[kde-linux] stop empty floppy drive announcement

[Felix Miata]

On 2013-11-13 12:08 (GMT) Duncan composed:

>> https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=318061

> The root problem is one of legacy hardware (lack of) features.  Floppy
> drives are old enough they predate the hardware removable-media-detect

> Making problems worse, there's no media-change-detect notification

How is it that ancient DOS manages? It/they originated "plug & play".

> In my opinion, probably the best way for software like kde's device
> notification is to ignore floppies entirely.

Probably. Do devs need to actually have floppy drives to be able to implement 
this eminently logical but currently missing option?

> What /is/ your actual use case for floppies?

Floppies don't need software to allow removal/ejection. They have a readily 
accessible button. They can be removed and inserted easily and completely 
while the machine is powered down, so that when it's powered up, the system 
doesn't jump right into an OS installed to non-removable media that needs to 
be shut down before powering back down.

Floppies, unlike OM, can be flung about without material risk of damage. They 
don't need to be kept in special cases to protect a fragile reading surface.

Floppies, unlike USB sticks, have a reasonable amount of room for labeling 
what they contain.

Floppies, unlike USB sticks, due to their size, are not very readily lost in 
the cracks of furniture, at the bottoms of purses, or between car seats.

Floppies, unlike USB sticks, are a uniform size, easily managed physically in 
long term offline storage.

Floppies can be made bootable in mere seconds, not requiring complicated 
installation of a big operating system, or a big complicated application and 
operating system to run it to perform the task.

Compared to OM drives, floppy drives have proven themselves far more reliable 
on average long-term.

Floppies, unlike common multifunction diagnostic media, having only one 
utility installed, can be booted into to do their thing without working 
keyboard or mouse. e.g. memtest

Virtually all my systems are multiboot. DOS is good enough, and faster, for 
various things, does manage somehow to automount floppies when inserted, and 
does not resist ejection via press of a physical button.

Landfills are filling fast enough without adding working devices to them 
simply because they are old or because something newer is faster or more 
space efficient.

I have them on 10 of my 15 most used systems, therefore I make use of them.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/