Re: ProDOS misc. questions

[gberigan@cse.unl.edu (Greg Berigan)]

Michael Guitton <webmaster@cardshow.com> wrote:
:
::
:::
>>>>Michael writes:

>>>>> o Why the root directory of a ProDOS volume is limited to 51 files?

> Since ProDOS could accept more than 51 files in root directory, why Apple
> Engineers decided that root structure should only take 4 blocks (speed,
> transfer rate, etc.)?

I'm not sure if they thought of this, but one result of this limit is
that when you make a hardcopy of the root directory with PR#1 and
CATALOG, with the header and footer lines and prompts, the whole thing
fits neatly on one printed 66-line page.  I found this out one day when
I decided I wanted a hardcopy of every filetype and so used CREATE to
make a file of each type from $00 to $FF and printed out the results.  I
used the root directory of /RAM5 to do it.

Can the posted methods be used to get around ProDOS' dependence on block
2 being good?  Whenever I have a disk go bad, it is always that block.
(That's why my root directories now always contain a single subdirectory
and nothing else.  It's my method of damage control.)

-- 
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