ScuzzBlog: Diaries December 2020
Entry 6th December 2020: Post 1: Rob Northern - Dual Formateer.
Rob Northern - Dual Formateer.
I recently had a request for a copy of a 'Tri-Format' disk which sadly
I am unable to replicate because my normal ADF methods do not copy
ST/PC formatted disks. Interestingly I was able to copy the ST/PC
stuff on the PC but the guy wanted the whole image.
Leaving sync-words, format identifiers and checksums to one side,
track zero has what is called 'interleaved' data to allow the
Amiga and Atari ST to see normal looking tracks. Inspection will
show an Amiga normal boot block and on the other track zero sectors
random looking data. The only person that can explain what is
going on I suspect on 'track zero' is the dual format pioneer
himself , Rob Northern. Who interestingly has his name emblazoned
on all these disks, especially 'ZERO'.
Quite a few Shareware mags and dual format mags included disks in
the 'Tri-Format' state which is way more impressive than 'Dual'.
The early editions of The One also included dual format disks due
to the magazine covering different formats. Not all magazines had
a disk but the following did ...
Oct 88 Fusion Nebulus
Mar 89 Blasteroids
Nov 89 Populous Scenery
Mar 90 Pipemania
Sep 90 Plotting
Oct 90 Paradroid
Nov 90 Car-Vup * plus the game
Dec 90 Cybercom III
* Rick Dangerous the game
Feb 91 Foundation Waste
Mar 91 RotoPlex
Apr 91 The Brat [ which was the last ]
May 91 EMOTION is 100% Amiga.
I never had really understood why The One had the 100% Amiga written
on the disks/mag but it came about from the change from dual format
to one hundred percent Amiga. Emotion being the first without the
dual format.
All just a distant memory now and hardly relevant. However we should
never forget the role people like Rob Northern had in the format
wars of the late eighties. He at least was keen to build bridges.
A much much more tactful solution to the perceptual efforts to destroy
competing platforms. Water under the bridge now.
Don't ask me to copy dual or tri-format disks. I tried and failed.
Rob Northern - Dual Formateer.
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