ostroff@Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff) (01/01/90)
In article <12802@chaph.usc.edu> bkuo@aludra.usc.edu (Benjamin Kuo) writes: >If you have a FDHD drive, you can read everything from FDHD down, plus >PC and Apple Prodos disks. >If you have a 800K drive, you can read just 800K and 400K disks. Slight correction here: the 800K drives can read and write Apple II ProDOS disks also. They can't handle MSDOS disks, though. >Please, please, if you aren't sure about a subject don't confuse everyone >else about it too! I agree! == Boyd Ostroff, Tech Director == Sys Admin, "The CallBoard" == |||| Dept of Theatre, SUNY Oswego |||| Serving the Performing Arts |||| |||| (315) 341-2987 |||| 315-947-6414 1200/2400 baud 8N1 |||| == ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu == cboard!sysop@oswego.oswego.edu ==
hardin@dino.cad.mcc.com (John Hardin) (10/26/90)
There has been lots of discussion concerning the purchase of a Classic versus a (*heavily* discounted) Plus. But what about a Classic versus an (also *heavily* discounted) *SE* (with 800k floppies)? (I would guess *used* SE's (with 2-800k floppies could be had for something around $900-$1000. Yes?) Obviously, the Classic's HDFD is an advantage. (A 1 year warranty is an advantage for the Classic, too.) Its performance is (marginally) better, too (due to the 512k ROMs?). But what about the SCSI performance? Any other factors or considerations? Thanks for the info -jwh -- John Hardin, MCC CAD Program | ARPA: hardin@mcc.com | Phone: [512] 338-3535 Box 200195, Austin, TX 78720 | UUCP: ...!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cadillac!hardin
deichman@cod.NOSC.MIL (Shane D. Deichman) (10/27/90)
In article <HARDIN.90Oct25170100@dino.cad.mcc.com> hardin@dino.cad.mcc.com (John Hardin) writes: >There has been lots of discussion concerning the purchase of a Classic >versus a (*heavily* discounted) Plus. But what about a Classic versus >an (also *heavily* discounted) *SE* (with 800k floppies)? (I would >guess *used* SE's (with 2-800k floppies could be had for something >around $900-$1000. Yes?) Obviously, the Classic's HDFD is an >advantage. ^^^^^^^^^ John -- I wouldn't necessarily call this an advantage. While it may be a good investment in the long run, the ratio today of software available in a 400k single sided format far exceeds anything that is available on a High Density disk (1.2 Mb?). As I understand it the HDFD won't even read a 400k disk. If I am mistaken, then it would be a tremendous advantage; then your only concern becomes one of money. A Classic with internal HD and 512k ROM exceeds the utility of an SE with 2 internal 800k drives and an internal HD (my present system). Of course, I lived for three years (up until about a month ago) with just a 512k Mac, so I have a demonstrated ability to get by with next to nothing. -shane
bkuo@aludra.usc.edu (Benjamin Kuo) (10/28/90)
Hold it a second. You said: I wouldn't necessarily call this an advantage. While it may be a good investment in the long run, the ratio today of software available in a 400k single sided format far exceeds anything that is available on a High Density disk (1.2 Mb?). As I understand it the HDFD won't even read a 400k disk. Since you DID mention you've been using a 512 for 3 years, I can understand, but dispensing advice over the internet... 1) the majority of installed Macs have 800K drives. The majority of software is ALSO distributed on 800K disks. 2) ANY MAC can read a 400K disk, whether it is a 128, 512, 512KE, Plus, SE w/800K drives, SE w/FDHD drives, II, IIx, IIcx, IIci, IIsi, Classic IIfx, etc. etc. 3) It is "FDHD", not "HDFD" or anything else. 4) The Mac SE (those that are still being sold), if built within the last year, has two FDHD drives, not 800K drives. If you have a FDHD drive, you can read everything from FDHD down, plus PC and Apple Prodos disks. If you have a 800K drive, you can read just 800K and 400K disks. If you have a 400K drive, well... Please, please, if you aren't sure about a subject don't confuse everyone else about it too! Benjamin Kuo
rey@psuecl.bitnet (10/28/90)
