cwilson@NISC.SRI.COM (Chan Wilson) (03/10/90)
How do those fast disk copiers work?
I mean, I go to read $xx number of blocks from a floppy, and it takes
its own sweet time about it.
What I'm really asking for here, is a slice of code that will accept a
starting block #, and an ending block #, and go fetch. Fast.
--Chan
................
Chan Wilson -- cwilson@nisc.sri.com <!> I don't speak for SRI.
Janitor/Architect of comp.binaries.apple2 archive on wuarchive.wustl.edu
"And now, the penguin on top of the television set will explode."
................wack@udel.edu (Andrew Wack) (03/15/90)
In article <1990Mar15.142012.15985@spectre.ccsf.caltech.edu> toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) writes: >cwilson@NISC.SRI.COM (Chan Wilson) writes: > >>Say, is the unidisk faster than the appledisk in reading things, or is >>just my overworked imagination? > >Its your imagination. The UniDisk has its own controller (a 2 mhz 65c02) >and uses the SmartPort packet protocol to communicate with the host. The [edit] >Why didn't Apple > > (a) make smartport as fast as the 3.5 instead? > (b) give the unidisk controller enough RAM to do 1:1 interleave > track reads and caching? (come on, 16K (2 6264's) is cheap!) > >Because they haven't bothered to improve anything once it is out the door... >EXCEPT the 1 meg GS. The Unidisk could have become the 3.5 of choice but The answer is they did upgrade, in the usual apple fashion, through software! System Disk 5.0 reads 3.5 disks at a 1:1 interleave (even though the disk is still set up with 2:1 interleave) by buffering tracks. Thus they made the (cheaper) appledisk as fast as the unidisk could ever be for free! Granted this doesn't help non GS owners. And if you want slow floppy access, try a 3.5 disk on an IBM sometime...ugghh. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Wack Gravitation cannot be held responsible Internet : wack@udel.edu for people falling in love -- Albert Einstein
drew@pro-houston.cts.com (Andrew Freeman) (03/16/90)
In-Reply-To: message from wack@udel.edu Well, I have found ibm 3.5s to be much faster than apple's drive. They are actually the same drive but with a different controller. You can make your own for about $100 which is preety nice. I have two drives already though. Andrew UUCP: crash!pro-houston!drew | Despair sends a certain calm A vague | ARPA: crash!pro-houston!drew@nosc.mil | sense of relief. Released from all | INET: drew@pro-houston.cts.com | our longings. Silently we'll sleep | Silicon Temple (713) 721-8620 Jim Matheos / Fates Warning