Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 13:53:21 -0400 (EDT) From: "User Rdkeys Robert D. Keys" <rdkeys@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu> To: shovey@buffnet.net (Steve Hovey) Cc: rdkeys@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu (User RDKEYS Robert D. Keys), questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 8" Floppy drive? Message-ID: <199709161753.NAA22200@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSI.3.95.970916122927.501F-100000@buffnet11.buffnet.net> from Steve Hovey at "Sep 16, 97 12:29:44 pm"
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> > How important could data that old and long unseen be? > > On Tue, 16 Sep 1997, David Kelly wrote: > > > At the very least this should be good for a laugh, but the boss dug up > > about 50 8" floppies and wants the data off of them and onto modern > > media. From way back, I recal the 1.2M floppy hardware interface wasn't > > terribly different from the 8". Where both 8" and 1.2M disks turn > > 360 RPM vs 300 RPM for 360k disks. Maybe there is a chance an 8" drive > > can be attached to my FreeBSD system? Actually, sometimes rather important. I have a similar case where about 10 years of weather and plant quality data (peanut/soybean/etc), are on 5 and 8 inch cpm floppies (cpm equipment was used as dataloggers from about 1979-1987 because they worked, were cheap, etc.), and to build some long range models of this data over 10/20 year periods, that data has turned out to be rather important. Also, the only extant commented disassembler source to CP/M was found among those disks (taken off the internet in 1981, originally downloaded on 8 level paper tape, then transferred to 81K floppy!). That now resides on the CP/M web pages, rather then being lost forever. Granted the data may not be important to some, or many folks, but it still can be worthwhile. It can be a bear to get from cpm to dos to unix, and it really would be nice if unix could read them directly (i.e., 8 inch floppies). My working solution is to transfer the 8 inch data to AT HD clone 8 inch floppies, and work that via kermit into workstations for long-term archival. Much of the collective learned wisdom of that era is gone (most of the new kids on the block have never heard of CP/M or the like and may were only just born in its heyday.....tells us how old us old pfartes are....(:+}}....). Maybe his boss's data is important manuscripts or legal documentation or credit data or whatever..... who knows, but the application of data transfer from old systems such as CP/M and DOS to unix (our pet unix like FreeBSD) is an entirely valid application. I draws a few chuckles, though.....(:+}}. Bob Keys rdkeys@seedlab1.cropsci.ncsu.edu
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