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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 15:16:31 -0500 (CDT)
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From: "M. L. Dodson" <bdodson@beowulf.utmb.edu>
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To: "K.J.Koster" <kjk1@ukc.ac.uk>
Cc: questions@FreeBSD.ORG, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: Do *you* have problems with floppies?
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SV4.3.95.970912200119.3901B-100000@kestrel.ukc.ac.uk>
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K.J.Koster writes:
 > > 
 > > Personally, I suspect timing issues with the floppy driver; I assume
 > > you are using an unFIFO'ed NEC floppy controller.  Floppy timing is
 > > a critical factor in hysterisis effects and overall reliability.
 > > 
 > I do have in fact a NEC floppy controller :)
 > 
 > Umm. If timing is so critical, why do MS-DOS and Win311 work flawlessly
 > with it? I mean, they are hardly real-time OS-es?
 > 

Actually in this case, they are.  You can't do anything else
while the floppy disk is being serviced by the driver.

 > Let me put it like this: if floppy timing _is_ so critical, the FreeBSD
 > floppy driver must be buggy not to adhere to it.
 > 
 > On the other hand, I've never ad any trouble when I switched to mtools.
 > How's that?
 > 
 >     Groetjes,
 >       Kees Jan
 > 
 > ---------------------------------------------------------------v--
 >   Kees Jan Koster   tel: UK-1227-453157  e-mail: kjk1@ukc.ac.uk
 >   15 St. Michaels Road,    Canterbury,   Kent,   United Kingdom
 > ------------------------------------------------------------------
 >   from trials come errors...         from errors come legends...
 > 
 > 
-- 
M. L. Dodson                                bdodson@scms.utmb.edu
409-772-2178                                FAX: 409-772-1790