On 3/11/2016 12:33 PM, Alexander via vcf-midatlantic wrote:

It starts with Windows 3.1, then they're using DOS 5, and the next thing you know, they're figuring out MFM drives on an IBM PC XT.

Who knew a Gateway PC can be a gateway drug down a path of 8-bit, until next thing you know, you're looking at flipping switches on a PDP and referring to everything in octal. Yup, I've noticed this too, and honestly to keep the hobby around and maintain interest in it, there needs to be new blood and the helpful community assisting the n00bs with their MFM drives and sharing the years of experience and knowledge the elders of the hobby know. As much as you can read books on this stuff, some of it just comes down to experience. Sidenote: I still think MFM drives can be like voodoo magic. The perfect balance of the right controller, sector/cylinder/head, bad block table, formatting and sometimes a mallet to get them to behave.