Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!ccwf.cc.utexas.edu From: awessels@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Allen Wessels) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system Subject: Re: True Multitasking Message-ID: <42602@ut-emx.uucp> Date: 16 Jan 91 03:11:32 GMT References: <19019@shlump.nac.dec.com> <42588@ut-emx.uucp> <1991Jan15.233452.1163@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu> Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp Reply-To: awessels@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Allen Wessels) Organization: The University of Texas at Austin Lines: 50 In article <1991Jan15.233452.1163@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu> jxf@orion.cis.ksu.edu (Jerry Frain) writes: >I have an 80 MB drive. I don't have the money right now to invest in a >tape backup system. I need to initialize ~seventy 1.40MB floppies so >that I can back up my hard drive (no, I did not purchase already-formatted >floppies). > >Now, would you care to calculate how much of my time will be spent >formatting these seventy diskettes? Maybe _your_ average user does >not require backups. Maybe _your_ average user has a tape backup >system. However, this is the scenario presented to you by _this_ >average user, who would like to use their time as productively as >possible. I recommend you switch to a backup program that formats as it backs up, and I'd also recommend you reconsider backing up the entire drive to diskette. Unless all 80 meg is data, you can probably get by with a simple data backup, and from then on just do incrementals. If you have to back up that 80 to floppy, you better think about getting anohter 70 HD diskettes. Floppy backups can be a pain if the master disk goes bad, and I don't even want to think about recovering the sucker. >I have to keep a book at my desk to read during disk formatting, compiles, >unstuffs a StuffIt! file, etc. while my SE/30 is at the mercy of its >currently-running program. Can't help with the formatting and compile, but you might switch compression programs. Compactor does its biz just fine in the background. >Yup. I'd like to see one that compresses files as it backs them up. >The standard hard disks are not getting any smaller. A simple system >enhancement like providing a better back up utility would help many >users. No, but removeable media are getting cheaper. Note that floppy sizes aren't expanding at the same rate that hard disks are becoming affordable. (The 20 meg flopticals may throw a wrench into that curve.) Apple has limited resources. Outline fonts will benefit more users than your backup program will. You can't please all of the people all of the time. >> Can you say 3rd party product? > >Sure, I can say that. And I'll get one, too, if you'll buy it for me. If Apple is required to supply full-fledged versions of all those utility programs, YOU will pay for it. Apple already charges a premium to run its OS, and I'm amazed that someone is lining up to pay that much more for utilities that can be had inexpensively from hungry 3rd party developers.