Re: Reading 3.5" on a Mac

[sheldon@atlcom.net (Sheldon Simms)]

In article <59prj6$rm5@darla.visi.com>, nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates) wrote:

> In article <32C039FC.33BE@mindspring.com>,
> Michael Hrivnak  <captmike@mindspring.com> wrote:
> >I know that there is downward compatibility in Macs for reading Apple 2
> >prodos disks, but how exactly does it work?  Does any program on the Mac
> >recognize the disk?  Or do you need special software?  Thanks.
> 
>    From the comp.sys.apple2 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at
> http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html, section 5.9: "How do I
> read/write Apple II files from a Macintosh?"
> 
> ---
>   With Macintosh System 7, the Macintosh gained the ability to write to
>    ProDOS formatted disks. With System 7.5 and up, the Control Panel 'PC
>    Exchange' lets you mount ProDOS and MS-DOS disks on the desktop and
>    copy files to and from them. Before 7.5, the program 'Apple File
>    Exchange' (not installed by default-- look through the options in the
>    installer) is an application that lets you do the same. Consult the
>    system software disks for your Mac if you can't find these programs.

This entry is slightly off. The PC Exchange control panel acts basically
like the HFS-FST on the IIgs. ProDOS and MS-DOS disks appear on the
desktop and can be used just like any HFS disk. IOW, you can do more than
copy files.

Apple File Exchange, on the other hand, is a crippled piece of garbage. It
is more like a pseudo-communications program where you have to "download"
files from your ProDOS or MS-DOS disks to your Mac disk. The ProDOS or
MS-DOS disk does not appear on the desktop. Furthermore, it has obviously
was purposely crippled as it copies files from ProDOS to HFS or vice-versa
at about the same speed (or less) than you get with a 19.2 null-modem
connection.

-Sheldon

-- 
W. Sheldon Simms III - sheldon@atlcom.net