Re: Help with NIB, PO, and DO?

["Charlie" <charlied@NOSPAMbboard.com>]

"Jeffrey Theusch" <larva_jt1@yahoo.com> wrote in message
3b425c88.886497@news.wi.centurytel.net">news:3b425c88.886497@news.wi.centurytel.net...
> On Mon, 2 Jul 2001 20:46:53 -0400, "Charlie"
> >
> >I would recommend that you get a copy of "Beneath Apple DOS" by Don Worth
> >and Pieter Lechner.
> >"Beneath Apple ProDOS" (same authors) is also recommended.
> >These two books cover most of your questions in detail.
>

> Do these books cover the low-level access of disk data?

Yes, "Beneath Apple DOS" in particular explains how to read a byte, load and
write a byte, sense write protect switch, engage drive 1 or 2, turn the
motor on/off, and use the stepper motor phases to move the head (relevant to
understanding half and quarter tracks).  All without any operating system.
You can't get much lower-level than that.
It also explains how to use the RWTS routine to do low level I/O.  It
explains sector skewing, nibble encoding, the controller card boot ROM, the
memory DOS uses, the main internal routines, the file manager and a lot
more.
"Beneath Apple ProDOS" covers some of the same stuff but much of the book is
about using ProDOS from assembly language.  Both books have chapters on
customizing and disk protection schemes as well as short assembly language
examples.

> I have wanted to obtain "Beneath Apple (pro)DOS" for some time, but I am
not into
> spending much money for these great references.

I (and I'm sure others here) will try to answer your questions but I
wouldn't want to tackle a project like yours without these two books handy.

Charlie