A comment from Chuck Guzis on ClassicCmp points out that:
> When ED floppies were released to the > general unwashed public, integrated FDCs largely could not handle the > 1Mbps data rate, so adopting the format meant changing the FDC (fraught > with problems if said FDC was integrated into the motherboard) and > buying a new drive and expensive media.
The HD 3.5" (1.4MB under MS-DOS) floppy itself was a big leap from the DD (720kB) one. Most of the 16-bitters never made it: the disk controllers of the Atari ST, Amiga, etc. couldn't handle it. AFAIK there's only one ZX Spectrum interface that did -- the Czech MB02:
* 1983 -- SS/DD * 1984 -- DS/DD, probably the most widespread * 1986 -- HD, the PC standard * 1987 -- ED, the 2.8MB ones that didn't catch on * 1991 -- 21MB floptical * 1994 -- 100MB Zip * 1996 -- 120MB floptical * 1997 -- 240MB floptical
That gap from '87 to the equally unsuccessful 21MB format, was the killer, IMHO. If everyone had adopted the ~3MB disks, it might have lived, but that probably wasn't enough on its own. Thus my speculation as to whether pure magnetic ~6MB diskettes might have been viable around 1988-1989 and ~12MB ones around 1990.
> When ED floppies were released to the
> general unwashed public, integrated FDCs largely could not handle the
> 1Mbps data rate, so adopting the format meant changing the FDC (fraught
> with problems if said FDC was integrated into the motherboard) and
> buying a new drive and expensive media.
The HD 3.5" (1.4MB under MS-DOS) floppy itself was a big leap from the DD (720kB) one. Most of the 16-bitters never made it: the disk controllers of the Atari ST, Amiga, etc. couldn't handle it. AFAIK there's only one ZX Spectrum interface that did -- the Czech MB02:
http://www.benophetinternet.nl/hobby/mb02/
I must confess I rather fancy one. :-)
So, yes, ED was a big step, but so was HD in its time. I think the IBM PS/2 (1987) was the origin, right?
And there was never a 720kB IBM standard, only on things like Apricots.
According to Wikipedia...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk#Sizes.2C_performance_and_capacity
... the 3.5" timeline was:
* 1983 -- SS/DD
* 1984 -- DS/DD, probably the most widespread
* 1986 -- HD, the PC standard
* 1987 -- ED, the 2.8MB ones that didn't catch on
* 1991 -- 21MB floptical
* 1994 -- 100MB Zip
* 1996 -- 120MB floptical
* 1997 -- 240MB floptical
That gap from '87 to the equally unsuccessful 21MB format, was the killer, IMHO. If everyone had adopted the ~3MB disks, it might have lived, but that probably wasn't enough on its own. Thus my speculation as to whether pure magnetic ~6MB diskettes might have been viable around 1988-1989 and ~12MB ones around 1990.
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