From kde-linux Wed Nov 13 17:36:30 2013 From: Felix Miata Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:36:30 +0000 To: kde-linux Subject: Re: [kde-linux] stop empty floppy drive announcement Message-Id: <5283B89E.2090301 () earthlink ! net> X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-linux&m=138436422503553 On 2013-11-13 12:08 (GMT) Duncan composed: >> https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=318061 > The root problem is one of legacy hardware (lack of) features. Floppy > drives are old enough they predate the hardware removable-media-detect > Making problems worse, there's no media-change-detect notification How is it that ancient DOS manages? It/they originated "plug & play". > In my opinion, probably the best way for software like kde's device > notification is to ignore floppies entirely. Probably. Do devs need to actually have floppy drives to be able to implement this eminently logical but currently missing option? > What /is/ your actual use case for floppies? Floppies don't need software to allow removal/ejection. They have a readily accessible button. They can be removed and inserted easily and completely while the machine is powered down, so that when it's powered up, the system doesn't jump right into an OS installed to non-removable media that needs to be shut down before powering back down. Floppies, unlike OM, can be flung about without material risk of damage. They don't need to be kept in special cases to protect a fragile reading surface. Floppies, unlike USB sticks, have a reasonable amount of room for labeling what they contain. Floppies, unlike USB sticks, due to their size, are not very readily lost in the cracks of furniture, at the bottoms of purses, or between car seats. Floppies, unlike USB sticks, are a uniform size, easily managed physically in long term offline storage. Floppies can be made bootable in mere seconds, not requiring complicated installation of a big operating system, or a big complicated application and operating system to run it to perform the task. Compared to OM drives, floppy drives have proven themselves far more reliable on average long-term. Floppies, unlike common multifunction diagnostic media, having only one utility installed, can be booted into to do their thing without working keyboard or mouse. e.g. memtest Virtually all my systems are multiboot. DOS is good enough, and faster, for various things, does manage somehow to automount floppies when inserted, and does not resist ejection via press of a physical button. Landfills are filling fast enough without adding working devices to them simply because they are old or because something newer is faster or more space efficient. I have them on 10 of my 15 most used systems, therefore I make use of them. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ ___________________________________________________ This message is from the kde-linux mailing list. Account management: https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-linux. Archives: http://lists.kde.org/. More info: http://www.kde.org/faq.html.