6 ms·

This mode was well known in the mid 80s. I wrote a shareware demo of the super color mode in masm that swirled and formed patterns. This had to be around 86 or

This mode was well known in the mid 80s. I wrote a shareware demo of the super color mode in masm that swirled and formed patterns. This had to be around 86 or 87. (That code is sitting on an old mfm disk that I can't read). It was a fun mode, but too jaggy to do much with.

zozbot234 7y ago
If you actually have diskettes from that era that you care about, you might want to image them using a low-level magnetic flux reader - the devices are actually quite inexpensive, and this would ensure that the data is preserved for the foreseeable future.
- burnte 7y ago
  Well, he said an old MFM drive, so he's probably referring to an MFM hard drive rather than diskettes. That was the common parlance for MFM HDDs back then.
- DougMerritt 7y ago
  > you might want to image them using a low-level magnetic flux reader - the devices are actually quite inexpensive Link? Googling that term shows at most probes that register a single scalar value, not something that can image a diskette. (Nor were those "quite inexpensive")
  - kalleboo 7y ago
    I wouldn't agree with "quite inexpensive" (start at $100~$200 and then you need a drive as well) but there are some of the options out there for low-level magnetic floppy imaging. https://applesaucefdc.com https://applesaucefdc.com https://www.kryoflux.com https://www.kryoflux.com https://discferret.com/wiki/DiscFerret https://discferret.com/wiki/DiscFerret
polpo 7y ago
How many colors were you able to get with moving graphics? From the article the CRTC hacking needed to get the last 512 colors is too CPU intensive for anything but static images on an 8088.
exikyut 7y ago
As an alternative to going hunting for hardware that will read your MFM disks, you might also have an idle look around for retrocomputing groups that are nearby(ish). Someone might live within a viable distance, or you might be able to bring the disks to a meetup. I understand sending disks off is also a thing, but given their age and the weakness of the magnetic fields in them I'd shy away from subjecting them to potential erasure via postal conditions. Unsure if this perspective is overparanoid.

zozbot234 7y ago

If you actually have diskettes from that era that you care about, you might want to image them using a low-level magnetic flux reader - the devices are actually quite inexpensive, and this would ensure that the data is preserved for the foreseeable future.

burnte 7y ago
Well, he said an old MFM drive, so he's probably referring to an MFM hard drive rather than diskettes. That was the common parlance for MFM HDDs back then.
DougMerritt 7y ago
> you might want to image them using a low-level magnetic flux reader - the devices are actually quite inexpensive Link? Googling that term shows at most probes that register a single scalar value, not something that can image a diskette. (Nor were those "quite inexpensive")
- kalleboo 7y ago
  I wouldn't agree with "quite inexpensive" (start at $100~$200 and then you need a drive as well) but there are some of the options out there for low-level magnetic floppy imaging. https://applesaucefdc.com https://applesaucefdc.com https://www.kryoflux.com https://www.kryoflux.com https://discferret.com/wiki/DiscFerret https://discferret.com/wiki/DiscFerret

polpo 7y ago

How many colors were you able to get with moving graphics? From the article the CRTC hacking needed to get the last 512 colors is too CPU intensive for anything but static images on an 8088.

exikyut 7y ago

As an alternative to going hunting for hardware that will read your MFM disks, you might also have an idle look around for retrocomputing groups that are nearby(ish). Someone might live within a viable distance, or you might be able to bring the disks to a meetup. I understand sending disks off is also a thing, but given their age and the weakness of the magnetic fields in them I'd shy away from subjecting them to potential erasure via postal conditions. Unsure if this perspective is overparanoid.