Date   : Sun, 16 Oct 2005 00:00:32 +0100
From   : Tim Fardell <tim.fardell@...>
Subject: Re: My New Baby Has Arrived!

Mike Tomlinson wrote:
> I still have a stamp (produced for the single-sided 1541 drive for the
> Commodore 64, which didn't use the index hole.) This can be used to
> neatly cut the second write-protect hole in a floppy disc, allowing it
> to be flipped over and the other side used.  But you're correct in that
> to use it on the BBC, it was necessary to cut a notch in the disk jacket
> with a pair of scissors to allow the drive to see the index hole in the
> disc.

Ah, yes of course - I was thinking you would have to cut the hole fairly 
accurately, but of course all you need to do is hack a large chunk of the disc 
jacket out such that the hole is visible as it comes past! I guess a hole-punch 
would make a neater job of it if you were accurate enough.

I'm surprised some enterprising manufacturer didn't start selling double-sided 
"flippable" discs - I bet they'd have sold millions.