I always thought it was interesting how 5 1/4 is 3U (rack units). I thought there might have been some relationship to that. But could have been just coincidence.
73 Eugene W2HX Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/w2hx-channel/videos -----Original Message----- From: Tom Gardner via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2022 7:40 PM To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' <cctalk@classiccmp.org>; ci...@xenosoft.com Cc: Tom Gardner <tom94...@comcast.net> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Wang bar napkin story [WAS:RE: Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet] >-----Original Message----- >From: Fred Cisin [mailto:ci...@xenosoft.com] >Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2022 12:31 PM >To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts >Subject: [cctalk] Re: Wang bar napkin story [WAS:RE: Re: "Revival" of a dedicated Micropolis webpage on internet] >On Sun, 21 Aug 2022, Tom Gardner via cctalk wrote: > The only person who ever promulgated the "Dr. Wang bar napkin" story > was Jim Porter who was not in any way involved with the decision as to > the size of the 5½ drive or media size and only began telling his tale > many years after the decision. > Both Massaro and Adkisson deny there was ever such a meeting in a bar > with Dr. Wang. <snip> ---- >In > <http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/5.25_3.5_Flo ppy_Drive/5.25_and_3.5_Floppy_Panel.oral_history.2005.102657925.pdf> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/5.25_3.5_Flop py_Drive/5.25_and_3.5_Floppy_Panel.oral_history.2005.102657925.pdf >Jim Porter attributes it to Jimmy Adkisson. If you read further on you will find that Adkisson also has disclaimed the Porter fable. FWIW, Porter apparently began promulgating the fable in 1998 at his speech to 100th Anniversary Of Magnetic Recording, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA. http://web.archive.org/web/20071014221838/http://magneticdiskheritagecenter. org/100th/Progress/Porter/jimporter.htm <http://web.archive.org/web/20071014221838/http:/magneticdiskheritagecenter. org/100th/Progress/Porter/jimporter.htm> . There is no earlier reference that I can find. I talked to the entire Shugart Associates team (including both Massaro and Adkisson) involved in the decision to do the 5¼ and its design thereafter - the Wang story is BS <snip> >But, Massaro, who should know, refutes the story. Although his version is about a cardboard mockup of the DRIVE, done in the backseat of a car, NOT the origin of the diskette size. >Grumpy Ol' Fred <mailto:ci...@xenosoft.com> ci...@xenosoft.com Tom
