From owner-freebsd-arch@freebsd.org Mon Dec 4 10:38:49 2017 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-arch@mailman.ysv.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) by mailman.ysv.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4F490DF7BBD for ; Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:38:49 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kozlov@ravenloft.kiev.ua) Received: from mailman.ysv.freebsd.org (unknown [127.0.1.3]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3C7152B01 for ; Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:38:49 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kozlov@ravenloft.kiev.ua) Received: by mailman.ysv.freebsd.org (Postfix) id 38E78DF7BBC; Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:38:49 +0000 (UTC) Delivered-To: arch@mailman.ysv.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) by mailman.ysv.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 38933DF7BBB for ; Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:38:49 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kozlov@ravenloft.kiev.ua) Received: from ravenloft.kiev.ua (ravenloft.kiev.ua [94.244.131.95]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (Client did not present a certificate) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 023012AFE for ; Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:38:48 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kozlov@ravenloft.kiev.ua) Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2017 11:38:44 +0100 From: Alex Kozlov To: Willem Jan Withagen Cc: arch@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Deprecating / Removing floppy drive support Message-ID: <20171204103844.GA23257@ravenloft.kiev.ua> References: <201712030616.vB36GFEg026146@slippy.cwsent.com> <43746890-e60a-5c8f-4c77-bbfe9a5a6aa9@selasky.org> <67961.1512296877@critter.freebsd.dk> <20171203120028.32f84314@ernst.home> <20171203113341.GA68792@ravenloft.kiev.ua> <23404.1512302187@critter.freebsd.dk> <20171203121821.GA69142@ravenloft.kiev.ua> <387b63e9-f97c-fa2d-192d-8e36cb2dbcba@digiware.nl> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <387b63e9-f97c-fa2d-192d-8e36cb2dbcba@digiware.nl> X-BeenThere: freebsd-arch@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.25 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion related to FreeBSD architecture List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2017 10:38:49 -0000 On Mon, Dec 04, 2017 at 10:26:17AM +0100, Willem Jan Withagen wrote: > On 03/12/2017 13:18, Alex Kozlov wrote: > > On Sun, Dec 03, 2017 at 11:56:27AM +0000, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote: > >> In message <20171203113341.GA68792@ravenloft.kiev.ua>, Alex Kozlov writes: > >>>> On Sun, 03 Dec 2017 10:27:57 +0000 > >>>> "Poul-Henning Kamp" wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> Incidentally FreeBSD is/was the only modern OS which could > >>>>> still read 8" floppies. > >>> Well, with proper* cable you can connect 8" drive to fdc and read > >>> it pretty much on any OS that supports floppies. > >> Uhm... no ? > >> > >> Very few OS's have had 8" format compatible settings since CP/M > >> and even fewer handle the track46 pin correctly on write. > > I'd done it in dos, I read about successful setups for Linux and > > Windows(older). Anecdotally, I was not able to do it in FreeBSD. > Never too late to learn.... > > I still think I have my (from 1982) 8" disks around with a ported CP/M > system to a TRS-80 like system... But ever since the Intel ASM/CPM > developement stack died on the University they have been lying round for > nostalgic reasons. And the hardware got dumped with the last move about > 12 years ago. > > But it never ever occured to me that FreeBSD would be able to do 8", if > alone for the controller. But now I learn that it could have worked... > Cool :) Theoretically, it should work. In practice, as bde@ suggested, you may need to use UP i386 kernel and perhaps downgrade to earlier version of FreeBSD. Also you need to somehow acquire 34-to-50 cable or adaptor*. I made mine, so perhaps that why I failed :) You don't need to worry about tg43 signal if you don't plan to write on these floppies. In the end, after burning weekend on this little project, I realized that I risk to burn much more time, so I just ordered kryoflux. *) something like this http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/img54306/h/c8ssc.jpg -- Alex