Re: Going past the 51 file limit, other than GEOS?

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:

>Supertimer <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:
>> 
>> >Obsbedia2 <obsbedia2@aol.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Qfix allows ProDOS file names that use any ascii characters, but has
anyone
>> >> tried to allow ProDOS to handle more that 51 files on the main directory?
>> >
>> >What do you have against subdirectories?
>> >
>> >I'd be surprised if GEOS could let you get past this limit, since it
>> >uses ProDOS.
>> 
>> GEOS gets past this limit.  The behavior is that if you put
>> the 52nd file onto disk and then the 53rd and so on and
>> then delete all the files, you can then use the disk with
>> other ProDOS programs and the OTHER ProDOS programs
>> can then put the same amount of files (52, 53, etc.) on the
>> disk.
>
>Ah, so it grows the root directory in the same manner as subdirectories.
>I don't think this is a very good idea - a fragmented root directory on
>a 5.25" disk (in particular) is not a good thing.  A better plan would
>be to create the root directory as a contiguous chunk, with a larger
>fixed limit, at the point the disk is erased or formatted.
>
>Does GEOS actually use the ProDOS kernel, or is it a separate operating
>system which implements the same file system?

GOES is a separate operating system that implements the
same file system.  When you boot a GEOS system disk
(or hard disk) it is completely different from ProDOS 8.  You
do not pass through a PRODOS file first.  The only time
the ProDOS 8 kernal is needed is when GEOS tries to
launch a ProDOS 8 program.  In this respect, it behaves
just like GS/OS.  It runs its own programs independent of
ProDOS 8, but will pass control to ProDOS 8 when the user
tries to launch a ProDOS 8 program from the GEOS
equivalent of the Finder.

>If it uses the ProDOS kernel, then it must be using block-level calls to
>extend the root directory, going behind the kernel's back.

It does not do this as far as I know.

GEOS also implements upper/lower case and spaces in
file names.