Re: cdrtools cdrecord/cdrecord.c
A DVD+ -based burner
has to engage some kind of emulation for DVD- media (character-based vs
block-based), and the emulation in the burner firmware can't be trusted.
This is the first time i read about a technical reason for those
patches.
You've merely heard an echo of quasi-technical rumor.
I repeated (my understanding of) the guts of what was said, I don't say
it's technically correct.
Please note that I rather reacted on Thomas' interpretation of the
statement/rumor you've passed on, not the fact itself of passing on the
statement/rumor [I don't care about that]. He interpreted it as if there
is something magical "DVD-patched cdrecord" does, which provides
ubiquitous *technical* justification for its existence. I just couldn't
let him keep believing it, that's all:-)
Speaking for myself I can personally assure you that there is *no* magic
that "DVD-patched cdrecord" performs or does something growisofs doesn't
or is not capable of. Even if there is something that can be perceived
as "some kind of emulation for DVD- media," it's *beyond* application
control, be it growisofs, "DVD-patched cdrecord" or any other program.
Whether such a thing is beyond growisofs et al would depend on the
interfaces available via the drive's firmware. Not knowing the API(s)
provided by burners, what was the reason growisofs at first only worked
with DVD+,
I believe I've already answered this question. First version of
growisofs relied totally on kernel DVD+RW support. It worked so to say
exclusively with read and write system calls. There were glitches [all
discussed on my page] and in the course of development and debugging
I've implemented minimally required support for "direct" DVD+RW
recording, independent from kernel support. By the time DVD+R appeared,
there were *no* applications capable of DVD+R recordings, and growisofs
was naturally brought to that level. Then a question was posed "why not
DVD-"? And the answer was "what the hell, why not?" Even though I
couldn't even test/debug it myself from the beginning and the
development was performed off the specifications and was based
exclusively on user feedback...
and why do the dvd patches to cdrecord only allow for DVD-
burning, but not DVD+?
I can't answer this question and refuse to speculate.
If there are different recording strategies which a drive must engage
for different media types (if there aren't this is moot), and one of
them doesn't work properly, then that drive is not a good choice for
making lasting recordings on that media type.
Yes, but application has no chance to affect the situation. If unit
busts say DVD+recordings, no application will fix it, be it
mispronounced as "character-based" or "block-based" or whatever. This
and only this is my point. Cheers. A.
Reply to: