[PLUG] fstab entry

[Denis Heidtmann]

On Sun, Aug 30, 2015 at 9:04 AM, Galen Seitz <galens at seitzassoc.com> wrote:

> On 08/29/15 17:33, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> > On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 11:16 AM, Galen Seitz <galens at seitzassoc.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> On 08/28/15 08:20, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> >>> I needed to use the floppy disk on my ubuntu 14.04 system (why is a
> >>> separate story).  I found that the default setup had the floppy owned
> by
> >>> root. Even when I made myself a member of the group floppy, I did not
> >> have
> >>> write access. It appeared as if the drive was not a member of the group
> >>> floppy.
> >>>
> >>> On searching for a solution I came across a change to /etc/fstab which
> >>> solved the problem.  My question is, I would like to understand what
> >> these
> >>> changes do and what the entries mean, and make sure that the changes do
> >> not
> >>> have any flaws. Could the dropping of the utf8 option produce a
> problem?
> >>>
> >>> Original entry (as provided by the installation):
> >>> /dev/fd0   /media/floppy0  auto   rw,user,noauto,exec,utf8  0     0
> >>>
> >>> New entry:
> >>> /dev/fd0   /media/floppy   auto
> >> rw,user,noauto,exec,gid=floppy,umask=007 0
> >>>  0
> >>
> >> Do you really need to mount the floppy?  For occasional use, it's often
> >> easier to use mtools.
> >>
> >> <http://www.gnu.org/software/mtools/>
> >> <https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/+package/mtools>
> >>
> >>
> >> galen
> >
> >
> > Since Ubuntu supports the floppy though the GUI, and I now have user
> rights
> > to it, I do not see the advantage of mtools.  I only use it to transfer
> > files to and from an ancient windows 3.1 system a former colleague and I
> > are trying to resurrect.  I suppose if I wanted to do something less
> > routine with the floppy, I would benefit from mtools.
>
> Well, to my mind, commands like mdir and mcopy are about as routine as
> it gets, but if you're keen to use the GUI, then mtools won't be of much
> use.  I will point out that not mounting a floppy has at least the one
> advantage that you avoid the possibility of corrupting the floppy by
> ejecting it when it is mounted.
>
> galen
>

I am often hesitant to post questions here because my ignorance and
inexperience get laid bare.  I do not understand how not mounting provides
that protection.  This lack of understanding is because I do not have a
clear view of what happens when a device is mounted, and how the device is
accessed without mounting.

I appreciate your advice.

-Denis