nsw@cord.UUCP (N Weinstock) (04/18/88)
I have two very simple questions for Commodore concerning the 2090A hard disk controller. There doesn't seem to have ever been much discussion about it, unless I missed it (which is always possible). Anyway, here goes: 1) Roughly when will it be available? Next week? Next month? Next year? If it's going to be a while then I won't wait for it, and will get a 2090. 2) Will a 2090 be upgradable to a 2090A? Even if not officially sanctioned by Commodore, is there any conceivable way a 2090 could be hacked up to have autoboot? Well, that's it. Two simple questions. Anyone out there have some answers? +----------------+------------------------+-----------------------------+ | Neil Weinstock | {codas,ihnp4}!cord!nsw | "I think my cerebellum just | | AT&T Bell Labs | nsw@cord.att.com | fused." - Calvin | +----------------+------------------------+-----------------------------+
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (04/20/88)
In article <565@cord.UUCP> nsw@cord.UUCP (N Weinstock) writes: > I have two very simple questions for Commodore concerning the 2090A hard > disk controller. "Simple" is a matter of opinion. Both your questions ask "Would Commodore please cut it's leg off by telling us when they think the 2090a will be out so that we won't have to worry about buying 2090s." To wit : > 1) Roughly when will it be available? Next week? Next month? Next year? > If it's going to be a while then I won't wait for it, and will get a 2090. If they give you a date and miss it what happens? You are pissed off because you want a controller *now*, and their sales of 2090's dry up because they claim to have a 2090a on the way. Fact of the matter is C= doesn't know to much about hardware schedules, and inevitably their early guesses are wrong. They seem to recognize the problem and are choosing to keep silent until they have a high degree of confidence that such a thing would actually ship. Even worse, if *you* tell someone else that the 2090a will be out at some such date and C= misses it *you* look bad. So it isn't a simple question at all. The answer is, and continues to be "The 2090 hard disk controller is available now for those who want a C= hard disk controller." > 2) Will a 2090 be upgradable to a 2090A? Even if not officially sanctioned > by Commodore, is there any conceivable way a 2090 could be hacked up to have > autoboot? My feeling is that the answer to part A is no. If it was a simple job they would have it done by now. My guess is that it will be a totally new board. I also don't expect Commodore to provide an upgrade deal, primarily because you will be able to buy 'AutoBoot' hard disk controllers when 1.3 ships from other sources. Thus, if that is what you wanted you would buy it. Now there may be an alternative specifically : Consider the following scenario, if the mythical 1.3 really does have an autobooting recoverable RAM disk like Amiga Sentry claimed Then you can have the startup sequence on the RAM disk start up a 2090 controller. Also rumor has it that if you auto boot you need to have a slow file system partition, with the ram disk approach your hard disk could be 100% fast file system. >Well, that's it. Two simple questions. Anyone out there have some answers? Well, there are a couple of answers. The questions are not simple and are impossible for Commodore to answer. How would you answer if someone said, "When is System V release 4 going to be out, and can I upgrade for rel 3?" --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
nsw@cord.UUCP (N Weinstock) (04/20/88)
In article <50052@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes: >In article <565@cord.UUCP> nsw@cord.UUCP (N Weinstock) writes: >> I have two very simple questions for Commodore concerning the 2090A hard >> disk controller. > >"Simple" is a matter of opinion. Both your questions ask "Would Commodore >please cut it's leg off by telling us when they think the 2090a will be >out so that we won't have to worry about buying 2090s." Perhaps I should've put a smiley after "simple." I didn't know if the availability date of the 2090A was common knowledge or not. Apparently not. >To wit : >> 1) Roughly when will it be available? Next week? Next month? Next year? >> If it's going to be a while then I won't wait for it, and will get a 2090. > >If they give you a date and miss it what happens? You are pissed off because >you want a controller *now*, and their sales of 2090's dry up because they >claim to have a 2090a on the way. Fact of the matter is C= doesn't know to >much about hardware schedules, and inevitably their early guesses are wrong. >They seem to recognize the problem and are choosing to keep silent until >they have a high degree of confidence that such a thing would actually >ship. Even worse, if *you* tell someone else that the 2090a will be out at >some such date and C= misses it *you* look bad. So it isn't a simple question >at all. The answer is, and continues to be >"The 2090 hard disk controller is available now for those who want a C= > hard disk controller." I was curious because I have seen just about every other future product discussed to death here, but only very slight mention of the 2090A. I understand the problems with announcing future product dates. If you tell me (and I guess you have) that the only possible answer to when the 2090A will be coming out is "at some unspecified time in the future," then I am satisfied with that, and will go out and get a 2090. I just like to know the story before I plunk down my money. >Now there may be an alternative specifically : > > Consider the following scenario, if the mythical 1.3 really does > have an autobooting recoverable RAM disk like Amiga Sentry claimed > Then you can have the startup sequence on the RAM disk start up a > 2090 controller. Also rumor has it that if you auto boot you need > to have a slow file system partition, with the ram disk approach > your hard disk could be 100% fast file system. An interesting scenario; I was unaware of this capability. >--Chuck McManis .- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ... .- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ... | Neil Weinstock | ihnp4!cord!nsw | "I think my cerebellum just | | AT&T Bell Labs | nsw@cord.att.com | fused." - Calvin | .- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ... .- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ...