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From: notes@pur-ee.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: disk flipping - (nf)
Message-ID: <1123@pur-ee.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Nov-83 07:28:18 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-ee.1123
Posted: Fri Nov 18 07:28:18 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Nov-83 04:07:33 EST
Sender: notes@pur-ee.UUCP
Organization: Electrical Engineering Department , Purdue University
Lines: 26

#R:burl:-38400:isrnix:8700005:000:1314
isrnix!akp    Nov 17 18:37:00 1983


You can't be serious. Double-sided disks are just that -- double-sided. the
disk mechanism uses both sides of the disk. If you flip it over, what are you
going to use? The OTHER two sides?
	Also, that technique only works with a subset of computers: it requires
that the computer not use the OTHER hole, which is just outside the center
hole. That's a timing hole, and the only computer I know of which does NOT use
it is the APPLE family, which will write on a waffle and not complain. For
other computers, you have to punch ANOTHER hole to match the position of the
timing hole when you flip the disk.
	Lastly, when you flip a disk over, it spins in the OTHER direction,
and all the dust which has collected on the jacket comes off onto the disk
surface (try brushing a clothes brush the wrong way -- that's the effect inside
the disk envelope). This can (obviously) render the disk unusable, but, also,
it can damage the heads of the disk DRIVE by passing all this dust under the
head.
	In short, flippy floppies are not all that good an idea. It's probably
okay for one-time things like master disks or long-term storage (as opposed
to a disk you use daily), and it DOES cut your media cost in half, which is
no bad thing.  But computer user, beware!
						-- allan pratt
			...decvax!pur-ee!iuvax!isrnix!akp