D.Wade@sysd.salford.ac.UK (02/01/90)
Firstly on the subject of Floppies. I have access to three 'IBM' compats with 3.5 Inch floppies. An AMSTRAD portable, an IBM PS/2 Model 70 and an Apricot Zen-i. Now the lattter two have 1.44 Meg disks in. They often have problems reading disk formatted on the Amstrad, (They too think they are 1.4 meg format.) so I suspect there may be a bug in DOS3.3 (which what all the machines are using). Also IBM released a 'patch' for the ROM BIOS in some PS/2 machines so if that is missing it might cause the problems. However disks formatted on my STE seem to work fine in the Amstrad and the 'real' IBM, but I have not done any 'extensive' tests. On the subject of the STe one recent add I saw said they only had STe's. However we don't have FCC testing in the U.K. so I suspect thats the delay in the USA. I think the piracy issue is a bit emotive. I guess one problem is that most PC's are used as part of some business activity. So they have a software budget, so if you write a PC package you stand a good chance of selling at least a few copies, so if some get pirated you don't notice much. (assuming of course its not a game). In fact most people I know with PC's have several pirate copies of very expensive packages that they 'copied' from their employers machine. With ST'S I guess the business market isn't there. So the piracy looks much worse. In fact I know several teen-agers with ST's and in general if they like a game they go out and buy a copy. In general they seem to have less pirated s/w than most 'personal' PC users. Sorry no signature file but replies outside the UK may be sent to:- D.WADE@D.SALF.AC.UK - Most Places, MS2@UKACRL - Bitnet. P.S. I suppose I ougft to say the above is my personal opinion. PPS. Ken, Any chance of getting the TOS1.6 Med Res Boot fix posted here or do I have to mail my disk to ATARI for a fix. (Nope the dealer I bought from dosn't have it in his local shop, his Tech Support center is moving house so I can't ask them until next week).