[NTLK] [Update] ATA Cards: the situation

From: Paul Guyot (pguyot_at_kallisys.net)
Date: Tue Nov 05 2002 - 05:18:45 EST


>So if you disable ATA Support and you insert your card and you don't
>get a -10582 error, then ATA Support can't do anything for you *yet*.

I've just designed a hack to fix that. I think it's the most elegant
hack in ATA Support. I created a new implementation of the buggy ATA
driver in the ROM with a higher version and the system uses my
implementation (which always says -10582) instead of its own (which
sometimes says -10582). For those of you who may ask, if I replaced
the buggy ATA driver by a real working one, it wouldn't work anyway
because once the built-in driver says everything is ok, nothing
happens at all, the code to use the ATA cards for storage is simply
not in the ROM. Historically, it's because I thought I would just
have to replace that driver that I started the ATA Support project. I
didn't think I would have to write the whole transaction engine....

Anyway, my Smart Media card now works (I should say I'm relieved, I
toasted enough hardware for that project ;-).

I don't know if you recall, but Sean Luke tried the Toshiba 5 GB HD
and he got a -10579. This is typically the kind of ATA cards that
could work with this new hack.

However, I can't make it public yet. I have to fix many issues that
arose with the new structure of the software. (For example, right
now, the Newton reboots when you remove a card even if no store was
mounted).
I try to do my best to release the RC3 as soon as possible.

Paul

-- 
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