a684@mindlink.UUCP (Nick Janow) (01/09/91)
The latest "Byte" mentions that the 20Mb "Flopticals" are almost ready for distribution. To bad they didn't have them ready for the NeXTstation. I guess the 2.88 Mb floppies were just to fill up the space until the floptical drives were available. If the flopticals work well, I doubt that the cost of 2.88 Mb floppies will go down ... if they're even produced. :(
cyliax@ecn.purdue.edu (Ingo Cyliax) (01/10/91)
I have a few questions for all the people with NeXTStations and 2.88Mb floppies out there. 1. does the 2.88Mb have an external indication to make it look different from a 1.44Mb floppy. (maybe an extra hole or something) I know the formulation quite different. 2. does the driver (the software) know what kind of blank media is inserted before you format and label. I.e. does it tell you if have the wrong type disk inserted or does it just format the disk and then get a bunch of media errors during the verify. 3. does anyone have a cheaper source for 2.88Mb floppies than NeXT ? Thanks, -ingo -- /* Ingo Cyliax ECN, Electrical Engineering Bldg. * * cyliax@ecn.purdue.edu Purdue University, W. Lafayette,IN 47907 * * ing@cc.purdue.edu Work: (317) 494-9523 * * cyliax@pur-ee.UUCP Home: (317) 474-0031 */
matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) (01/10/91)
In article <1991Jan9.080318@ecn.purdue.edu> cyliax@ecn.purdue.edu (Ingo Cyliax) writes: > 1. does the 2.88Mb have an external indication to make it look > different from a 1.44Mb floppy. (maybe an extra hole or something) > I know the formulation quite different. It's hole is a little lower than a 1.44M disk's telltale hole. > 2. does the driver (the software) know what kind of blank media > is inserted before you format and label. I.e. does it tell > you if have the wrong type disk inserted or does it just > format the disk and then get a bunch of media errors during > the verify. Well, it knows what density you have. I didn't format any HD disks LD or whatnot, so I'm not sure about that one. > 3. does anyone have a cheaper source for 2.88Mb floppies than > NeXT ? I don't even know if they exist outside NeXT yet, since NeXT is the only computer that uses them, to the best of my knowledge. >Thanks, >-ingo Velcome. ------ Mike Matthews, matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (NeXT)/matthews@umdd (bitnet) ------ You can create your own opportunities this week. Blackmail a senior executive.
scott@mcs-server.gac.edu (Scott Hess) (01/10/91)
In article <4379@mindlink.UUCP> a684@mindlink.UUCP (Nick Janow) writes:
The latest "Byte" mentions that the 20Mb "Flopticals" are almost ready for
distribution. To bad they didn't have them ready for the NeXTstation. I guess
the 2.88 Mb floppies were just to fill up the space until the floptical drives
were available.
If the flopticals work well, I doubt that the cost of 2.88 Mb floppies will go
down ... if they're even produced. :(
I think that this discussion is getting a _weee_ bit ahead of itself.
To put a couple things in perspective, I would recommend that those
of you who have been in computers for awhile recall the first 10M
floppy drives that were out. Regular disks (well, regular like the
2.88s are), but they were too expensive. It seems like my
first issues of BYTE have adds for one of them, and that was sometime
in 1985.
Many, many, many people still run with 720k disks. Heck, there's alot
out there still at 360k, or (gasp!) 320k 5.25" disks. The PC world is
not going to jump for 20M floppies if the drive costs $800 and the media
is $10. They will, meanwhile, jump for 2.88M drives which cost
$200 and $5 media, and hoping to fall. Remember that the PC market
can drag the rest of us around kicking and screaming - if the PC marker
decides to do 2.88M, we will do 2.88M whether we want to or not.
And it is looking like the PC marker is going to do 2.88M, at least for
awhile. After all, the 2.88M stuff works, because it's not much different,
while the 20M stuff might or might not.
I'm not trying to say that 20M is _bad_, but I think foretelling the
doom of 2.88M because 20M is coming out isn't going to work.
Hmm. Is anyone working on getting a Bournelli installed on a NeXT? :-)
--
scott hess scott@gac.edu
Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad
<I still speak for nobody>
"Tried anarchy, once. Found it had too many constraints . . ."
"Buy `Sweat 'n wit '2 Live Crew'`, a new weight loss program by
Richard Simmons . . ."datran2 (01/10/91)
In article <4379@mindlink.UUCP> a684@mindlink.UUCP (Nick Janow) writes: >If the flopticals work well, I doubt that the cost of 2.88 Mb floppies will go >down ... if they're even produced. :( I think the 2.88 Mb floppies will be produced, since IBM has announced that they will be offering them in PS/2's. It shouldn't be more than six to eight months before they are reasonable. Steve. -- #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====# # Steve Boker # "Badgers, we don't have no stinking badgers" # # datran2!smb@csn.org # -from Treasure of the Sierra Madre Zoo # #====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#====#
drin@nro.cs.athabascau.ca (Adrian Smith) (01/14/91)
a684@mindlink.UUCP (Nick Janow) writes: > > The latest "Byte" mentions that the 20Mb "Flopticals" are almost ready for distribution. I don't want to burst any bubbles, but those 20meg floppies have been "almost ready for distribution" for about two years now. I'm not going to hold my breath...