Re: How to use back side of 5.25 diskkette without punching

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

jsnospam@cimmeri.com wrote:
> It's a matter of personal choice, and calculated odds.   Common sense
> supports that it is more risky to disk-flip..  especially with dirty
> felt pads in place that should have been replaced ages ago.   If dirty
> pads don't represent any risk, then why clean disk heads? Just run them
> dirty too.

As a matter of fact, if using good media with a low duty cycle (not
running constantly from it day after day), disk heads don't get dirty
either.

Polished floppy media with excellent binders became almost universal
in the late 1980's, and oxide shedding became a rarity.

>   However, what we can't easily quantify is just what the risk level
> is.  The increased risk of disk flipping may be so low for some
> people's usage habits that it just never becomes an issue.

I'm a pragmatist.  I test the walls from time to time, and if they
don't appear to be there, then I conclude that they aren't there--now.

After all, the downside is minimal if you also keep backups of critical
data.  If you observe a failure, you make two new disks and put a mark
in the "there may be a wall (for brand X disks)" column.

The accumulated experience of thousands of users and manufacturers
is ample evidence that the failure mode you are concerned about is
not a significant failure mode in practice.

>    So I'll stick to my habits, and everyone else can stick to theirs..
> and we can all be happy.  :-)

But note that one set of habits is supported by evidence while the other
is based only on an assumption.

Note also that the physical space to keep the disks that must be secured
is twice as great if only one surface is used, and that also increases
the risk of physical damage.  ;-)

-michael

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