> ... in a 400k single sided format far exceeds anything that > is available on a High Density disk (1.2 Mb?). As I understand it > the HDFD won't even read a 400k disk. > [stuff deleted] > > -shane The following response is not mine, they are the responses of a friend of mine. Please do not respond to me about the following comments! You can reach him at "tanyelm@dupr.bitnet". His response follows: --------------------------cut here ------------------------------------- The high density disks are about 1.4 Mb (not 1.2 Mb). I use a IIx that has one of these "superdrives" and I can still use my single sided, 400K disks from years ago when the only Mac was the 128K. The HD disks should not be inserted into the 800K drives after they have been formatted for 1.4 Mb, the 800K drive will not recognise them and will come up with the standard dialogue box: "this is not a Macintosh disk, do you want to initialise it, etc." (just as the 400k drives did not recognise the 800k disks when that transition was taking place). However, I do not find the 1.4 Mb disks all that beneficial. I still use 800K disks whenever I need to back up data. I find the hard drive indispensable, though. The superdrive will format a HD disk for 1.4 Mb automatically, the user is given no options. When formatting a non-HD disk, the user is given the usual options: single sided or double sided. Murat Tanyel
wilkins@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Mark Wilkins) (10/29/90)
In article <2412@cod.NOSC.MIL> deichman@cod.nosc.mil.UUCP (Shane D. Deichman) writes: >As I understand it >the HDFD won't even read a 400k disk. Well, I just tried it, and you are, fortunately, entirely wrong. :-) By the way, it's called an FDHD/SuperDrive, or an FDHD, or a SuperDrive depending on who you talk to. -- Mark Wilkins -- ******* "Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude!" ********** *-----------------------------------------------------------------------------* * Mark R. Wilkins wilkins@jarthur.claremont.edu {uunet}!jarthur!wilkins * ****** MARK.WILKINS on AppleLink ****** MWilkins on America Online ******
deichman@cod.NOSC.MIL (Shane D. Deichman) (10/30/90)
O.K., guys.... I've eaten enough crow pie over that bogus comment I made regarding the _FDHD_ (not HDFD... ;-) SuperDrive. It seems I mistook my friend's comments about high density DISKS and transposed it to DRIVES! Now, older I wiser, I can recommend without reservation a SuperDrive over a measly 800k drive.... Safe your breath and your bandwidth. I'll check things a little more thoroughly in the future (sorry if I confused you, Benjamin). -shane p.s. My comments re: my modest 512k system w/ HFS capability (NOT a 512E) were to show that, depending on one's desires for purchasing a system, a VERY cheap system could suffice....
jlc@atux01.UUCP (Jim Collymore) (10/30/90)
> However, I do not find the 1.4 Mb disks all that beneficial. I still use > 800K disks whenever I need to back up data. I find the hard drive > indispensable, though. > > Murat Tanyel I disagree. The 1.4Mb disks are great for doing backups with a package like DiskFit (which I use). Case in point: When I had backed up 37Mb from my hard disk, it took over 45 800k floppies. When I switched over to 1.4Mb floppies, that dropped to ~30 floppies! Back up time was reduced by about 30% because I had to do fewer floppy swaps, and fewer files were split between floppies. I would strongly recommed to anyone that if you have a 1.4Mb drive, buy a bunch of 1.4Mb floppies and start using them for your backups! Jim Collymore p.s. MacConnection was selling a 3-pack (i.e., 3-10 disk packs) of Sony 1.4Mb floppies for ~$54 a while ago. You can call them at 1-800-622-5472.
lantz@Apple.COM (Bob Lantz) (10/30/90)
deichman@cod.NOSC.MIL (Shane D. Deichman) writes: >As I understand it, the HDFD won't even read a 400k disk. > If I am mistaken, then it would be a tremendous advantage; It is a great advantage - the SuperDrive (FDHD) Macs will read all sorts of media and formats - regular density (400K or 800K), high-density, MFS, HFS, ProDos, MS-DOS, etc.. I heard someone took a Unix tar floppy from a Sun box and read it into A/UX using the SuperDrive... >-shane Bob