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From: john@viper.UUCP (John Stanley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: twister.prg ???
Message-ID: <684@viper.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Mar-87 20:20:16 EST
Article-I.D.: viper.684
Posted: Mon Mar 16 20:20:16 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Mar-87 05:40:38 EST
References: <8703102314.AA10864@ncsc.ARPA>
Reply-To: john@viper.UUCP (John Stanley)
Distribution: world
Organization: DynaSoft Systems
Lines: 27

In article <8703102314.AA10864@ncsc.ARPA> moore@NCSC.ARPA (Moore) writes:
 >
 >Does TWISTER.PRG, published in this quarter's STart, work?  [Background: the
 >program formats floppies such that each track has its sector numbers offset
 >by two from the previous track, so that double reads of a single track caused
 >by seek and settle times are eliminated].  It sure sounds like it should work,
 >but I don't notice any difference at all!
 >

Jim, from my understanding, the advantages from Twister formatted disks
comes when copying large files.  When you copy many smaller files, the
head must interrupt it's Twister enhanced read/write, go to the track
and sector where the directory is held, do some processing, and then
move back to the place where it was in the Twister sequence.  This
destroys the timing.  Also if you have lots of smaller files spread
across several tracks/sectors where there are gaps, thi will also'
cause timing problems.

To best see the difference copy a large** file to a twister disk and
another disk.  Then try reading/copying that file with any program
that can copy/read the file at a -very- high rate.  The twister disk
will read so fast you won't beleive it...

--- 
John Stanley (john@viper.UUCP)
Software Consultant - DynaSoft Systems
UUCP: ...{amdahl,ihnp4,rutgers}!{meccts,dayton}!viper!john