4 Jul
2000
4 Jul
'00
5:17 a.m.
So how is my buffer different than, for example, the
Catweasel?
2. The Catweasel uses a proprietary, largely undocumented programming
interface. My circuitry is entirely open, and I think it's pretty easy
to program. (My first hack at acquiring data with the new buffer was
dashed off in about half an hour under QBASIC.)
Thier doc's pretty much stink, or at least did when I got mine!
3. The Catweasel requires a bus slot inside a
PC-clone. My new buffer uses
a much more general purpose parallel interface. So you can hook it up
to a laptop, or even to something that isn't a PC-clone at all.
The Catweasel is also available for the Amiga, at least it was last time I
checked. However, I'm still more than a little pissed off by what I
consider to be false advertising. When I got mine they listed a whole list
of formats that it could read, when in reality it could hand Amiga, C1542,
and PC floppies. The hardware might support more, but the software didn't.
As I understand it the PC version might have better support, but when you
consider that the Catweasel was originally an Amiga board...
Those are what I see as advantages over the Catweasel.
There are also
some disadvantages:
5. My buffer is strictly "read-only" as I use it. I think the Catweasel
(and Compaticard) both allow writing.
Supposidly the Catweasel can write most formats it can read. I know it can
do the only ones I was able to read.
Would it be worth writing up my new floppy disk data
buffer so that
others could improve on it? Would anyone be interested in unstuffed and/or
stuffed PCB's? Should I give it a name? (The "Timweasel", anyone? I
gotta think of a better name!)
Maybe/probably. It would be nice to stuff one in a Linux box, or will it
work in an Alpha under VMS :^)
Zane
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
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