Re: Wanted: Unix utility to create Apple IIgs 3.5" disks

[nathan@mixer.visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <4tljui$n20@gap.cco.caltech.edu>,
Nathan Mates <nathan@cco.caltech.edu> wrote:

   Doh. Brain not fully up to spec first thing in the morning. It's
better now.


>In article <4tl3bt$km2@srv13s4.cas.org>,
>Larry W. Virden <lvirden@cas.org> wrote:
>>I have a SPARC at work, and would like to be able to create floppy disks
>>here that my son could use at home.

>   Not knowing for certain what drives Sparcs had in them, I checked
>Sun's WWW pages. At least in the Sparc 4 spec sheets, it mentioned
>that the floppy drive was "720K/1.44MB" MS-DOG compatable. Problem is,
>that's the wrong type of drive for most GSs. In order to even be able
>to read the bits off that disk, you'd need a Superdrive, Bluedisk, or
>Floptical off your GS. Translating them into files is the next
>problem.

   Or a PC Transporter. Or an intermediate mac that can go from 1.44MB
PC to 800K ProDOS. 

   [I'll be making up a set of WWW pages in the next few days that
list the hardware that can read such things. Anyone want to make any
additions?]


>>Has anyone written a similar set of tools, for the Unix side at least,
>>which would allow either the SPARC to create Apple II disks or an Apple II
>>utility to read SPARC disks - or perhaps a pair of utilities that would
>>create some intermediate format that both could read?

>   Not to my knowledge.

   Urp. There is one sorta intermediate format that both can read,
given the extra addon hardware that I listed above: MS-DOG format,
with the system 6.0.1 MS-DOG FST or the MS-Dos Tools shell programs.
Unfortunately, that can't be read by 800K 3.5" drives without the help
of the PC Transporter card.

Nathan Mates