On 07/14/2018 04:04 PM, Grant Taylor via cctalk wrote: > It's my understanding that MS-DOS was one of the earlier OSs to > standardize file systems used across disks for various computer > manufacturers. There were still some physical differences though.
Well, yes and no. NEC really is the trailblazer here, not IBM (or for that matter Microsoft). The PC98 platform maintains the same format and datarate across 8", 5.25" and 3.5" floppies, although it many cases it can recognize and work with the IBM PC versions. One notable aspect is that the drives use all spin at the same 360 RPM speed. As far as CP/M, well there is the 8" SSSD (IBM 3740) format that DRI distributed the software on. Various OEMs tweaked their own interpretation of "CP/M Format, both in terms of drives and the organization and method of storing data on them. There are many more forgotten floppy formats than most realize--for example, the Drivetec/Kodak 5.25" 2.8MB and 6MB formats. --Chuck
