Xref: utzoo comp.misc:2248 comp.periphs:868
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!unisoft!gethen!farren
From: farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.periphs
Subject: Re: MFM encoding question
Message-ID: <854@gethen.UUCP>
Date: 6 Apr 88 17:45:03 GMT
References: <752@ndsuvax.UUCP> <1140@ssc.UUCP> <1141@ssc.UUCP>
Reply-To: farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren)
Organization: There's Unix there in Oakland
Lines: 26
Keywords: MFM

In article <1141@ssc.UUCP> markz@ssc.UUCP (Mark Zenier) writes:
>In article <1140@ssc.UUCP>, markz@ssc.UUCP (Mark Zenier) writes:
>> Unless the Amiga has a nonstandard disk controller, ...
>
>I should know better.  Why does Crummadore keep doing this.  It
>sure sells a lot of modems.

For reasons of economy and simplicity, Amiga (NOT Commodore, this
decision was made before Commodore entered the picture at all) decided
to implement their disk I/O via one of their custom LSI coprocessor
chips.  This allowed them to more fully integrate the disk I/O into
the special multiplexed memory arrangement which allows them to do
all the fancy graphics stuff they do.  Since this arrangement also
allows them all of the functionality of a standard floppy controller
chip, I don't see why you should think there's a problem with it.

The Amiga is perfectly capable of reading standard IBM-formatted 3-1/2"
floppies, or writing them.  What more can you ask?  An IBM system can't
read or write Amiga disks, and a Mac can read and write neither, so
from my point of view, the Amiga system is probably superior.

-- 
Michael J. Farren             | "INVESTIGATE your point of view, don't just 
{ucbvax, uunet, hoptoad}!     | dogmatize it!  Reflect on it and re-evaluate
        unisoft!gethen!farren | it.  You may want to change your mind someday."
gethen!farren@lll-winken.llnl.gov ----- Tom Reingold, from alt.flame