Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!att!mtuxo!mtgzz!drutx!druhi!dlm
From: dlm@druhi.ATT.COM (Dan Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: 68K minix
Message-ID: <3702@druhi.ATT.COM>
Date: 3 Nov 88 16:02:24 GMT
References: <1600@ast.cs.vu.nl>
Organization: AT&T, Denver, CO
Lines: 30

in article <1600@ast.cs.vu.nl>, ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) says:
> I am not much of a Macintosh expert, but the Atari disks are standard 720K
> 3.5 inch disks.  If you take the program readfs, compile it on the macintosh
> with any C compiler, you should be able to insert an Atari diskette and
> read the MINIX file system from it, since readfs can handle the 3.5 inch
> disks (actually, it doesn't know or care; it just sees a linear list of
> blocks).  I would think this approach should be reasonable. 

	The Macintosh uses a non-standard disk format (GCR instead of
MFM) and has variable speed drives.  This prevents a standard Mac from
reading disks written by any other computer and other computers can't
read Macintosh disks without special hardware.

	Apple has just released a new drive that can read standard
3.5 inch disks (IBM, ST, etc), it is fairly expensive and I'm not sure
if it works with all Macintosh models.  Central Point sells a card for
the IBM PC that allows it to use Macintosh disks, it's about $150.
Data Pacific sells an interface box for the ST that allows the ST to
read Mac disks, it's about $270.
 
> An alternative approach is to hook up a PC and a Macintosh using kermit.
	This is probably the best option given the cost of the hardware
required for disk compatibility.

> Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)

				Dan Moore
				AT&T Bell Labs
				Denver
				dlm@druhi.ATT.COM