Format_53.7 shows the time left incorrectly

[AlexBene]

================================================================================
Format 53.7 (24/06/11)
================================================================================
Report_2014.02.17.0005_Format_53.7
By: Alexander Benedictov
[email protected]
================================================================================
Partition DH4: is 98.8 GBytes in size.

Format 53.7 was ran with following arguments:

Format DRIVE=DH4: NAME=FFS7 FFS INTL LN

The formatting went O.K., but the time left
to the end of formatting was shown by the
Format 53.7 incorrectly: with sudden jumps
up and down, fallings and risings, and very
far from steadily falling straight line.
A simple graphical representation is shown
below.

Real time from start of Format
| in minutes. Time left as shown by Format 53.7 in minutes.
|
V 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110
| | |
00 -+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----#----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-
| | #
| | #
05 -+ | #
| | #
| | #
10 -+ | #
| | #
|_________|___ jump down________________________________________#
15 -+ # |
| #
| | #
20 -+ | #
| | #
| | #
25 -+ | #
| | #
|____jump down_________#
30 -# |
|# |
| # |
35 -+ # |
| # |
| # |
40 -+ # |
| # |
| # |
45 -+ # |
|# |
#__jump up__
50 -+ | #
| |#
| #
55 -+ # |
| # |
| # |
60 -+ # |
| # |
|#___up__ |
65 -+ #|
| # |
| # |
70 -+ # |
| # |
# | <=== End of formatting.
75 -+ |
|

[nbache]

I don't have any opinion about the progress display issue.

But why on earth are you formatting your hard drive without the QUICK switch? For hard drives from this millennium, there is never any reason to do so. Only do quick formatting.

I'm not saying there isn't a possible bug in what you see, but it will probably be hard to find someone willing to fix it or to test it, as it would require "mistreating" a hard drive in the same manner.

I'm certainly not going to volunteer for testing it, at least .

Best regards,

Niels

[ssolie]

But why on earth are you formatting your hard drive without the QUICK switch? For hard drives from this millennium, there is never any reason to do so. Only do quick formatting.

I think we need to finally hide the full format option and stick a big warning on it. Maybe relabel the "Quick" format as just "Format" as well because that is the norm these days. If on classic Amiga hardware we could behave differently with the options. Anyway, just a couple of ideas for "fixing" this one.

[tonyw]

Perhaps only enable the "Full Format" for floppies?

[Slayer]

Just replace QUICK with FULL instead but when selected it spits out a disclaimer/warning

So Quick would be the new default and FULL would have to be manually selected

Just like everyone has been saying but clarified

also, could make it a Shell activated option only, the WB version wouldn't have it as an option

[tonyw]

could make it a Shell activated option only, the WB version wouldn't have it as an option

Now that's possibly the best suggestion of all !

[Steady]

+1 for the shell option idea.

It's easy to think you need to press the "Full" format button if you haven't used a device with AmigaOS. Great idea.

[trixie]

could make it a Shell activated option only, the WB version wouldn't have it as an option

Now that's possibly the best suggestion of all !

+1. Hide it in the GUI, leave it as a shell option.

[nbache]

+1 for the shell option idea.

And +1 more.

It's easy to think you need to press the "Full" format button if you haven't used a device with AmigaOS. Great idea.

As far as I know, there's nothing special about AmigaOS in this. It's a general thing with modern hard drives that they do their own housekeeping and handle their actual format, physical blocking/sectoring etc. internally.

Best regards,

Niels

[my_pc_is_amiga]

I like the WB only option as well except for classic users that need to do a full format for floppies and from WB it wouldn't be able to do it anymore...