In article <1992Mar25.160630.27178@athena.mit.edu> apr%dec001.ziap.wtza-berlin.de@noc.belwue.de (Andreas Priebe) writes:
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>1.
>Reading a 720k in an 1.44MB drive gives: [ reset-floppy-errors deleted ]

This is what happens if you use the /dev/PS0 device (ie "b 2 28") - to
read a 720kB floppy you have to use anuther device number: linux doesn't
try to find out what kind of floppy you are using (which seems to be
relatively standard unix practice). Use /dev/ps0 ("b 2 16")

Minor number for floppies are as follows (should be in the FAQ):

nr+4*type, where nr = 0,1,2,3 for A,B etc floppy
type:
1 - 360kB floppy in 360kB drive
2 - 1.2M floppy in 1.2M drive
3 - 360kB floppy in 3.5" drive
4 - 720kB floppy in 3.5" drive
5 - 360kN floppy in 1.2M drive
6 - 720kB floppy in 1.2M drive
7 - 1.44M floppy in 3.5" drive

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>2.
>Maybe I'm wrong, but should'nt compile at least the kernel _without_ any
>warnings?

Ok, I was lazy: I use "-Wall" for gcc which gives warnings for most
everything, and I didn't correct quite all the warnings. They are easy
to correct, or you can remove the -Wall flag :)

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>3.
>I applied the patches for extended partitions (by Charles Hedrick,
>22 Mar 00:33 GMT). This is what I get after makeing a new kernel and
>booting: [ errors deleted once more ]

Hedrick's patches break with more than one drive: he had only one drive
to test on.  I'll make a new alpha-patch available which should fix most
problems (including this), but it won't be until next week. 

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>4.
>Shouldn't create Linux a core-file after dieing a process with
>segmentation fault ?

It doesn't even try right now: I don't know in what format the core-file
should be anyway etc..  I might implement it if somebody tells me what
format gdb expects, or I'll accept patches (the stubs are there already,
but the actual core-dumping isn't). 

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>5.
>A shutdown script would be very nice. Anybody working on it or another
>way to go to single user mode and back to multiuser?

Ok, at least the 0.95(a) kernel supports it: I haven't tested it out,
but the reboot system call should be able to reboot the machine, so
automatic shutdown isn't that difficult any more.  Anybody interested in
writing one? Note that the reboot system call needs a lot of magic
numbers (I didn't want any accidental reboots), and can also
disable/enable the three-finger-salute for people who don't like it. 

                Linus