Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!bionet!agate!ucbvax!TAURUS.BITNET!finkel
From: finkel@TAURUS.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Shareware request
Message-ID: <8810131005.AA13277@MATH.Tau.Ac.IL>
Date: 13 Oct 88 10:05:12 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: <finkel%TAURUS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Lines: 107


Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Shareware request
Summary:
Expires:
References: <133@modcomp.UUCP> <2765@sugar.uu.net>
Sender:
Reply-To: finkel@virgo.UUCP (Udi Finkelstein)
Followup-To:
Distribution:
Organization: Tel-Aviv Univesity Math and CS school, Israel
Keywords:

In article <2765@sugar.uu.net> peter@sugar.BITNET writes:
>In article <133@modcomp.UUCP>, srp@modcomp.UUCP (Steve Pietrowicz) writes:
>> I'm posting this to the net for Joel Swan, who mailed me this request on
>> People/Link.
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Here's a challenge to the great Amiga programmers out there...
>
>[Description of MS-DOS disk utility deleted]
>
>Here's a better challenge: DOS:
>
>Try this scenario.
>
>1> mount dosa:
>;Stick 3.5" MS-DOS disk in df0:
>1> copy dosa:#?.c ram:
>;Stick amiga floppy in df0:
>1> copy ram: df0:
>
>Now ALL your disk utilities work on DOS disks. This is the Amiga way to do it.
>You might need 'dosmount' and 'dosunmount' commands that tell AmigaDOS to
>get out of the way. How about:
>
>1> mount dos:
>1> dosmount dos: df1:
>1> copy dos: df0: all
>1> dosunmount df1:
>--
>               Peter da Silva  `-_-'  peter@sugar.uu.net
>                Have you hugged  U  your wolf today?

I've received a letter from a BITNET user on Germany who claims he has written
an MSDOS device/handler, but he did only the read part. he didn't manage to
write an MSDOS sector or track.

I also don't see why do you think you will need 'dosmount'. all you will have
to do is to prepare a mountlist with:
        device = msdos.device
        handler = l:msdos-handler
.
.
        LowCyl = 0
        HighCyl = 79   ( 39 for 5.25" )
.
.

You will have to get an 'unmount' command to prevent FileSystem from trying
to validate your MS-DOS disk when you insert it into DF0 or DF1 .

Seperating the task  to a handler/device is the 'right' way to do things. it
will also let you read the MSDOS partition under the Bridgeboard. ( you will
have to write a trackbridge.device, but what the heck.. ).

This is the original letter I got from the man. I forgot his EMail address,
( It was M29@somenode, forgot which ).
-------------------------------
HELLO OUT THERE,

I AM SORRY I COULDN'T ANSWER ANY OF YOUR LETTERS EARLIER, BUT EASTER HOLIDAYS
TOOK ME AWAY FROM HERE. I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A
DEMAND FOR OUR PROGRAM, BUT THERE ARE TWO DRAWBACKS (SIGH).

FIRST, WE HAVE PROBLEMS COPYING FILES FROM AMIGA TO OUR UNIVERSITY'S IBM
MACHINE, SO AT THE MOMENT THERE IS NO CHANCE FOR ME TO MAIL AMIGA FILES IN
BITNET\EARN, SO I DON'T SEE HOW TO TRANSMIT THEM VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL.

THE ONLY CHANCE IS TO POST THEM BY SURFACE MAIL (I HAVEN'T TRIED THIS TO
OVERSEAS COUNTRIES). IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA ON HOW TO DO IT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
(ALTHOUGH I HOPE THAT OUR 5 1/4 DRIVE WILL RESTART WORKING SOON.)

SECOND, AND THIS IS EVEN WORSE: WE CAN'T GET HOLD OF THE DOCUS OF THE PC'S
DISK CONTROLLER. ALL ATTEMPTS TO WORK OUT THE CRC-CHECKSUM WITHOUT THESE
LED TO NOWHERE (HOW ON EARTH DO I GET A POSITIVE CHECKSUM WHEN WRITING ONLY
ZEROES???). SO WE HAVE TO GIVE UP THE IDEA OF WRITING TO PC-DISKS FOR THE TIME
BEING. (FOR THE TIME IN BETWEEN I HAVE AN ADVICE: WIRE THE AMIGA TO ONE OF
THOSE CHEAP ATARI ST 260 VIA RS232, WHICH WILL EVEN BRING YOU THE ADVANTAGE OF
AN EXTERNAL TERMINAL VIA CLI).
IF YOU SHOULD STILL BE INTERESTED, CONTACT ME ON MY PRIVATE ADRESS VIA NORMAL
MAIL:

FRANK WUEBBELING
STADTLOHNWEG 33/30
D-44 MUENSTER
WEST-GERMANY
--------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that was the letter. I lost his Email address.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Udi Finkelstein       | Bitnet:   finkel@taurus.bitnet or finkel@math.tau.ac.il
Tel Aviv University   | Internet: finkel%taurus.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Israel                | UUCP:     ...!psuvax1!taurus.bitnet!finkel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------