On Thu, 1 Sep 2022, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
I'm sitting here with a customer's 8" floppy in front of me. The
manufacturer's label is simply "Diskette" on both front and back with
the usual "Diskette No." legend and "Side 1" or "Side 2" respectively.
The curious thing is that this disk is not only a "flippy", but has a
*third* index aperture punched for double-sided applications. The
holes are accurately placed without any sign of being post-purchase
additions.
Call it a transitional example.
How do they handle the issue of how the drive knows whether it is SS, DS,
or SS flippy? Or is it assumed that that problem is for the host FDC?
(some DS drives had both SS and DS index sensors, so that they could read
SS in the DS drive, and such a drive is going to see TWO index pulses with
this disk!)
Memorex started off by calling theirs "Flexible Disc" (note the
spelling). A bit later Memorex used the "Markette" labeling before
giving in with the crowd and calling them "Diskettes" and "Disks".
Didn't HP continue to say "disc"?
MOST switched to "disk".
HOWEVER, the strong influence of Philips on compact disc meant that CD and
DVD became "disc".
When I was publishing my Honda book, I had some battles with the
publisher's editor about whether Honda had "disc brakes" or "disk brakes".
(also battles about Oxford comma (they claimed that that was archaic!),
and whether to say, "till", "til", "'til", or "until". (the comma after
"'til" is the "Oxford comma"))
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com
