Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!keith
From: keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: GS/OS Questions
Message-ID: <17796@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 88 20:20:44 GMT
References: <8809250103.aa23938@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Reply-To: keith@apple.com.UUCP (Keith Rollin)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 65

In article <8809250103.aa23938@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> V112PDL5@UBVMS.BITNET writes:
>Quotes by Keith Rollin:
>>As for Mac disk support, it doesn't currently transparently read Mac disks, but
>>the potential is certainly there. GS/OS performs ALL device reads through
>>FSTs (File System Translators) and RAM based device drivers. A 3.5" drive
>>device driver is already included with GS/OS, but there is no HFS FST. The
>>FSTs currently supplied are ProDOS, High Sierra, and Console - an FST for
>>character I/O to the screen and from the keyboard.
>
>  The words "3.5" device driver" coming from Apple makes me nervous
>as an owner of a non-Apple hard drive. Remember Apple's  printer driver for
>the Mac was so complex that (at first) one printer manufacturer switched to
>selling Imagewriter compatibles to avoid the trouble of writing their own
>drivers.

I think it's kind of unfair to compare the two types of drivers here. First of
all, we're talking Macs and Apples. Second, we're talking printers and disk
devices. Third, the method of writing device drivers is fully documented and
supported by Developer Technical support, something that wasn't done with
Mac Printer drivers. Finally, support is put into GS/OS to use the drivers
supplied in ROM on the devices peripheral card.

>
>Apparently you can create multiple 32 megabyte volumes o' ProDOS. Actually I
>thought it was quite stupid of Apple to allow one to buy a 40 Mb HD and waste
>the upper 8. Of course since CMS already allows partitioning up to a 60 Mb HD.
>So who cares unless you want to partion your drive in one of the other
>formats or like very, very big HDs.

But Apple has been shipping a utilityity that will allow you to partition your
drive. Also, the 20SC, 40SC, and 80SC drives are compatible with Macintoshes
which can use the capacity already. That's why we came out with them.
>
>  Look at these quotes from Volume 10, Issue 38 of InfoWorld about GS/OS:
>"[GS/OS comes]...with an application model that increases its similarity to
>the Mac." and "The new OS lets files have data and resource forks, the
>same structure used in Mac applications." At first this seemed that Apple
>would phaze out ProDOS in favor of Mac HFS (something I would like to see)
>making massive changes to APW in the process. But GS/OS doesn't even support
>HFS. I have heard nothing of this since I've read it though. Hmmmm.... Keith
>do you know something I don't?

Don't confuse HFS (an operating system) with a disk format that supports data
and resource forks. Both GS/OS and HFS support those. There is no need for HFS
on the GS just to use them.

By the way, as a personal opinion, I prefer GS/OS over HFS. I program on the GS
and Macintosh, and have used both extensively. I think that GS/OS has a cleaner 
architecture with regard to system calls, device drivers, and File System
Translators; it's simply easier to use!
>
>
>  Hey Keith! Will HFS be supported in GS OS/2? :-)
>
I don't know -- we aren't writing the operating system for the IBM PC GS/2 :-)

>
>                           - mark cromwell


Keith Rollin                                               amdahl\
Developer Technical Support                           pyramid!sun !apple!keith
Apple Computer                                             decwrl/
"You can do what you want to me, but leave my computer alone!"