3 Aug
2005
3 Aug
'05
9:56 a.m.
Yes. - What
happens when the catweasel becomes unavailable?
What happens when (disk controller of choice) become unavailable? :) A grave
omission for something thats supposed to archive
non-PC-standard disks.
If you're supposing the user can wire up a disk controller, why can't
they wire up a simple 34(SA400) to 50(SA800) pin adapter cable? Also,
you can buy an SA400/SA800 adaptor board that someone has made, which
properly controls the TG43 line. Unfortunately, I can't remember the
name of the board or who made it right now. But would have
tied the thing to one particular development
environment (Here's you VisualC++ library - have a nice day). The
best solution is a fully open and documented description of the
hardware and lots of sample code.
There's no reason a bit of C wrapper code has to be tied to any
particular 'development environment'. I'd say that by ignoring (specifically) Apple ][
and C64, you're missing
a large percentage of possible software/users.
another missed point ... anyone who's been following my work knows that I
have implemented a number of systems to cheaply archive, distribute and
restore disk images for various systems. This would have been just another
piece in the puzzle. Such systems already exist (and I use them) to archive
AppleII and C64 images.
Still deciding
if it's worth it - I'll record your "NO" vote.
Not to discourage you, but, I'd echo the sentiment above. I'd suggest
that if you do want to produce something, make something that can read
the disk on a flux-transition level, and store that sort of data.
Something nice and generic. That way, you can do all the processing in
software, and handle any format of disk that comes your way.