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From: isbell@ucscf.UCSC.EDU (Art Isbell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Merits of DOS vs NeXT SCSI HD Formats ?
Summary: Just received IMPROV, but have no floppy drive ;-(
Keywords: IMPROV
Message-ID: <13239@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Date: 9 Mar 91 20:15:33 GMT
References: <1991Mar8.083953.11933@agate.berkeley.edu> <1991Mar8.104541.8592@wam.umd.edu>
Sender: usenet@darkstar.ucsc.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: very little -- only me!
Lines: 37


In article <1991Mar8.104541.8592@wam.umd.edu> mikec@wam.umd.edu (Michael D. Callaghan) writes:
>I spoke with someone yesterday at Insignia Solutions, and was told that
>SoftPC ships on 1.44meg DOS-format floppies. The reason, he said, was so
>that folks like me, who don't have a NeXT floppy, can use my IBM
>compatible to load the software onto my Cube (via ftp/nfs/whatever).
>
>He also said that Lotus will be shipping Improv on DOS-floppies, but
>I cannot verify that. It makes sense to me.
>
The nice UPS man delivered IMPROV to my door yesterday, but I don't have a
floppy drive, so I can't load it (or confirm the floppy format).  The floppies
are the requisite black and appear to have CH as the brand identification with
"DOUBLE SIDED 2A3103P" as the only other printing on the diskette.  The Lotus
diskette label says "For computers from NeXT Computer, Inc." and their "Getting
Started" manual says that one must "have a 3.5 in. NeXT compatible diskette
drive".  None of this indicates to me that these are necessarily 2.88 MB
diskettes or are formatted to 2.88 MB.

By the way, the IMPROV documentation looks very thorough and well-done (but its
a little hard to tell without actually using IMPROV).  A couple of curious
things caught my attention.  Not only is a warranty registration card for the
US included, but also one for Great Britain (and Europe, in general).  Maybe
Lotus just throws all forms into every IMPROV package.  But even more curious
is the largest of the 3 manuals, the Handbook.  The cover says "Applications
Guide", just like the real Applications Guide, and when I opened this manual,
it's bound upside down!!  And the thinner Applications Manual cover is wrapped
around the thicker Handbook with about 3/4" of unprinted border required to
span the thicker manual.  Is this a defect that those of us who paid nothing
for IMPROV receive, or is it a defect that only I received?  It's really no big
deal to me, just kind of funny for such a slick package in all other ways.
-- 
                                          _____   ____
Art Isbell                 |\   |         |    |  |   \   315 Moon Meadow Lane
NeXT Registered Developer  | \  |   ___   |____|  |    |  Felton, CA
isbell@ucscf.UCSC.EDU      |  \ |  |___|  |  \    |    |  95018-9442
(408)438-4736(B)           |   \|  |___   |   \   |___/   (408)335-1154(H)