Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!outbound!patrick_meloy From: patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: Mac and Amiga (Games--Macintosh vs A500) Message-ID: Date: 4 Mar 91 20:10:31 GMT Organization: Outbound Communications Lines: 22 Blain Gardner writes: [stuff deleted] >As to the hard drive speed, surely you jest! Unless someone managed to >get a dog-slow HD and controller on the Amiga (Possible, there are some >bad ones out there), the Amiga simply flies compare to the Mac's pokey >hard drive speeds. With the Quantum and Wren drives I've got on my A3000 [more stuff deleted] I think the drive 'speed' complaint has more to do with the display of drawers/directories then actual transfer rates. Since the Amiga does not use the same style of 'directory track' that Mac and IBM do (we gain 80k disk space over the Mac and 160k over the IBM because of it) it has to search out the files themselves to see what is where. This results in delays when drawing icons or sorting dirs. The Mac and IBM aren't all that much faster in these areas either, they are just smart enough to wait until all the information is at hand before displaying anything. The 'Display as you find' method gives the illusion of slowness.. --------------------------------------- | patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca | | 'The Outbound' BBS Vancouver BC | ---------------------------------------