Defining Disk Image Dump Standard

From: allisonp <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
Date: Tue May 30 16:54:59 2000

>On Tue, 30 May 2000, Richard Erlacher wrote:
>
>> I never understood why the double density CP/M diskettes were not
bootable,
>> and why "distribution-standard" diskettes had to be bootable. These are
two
>> different features, and what's important about the "standard" is not that
>> it's bootable but that it's defined so as to be universally readable.


That was bogus. The list of system that booted off DD tracks both 8"and
5.25"
runs long.

The standard for CP/M was 8" SSSD FYI.

Also AMPROLB, VT180, DECMATEII/III with CP/M APU,
NS* DD/QD systems, SB180, Visual1050, Later Kaypros to
name a few with 5.25 DD or QD systems.

>> The thing that made 5-1/4" "standard" diskettes unachievable back in the
>> CP/M days was that people couldn't let go of the notion that every
diskette
>> had to be bootable. Frankly, I got fine mileage out of diskettes which
>> couldn't be booted, yet I never had a problem booting up.


This is bogus as CP/M inferred no difference between bootable system
disks and non bootble data disks as the format was the same (they could
also be different if desired). Bootable media was only important to single
disk systems Even then there were utilities to sidestep this. Lastly for
the
CP/M case there was no specific requirement to boot from disk at all and
the EPSON PX-8 was a commercial example of that.

Allison
Received on Tue May 30 2000 - 16:54:59 BST