Re: .DSK images with 40 tracks?

[Holger Picker <pickerh@uni-muenster.de>]

On 11 Mar 2003, Ron Kneusel wrote:

> Date: 11 Mar 2003 09:23:34 -0800
> From: Ron Kneusel <oneelkruns@hotmail.com>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
> Subject: .DSK images with 40 tracks?
>
> Are there any emulators out there which would support 40 track disk images?
> Someone has emailed me asking about extending DSK2FILE to make images of
> 40-track disks.
>
> Curious...
>
> Ron
> oneelkruns@hotmail.com
>
Hi,

well, at least it shouldn't be too much of a problem for an emulator to
support 40 tracks. Whether you've got 30, 35, or 40 tracks, from the
algorithm's point of view that's all the same. What's important though is
how you would like to load and store a 40 track disk image. The standard
.dsk image format (as well as .do or .po) only stores 35 tracks. Either you
would have to come up with a new format or extend a previously existing one.
(I'm sorry, I have not taken a deeper look into formats like 2em yet.) Could
I ask you, please, which "real" disk drive supported a 40 track disk image?
Were 40 tracks possible on a standard disk ][ drive? I know of a few AppleII
emulators that are currently still under development, e.g. AppleWin,
AppleOasis, Dapple, Kegs... If they do not support 40 tracks yet and 40
tracks are considered standard, then 40 tracks should and could easily (IMO)
be implemented.
Kindest regards

  Holger