phil@eos.UUCP (Phil Stone) (03/19/89)
Is it true that Commodore's hard drive controller will be required to run AMIX (a la the 2500UX?) Are any aftermarket cards going to be compatible? Anybody have any comments on the Trump card? It has a very attractive price, but appears not to be a DMA controller. If anyone has ANY info. on it, I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks, Phil Stone (phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov / ames!eos!phil)
limonce@pilot.njin.net (Tom Limoncelli) (03/20/89)
In article <2941@eos.UUCP> phil@eos.UUCP (Phil Stone) writes: > Is it true that Commodore's hard drive controller will be required > to run AMIX (a la the 2500UX?) Are any aftermarket cards going to > be compatible? As of two days ago, it was the A2090A or nothing. ...but Friday GVP announced that they are planning on their 68030 card to work with the AMIX software. They didn't mention if they'd be licencing AMIX or anything about the details, but they seemed committed. > Thanks, > Phil Stone (phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov / ames!eos!phil) -- Tom Limoncelli -- tlimonce@drunivac.Bitnet -- limonce@pilot.njin.net Drew University -- Madison, NJ -- 201-408-5389 Standard Disclaim er.
jdm@gryphon.COM (John Mesiavech) (03/22/89)
In article <2941@eos.UUCP> phil@eos.UUCP (Phil Stone) writes: > [ some stuph herein NOT included for Pnews's sake] > > >Anybody have any comments on the Trump card? It has a very attractive >price, but appears not to be a DMA controller. If anyone has ANY info. >on it, I would appreciate hearing about it. > >Thanks, > Phil Stone (phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov / ames!eos!phil) Phil, At the store where I work, we sell IVS Trumpcards. The Trumpcard is non- DMA, yes, but very fast and a good controller. We get typical diskperfs (using DISKPERFA v 1.9, dated Feb 12 1989) ov over 400K reads and over 271K writes, using a Seagate ST138N 32 meg drive at 69% full. What this all means is that it's FAST. The installation software has to be seen to be believed, it is very easy to use and fully automated, using the metaphor of an onscreen checklist to complete installation, formatting, and installing of software on the drive (WB, natch). The software has some of the most extensive drive testing I've ever seen (8 types of checking, both read AND write). About the only thing that it does NOT do currently is autoboot off of an FFS partition (the ROM version 1.5 can't). But this also provides a benefit, in the form of this: If you boot your 2000 or 2500 while holding down the left mouse button, the IVS ROM will attach the hard drive to the system, BUT REMOVE THE AUTOBOOT PART> Meaning, the system won't boot from the hard drive. How can this be advantageous? Simple: You have a copy-protected game (say F-18 unfixed, Dungeon Master, any of the Bard's Tale series,etc.) . You'd like to use the hard drive with the game to save on, but you can't install the HD drivers on the disk to bring up the drive, and you MUST boot off the game disk. Hold down the left mouse button, and the system will boot from the game disk, BUT THE IVS DRIVE WILL BE USABLE! *NICE* feature..... and not one on anyone else's HD controller, to the best of my knowledge... That's why the boot partition on the IVS drive is OldFS, to take advantage of that situation. THe boot partition is small, on the ST138N it's only 16 cyls of the drive. I have no connection with IVS other than that I sell their HD controllers.. Every one we've sold has worked perfectly from day one, and I have many satisfied customers. John -- 0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-> All disclaimers apply; I didn't write this <-=-=-=-=-=-0 | ----------------------|------------------- | | "I want a New Duck | John Mesiavech | | One that won't try to bite | net.soldier.of.fortune | | One that won't chew a hole in my socks | {backbone}!gryphon!jdm | | One that won't Quack all night" | Go Purdue! (by req) | | Weird Al Yankovic, "I Want a New Duck" | | 0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-0