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Skew - Formatter 1.4
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Purpose: This program is intended to help you formatting your 3.5"
floppy disks. It assigns a special Interleave-Value that
accelerates disk loading a little. Skew 3 (= other word
for interleave) is best for ProDOS 16 and Skew 2 with
ProDOS 8 is nearly as fast as Diversi-Cache.
But notice, changing the interleave is always faster in
WRITING than Diversi-Cache.
A very useful feature is to use Interleave 2 diskettes
with Glen Bredon's Hard Disk Image Backup. Wow !
NOTE: It only works with the Apple IIgs Smartport Firmware, not
with an Apple //e nor Apple //c.
In short: Optimized for ProDOS 8: Skew 2 (Good for Bard's Tale,
MCS, Fantavision etc... running
under ProDOS 8)
Optimized for ProDOS 16: Skew 3
(Apple's standard Skew is 4)
Commands:
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S : Skew setup: Let's you enter any possible Skew from 1 to 9.
D : Disk sides swap from 800K to 400K and reverse.
U : Unit exchange: Let's you enter unit numbers from 1 to 4.
NOTE: This program does not care for ROM/RAM-Disks !
Space: Formats the disk in the current drive.
C : ProDOS-Catalog of the current selected drive.
F : Formats any inserted disk with no question until ESC is
pressed. BEWARE of the Apple IIgs keyboard buffer function;
If you're not sure, flush it before with Ctrl.-Apple-Del.
Q : Quits the program.
Special: Q Q quick quit returns to ProDOS.
Hidden Special Features:
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- The Skew can be entered directly by pressing a key from 1 to 9.
- The Apple or the Shift Keys disable the eject function. Useful at
startup or when cataloging and then formatting.
- The question mark leads you into the Shareware notice.
History of changes:
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1.0 First initial released version; supported only 800K.
1.1 Drive change and other new features implemented etc.. Good
echo from friends: Now Shareware.
1.2 Many changes: Assembly Language header in final state.
Single sided added and also mover program.
New features in Basic Program.
1.3 Some bugs with display fixed; no functional changes.
1.4 Apple/Shift - NO-eject function implemented.
coming... - Programmable Auto Cue feature for multi drive formats.
(I'm goning to buy a second drive !)
may be - Macintosh HFS/MFS
Alexis Gehrt
For more information about interleave, please consult a very good book from
Quality Software: "Beneath Apple DOS". I once had the chance to translate it
into german for a publishing house. It's available from Birkhaeuser Verlag
"Apple DOS unter der Lupe". Thanks Don and Pieter.