brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (05/19/89)
In reference to an old topic, everyone should know that the UniDisk 3.5
is slower than an Apple 3.5 Drive (on a IIGS). Several people have
experienced this difference, which can be affected by the interleave used
when the floppy is formatted (4:1 UniDisk, 1:1? Apple 3.5 Drives).
So, has anyone compared the Central Point Software Universal Disk
Controller (with appropriate 3.5" drive connected) to the speed of an
Apple 3.5 Drive on a GS? Has anyone compared the CPS UDC to a UniDISK 3.5
Controller on a Plus? What would the optimum interleave be for an Apple
3.5 Drive connected to a UDC on a II+?
Since I own an Apple II Plus, my choice is basically between an all
Apple system (UniDisk 3.5 and controller) or the combination of a CPS
UDC and Apple 3.5 Drive (or other Mac-type 3.5 drive). I favor the latter
since the drive would work with a IIgs when/if I buy one. I don't want to
spend over $300 and then be stuck with painfully slow hardware when I
upgrade my CPU. I considered the possibility of: getting a UniDisk and
adding more RAM to the internal board, rewriting the disk software to
cache entire tracks (like the Mac), and hoping that this would be fast
enough. But you can probably guess what I think of that idea! If anyone
has any experience with the relative performance of the UDC, then send me
EMail!
P.S. According to EMail from CPS, the UDC accepts any 3.5 drive *except*
the UniDisk - that includes the Apple 3.5 Drive, Mac 3.5 drives and
drives from CPS.
P.P.S. In anticipation of some responses...
I realize that the UniDisk works much better on a GS if you copy all
purchased software to floppys formatted at 4:1, but I prefer to get the
best interleave possible on a II+.
Brian Willoughby ...!uw-beaver!microsoft!brianw
or microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET
or just brianw@microsoft.UUCP