!arends
From: arends@yosemite.metaphor.com (Dale M. Arends)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Reading Sun formatted Disks
Summary: Easily...
Keywords: DOS SPARC MAC (in no particular order)
Message-ID: <621@cronos.metaphor.com>
Date: 15 Apr 91 15:08:15 GMT
References: <50576@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Sender: news@cronos.metaphor.com
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.misc
Organization: Metaphor Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 42

In article <50576@nigel.ee.udel.edu> tigger@freezer.it.udel.edu (david faust) writes:
>My favorite computer lab will soon be upgrading to Sparc stations (at least
>that is the rumor) soon. I was wondering if there was anyway that a Mac can
>read a floppy disk formatted by one of those beasts. Somehow I doubt it, but
>you never know. If anyone can give me any pointers I would appreciate it very
>much. Thanks,
>Dave
>-- 
>********************************************************************************
>* David Faust | tigger@freezer.acs.udel.edu  | Some professors can only be     *
>*             | tigger@chopin.udel.edu       | classified as weenies!!!!       *
>********************************************************************************

Actually, this is not a major problem unless the disk you are tying to 
read is formatted as a mountable SPARC file system.

The SPARC media-level format for floppy disks is (apparently) the same as
MS-DOS so you can use any of the several utilities on the SPARC to read and
write to MS-DOS disks.  Then, on the Mac, assuming your machine has an FDHD
drive, use Apple File Exchange to move the files to your Mac.

As for reading a disk formatted as a mountable SPARC file system, that would
require a program that can intercept the disk events and use its own code to
read the media.  Fairly simple, in concept, for an adept Mac programmer.

The third alternative, which I haven't seen done yet, is to have a translator
for Apple File Exchange so it can recognize SPARC file format disks...

And lastly, write a device driver for the SPARC that can read and write 
Mac disks directly.  This solution, as some sources have informed me, may
not be possible.

I move files frequently using the MS-DOS to AFE method so I know it works.

Dale
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dale M. Arends                    arends@Yosemite.Metaphor.com
Metaphor Computer Systems, Inc.   ...!{apple|decwrl}!metaphor!yosemite!arends

Any opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of my employer.  They
probably aren't interested and maybe don't agree and therefore ...